Design and TechnologyQ&A by dot point

Communicating design ideas: freehand and isometric sketching, rendering, exploded and assembly drawings, third-angle orthographic projection, working drawings with dimensions and tolerances, schematic and flow diagrams, and digital presentation.

Design briefs and design specifications: their purpose and content, writing measurable and testable specification criteria, the difference between a brief and a specification, and using the specification to evaluate the final outcome.

Influential designers and design companies, the major design movements (Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modernism, Memphis), the work of named designers and brands, design's relationship with society and technology, and intellectual property (patents, registered designs, trademarks and copyright).

The iterative design process (explore, create, evaluate) and the design strategies that drive it: user-centred design, systems thinking, collaboration, avoiding design fixation and the role of iteration in innovation.

Modelling and prototyping: physical models, prototypes and mock-ups, the role of CAD and CAM, rapid prototyping (3D printing and laser cutting), virtual modelling and simulation, and how iterative testing of models refines a design.

Primary and secondary research methods, the use of users, experts and existing products, qualitative and quantitative data, and how research evidence frames a design brief and specification.

Ergonomics and human factors, anthropometric data and percentiles, designing for the 5th to 95th percentile range, the use of adjustability and clearance, reach and comfort, and how human data is applied to make products that fit their users.

Inclusive design and design for all, user-centred design, designing for diverse users including disabled and older people, the principles of inclusive design, and how empathy, user involvement and avoiding exclusion shape a product.

Life cycle assessment (LCA): the stages of raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal, the inputs and outputs at each stage, carbon footprint and embodied energy, and how an LCA informs more sustainable design decisions.

The social, moral and ethical issues in design and manufacture: fair trade and ethical sourcing, labour and working conditions, planned obsolescence and consumerism, the impact of technology on society and employment, and the designer's wider responsibility.

The 6 Rs of sustainability (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle), design for disassembly, the sustainability of materials and resources, renewable and finite resources, and how sustainable design choices reduce environmental impact across a product's life.

The classification of materials: papers and boards, natural and manufactured timbers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, elastomers and composites, with named examples and typical product uses.

The enhancement and treatment of materials: heat treatment of metals (hardening, tempering, annealing), work hardening, seasoning and treatment of timber, lamination and reinforcement, alloying, and surface treatments and finishes that protect or enhance a material.

Performance characteristics of materials (functionality, aesthetic, environmental, availability and cost factors), the difference between destructive and non-destructive testing, standard material tests (tensile, hardness, impact), and how test data supports material selection.

The physical and mechanical properties of materials (strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, malleability, elasticity, plasticity, density, conductivity, durability) and how they govern the suitability of a material for a product, including the calculation of density.

Selecting materials by balancing function, aesthetics, cost, manufacture, availability and environment, and the standard stock forms (sheet, bar, rod, tube, extrusion, section, granules, powder, wire) that materials are supplied in and how stock form affects waste and cost.

Smart materials (shape memory alloys, thermochromic, photochromic and electrochromic materials, piezoelectric and electroluminescent materials) and modern materials (Kevlar, graphene, nanomaterials, polymorph, technical textiles), defined by stimulus and response or by an outstanding property.

Costing and quantities: calculating material quantities and waste, percentage and percentage change, nesting and yield, material and labour cost, profit and selling price, and break-even, with units carried through the working.

Electronic and systems calculations: Ohm's law, electrical power and energy, the potential divider, resistors in series and parallel, the current-limiting resistor for an LED, and reading and interpreting data, with formulae and units carried through.

Scale and scale factors, ratio and proportion, area and volume calculations, the effect of scale factor on area and volume, tolerances and limits, and reading and interpreting dimensioned drawings and data, with units carried through.

Structural and mechanical calculations: the moment of a force and equilibrium, stress, strain and Young's modulus, mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and gear and pulley ratios, with formulae, units and worked applications to products.

Digital design and manufacture: CAD, CAM and CNC machining, additive manufacture (3D printing), the role of automation, robotics and flexible manufacturing systems, and the benefits and drawbacks of computer-integrated manufacture.

Finishing processes for metals (painting, powder coating, anodising, galvanising, plating), timber (varnish, oil, wax, stain, paint) and polymers (self-finishing, printing), the reasons for finishing (protection, function, aesthetics), and how the finish suits the material and environment.

Quality control and quality assurance, tolerances and upper and lower limits, the use of gauges, jigs, fixtures and templates, statistical process control and Six Sigma, and how tolerances enable interchangeable parts and consistent quality.

The scales of production (one-off or bespoke, batch, mass and continuous), just-in-time and lean manufacturing, the relationship between volume, tooling cost and unit cost, and how the chosen scale shapes the manufacturing method.

The shaping and forming processes for polymers (injection moulding, blow moulding, vacuum forming, extrusion, rotational moulding), metals (casting, forging, die casting) and timber (laminating, steam bending), and how the process suits the material, the form and the scale of production.

Wasting processes (sawing, drilling, milling, turning, laser and water-jet cutting) that remove material, and addition and joining processes (welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, mechanical fixings, 3D printing) that join or build up material, with their uses and trade-offs.

Electronic systems as input, process and output, input sensors (switches, LDR, thermistor) and the potential divider, process subsystems (transistors, comparators, logic gates, timers) and how a system senses a condition and decides a response.

Gears and gear trains, the velocity ratio and gear ratio, idler gears, compound gear trains, cams and followers, pulleys and belts and their ratios, and how these mechanisms change the speed, force and type of motion.

Levers and the three lever classes, mechanical advantage and the law of the lever, types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating, oscillating), linkages (reverse, parallel, bell crank) and how mechanisms change the size, direction and type of a force or motion.

Product analysis and disassembly: analysing a product's function, form, materials, manufacture, ergonomics, cost and sustainability, the use of ACCESS FM or similar frameworks, and what taking a product apart reveals about its construction and design decisions.

Output devices (LEDs, lamps, buzzers, motors, solenoids, relays), driving outputs with transistors and relays, microcontrollers and programmable interface controllers, flowchart programming, and how programmable control makes products flexible and responsive.

Structures and forces: tension, compression, bending, shear and torsion, how structures resist them, the moment of a force and equilibrium, beams, ties and struts, triangulation, and methods of reinforcing and stiffening a structure.