Design and Technology study guides

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design design thinking and the design process: iterative design and design strategies, design briefs and specifications (ACCESSFM), primary and secondary research, modelling and prototyping, and communicating design ideas through sketching, rendering and orthographic drawing.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design designers, companies and design movements: influential designers and their philosophies, design-led companies and their brand identities, the major design movements from Arts and Crafts to Memphis, and what makes a product iconic.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design ergonomics and product analysis: anthropometric data and percentiles, physical and cognitive ergonomics, the analysis and disassembly of existing products, and inclusive and user-centred design.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design manufacturing processes and scales of production: shaping and forming processes for metals, polymers and timber, the four scales of production with their cost economics, digital manufacture (CAD, CAM, CNC, 3D printing), and quality control, tolerances and standards.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design materials and their properties: the classification of metals, polymers, timbers, papers, boards and composites, the physical and mechanical properties, smart and modern materials, and how a designer selects a material and stock form for a product.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design mathematical and technical principles: stress, strain and Young's modulus, costing and material quantities, scale, ratio and tolerance calculations, and applied electrical and mechanical calculations, with the formulae and worked methods Component 01 rewards.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design structures, mechanisms and electronic systems: types of structure and the forces and moments that act on them, levers and linkages, gears, cams and pulleys with ratio calculations, and electronic systems with Ohm's law and the potential divider.

A complete overview of OCR A-Level Product Design sustainability and the environment: the 6 Rs of sustainable design, design for disassembly and the circular economy, life cycle assessment, the sustainability of materials and resources, and the social, moral and ethical issues around product design.