Writing design briefs and design specifications, including identifying problems, the needs of users, and writing specification criteria that are measurable and justified.

What this dot point is asking

This is AQA section 3.3.2. AQA wants you to turn a design problem into a clear brief and then a measurable specification. You need to identify the problem and user needs, and write specification points that can be tested and that are justified by your research. In Paper 1 you are often asked to write or improve specification points for a given brief, so practising measurable, justified criteria is the key skill.

The design brief

The brief grows out of the problem and early research. It sets the overall direction (what, for whom and why) without dictating the solution, so it leaves room for creativity. A good brief names the client (who commissions), the user (who uses), the situation the product is for, and any fixed constraints such as a context or an event. It deliberately stays open: it should not say "design a wooden box", because that closes off better solutions before any ideas are explored.

The design specification

The specification turns the open brief into testable targets, written after the research so each point can be backed by evidence. A common way to make sure no area is missed is the ACCESS FM checklist: Aesthetics, Cost, Customer (user), Environment, Size, Safety, Function, Materials. Each heading prompts at least one measurable point, for example a size limit, a maximum cost, a safety requirement and the function it must perform.

Writing measurable, justified criteria

Each point should state a clear, testable target and the reason for it. Compare a weak point with a strong one:

• Weak: "The product must be nice and safe." This cannot be measured, so a finished product cannot be judged against it.
• Strong: "The product must weigh under 500 g so a young child can carry it, and have no detachable parts smaller than 40 mm to avoid a choking hazard." Each part is testable and justified by the user.

At the testing stage, every specification point becomes a check: you measure the prototype against each criterion to decide whether the design has succeeded, which is why measurability matters so much.