Design and TechnologyQ&A by dot point

Communicating design ideas through freehand sketching and annotation: using quick 2D and 3D sketches, notes and labels to generate, develop and explain ideas during the design process.

Computer-aided design (CAD): using software to model, refine, test and present designs, the advantages and disadvantages of CAD, and how it links to computer-aided manufacture (CAM).

Iterative design as a repeating cycle of explore, create and evaluate: how it differs from linear design, why testing and feedback drive refinement, and how it underpins the J310 design challenge.

Modelling and prototyping: using sketch models, physical prototypes and mathematical modelling to test, develop and communicate ideas, and the role of prototypes in the iterative process.

Formal drawing techniques: isometric and perspective pictorial drawing, exploded and assembly diagrams, and working (orthographic) drawings with dimensions and scale, used to communicate a design accurately for manufacture.

Analysing existing products through product analysis and disassembly: examining materials, components, manufacture, function, ergonomics, aesthetics, cost and environmental impact to learn from them and inform new designs.

Anthropometrics and ergonomics: using body measurement data and percentiles to design products that fit the user, and designing for comfort, efficiency, safety and ease of use, including inclusive design.

Identifying requirements by analysing a context: the primary user and wider stakeholders, the situation a product is used in, the social, cultural, moral and economic factors that create opportunities and constraints, and how this leads to a design brief.

Writing a design specification: deriving measurable, justified design criteria from the brief and research, the difference between a design brief and a specification, and using the specification to evaluate ideas and the final prototype.

Learning from the work of past and present designers and companies: how their materials, methods, branding, style and ethos influence design, and how studying them informs new work without copying.

The implications of wider issues for design: social, moral, ethical and environmental impacts, the 6 Rs of sustainability, life-cycle thinking, and how designers reduce a product's footprint.

Deforming and reforming processes: shaping by deforming material (line bending, vacuum forming, press forming, laminating) and by reforming it from a liquid or molten state (casting, injection moulding, blow moulding), and matching the process to the material and quantity.

Scales of production: one-off (bespoke), batch, mass and continuous production, the features and trade-offs of each, and how the scale influences process choice, cost and the use of CAM.

Wastage and addition processes: shaping by removing material (sawing, drilling, turning, milling, laser cutting) and by joining material together (adhesives, mechanical fixings, welding, soldering), and choosing the right process for a material.

Quality control and accuracy: tolerances and how to read them, quality control checks during production, and using jigs, templates, patterns and CAM to ensure accuracy and consistency in batch and mass production.

Surface treatments and finishes: why materials are finished (protection, appearance, function), and the finishes that suit each material category, including paint and varnish for timber, painting and plating for metals, and self-finishing for polymers.

Electronic components: resistors, capacitors, diodes and LEDs, transistors and integrated circuits, what each does, and how components are combined to make working circuits in products.

Metals: ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals and alloys, the difference between them, their physical and working properties, common examples, and typical uses.

Papers and boards: the common types (cartridge, layout, tracing, grid, bleed-proof papers; corrugated card, mounting board, foam board, duplex and solid white board), their physical and working properties, weight measured in gsm, and typical uses.

Polymers: thermoforming (thermoplastic) and thermosetting polymers, the difference between them, their physical and working properties, common examples, and typical uses.

Selecting and costing materials: the factors that influence material choice (function, properties, aesthetics, cost, availability and sustainability), stock forms and stock sizes, and calculating material cost from stock forms and quantities.

Textiles: natural, synthetic and blended fibres, the difference between them, woven, knitted and non-woven fabric construction, their physical and working properties, common examples and typical uses.

Timbers: natural hardwoods and softwoods and manufactured (manmade) boards, their physical and working properties, the difference between hardwood and softwood, common examples, and typical uses.

Electronic systems: the input, process and output model, sensors as inputs, processing with transistors and microcontrollers (including programmable control), and outputs such as LEDs, buzzers and motors.

Forces and stresses: tension, compression, bending, torsion and shear, how materials and structures are affected by them, and how they can be reinforced and stiffened using lamination, ribs, folding and triangulation.

Mechanisms and motion: the four types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating and oscillating), levers and the classes of lever, mechanical advantage, and linkages that change the direction or type of motion.

Rotary motion systems: gears and gear trains, gear ratios and how they change speed and torque, pulley and belt systems, and cams and followers that convert rotary motion into reciprocating or oscillating motion.

New and emerging technologies: CAD/CAM and digital manufacture (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC), automation and robotics, smart and modern materials, and the impact of new technologies on industry, society and the environment.

Creating in the NEA: generating and developing ideas, modelling and testing them, planning the manufacture of the final prototype (a production plan with stages, tools and quality checks), and making it safely and accurately.

Exploring in the NEA: investigating the contextual challenge, the user and wider stakeholders and existing products, gathering primary and secondary research, and writing a design brief and a measurable specification.

Evaluating in the NEA: testing ideas and the prototype against the specification and with the user throughout, using feedback to drive iteration, and writing a final evaluation that judges fitness for purpose and suggests improvements.

The structure of the J310 Iterative Design Challenge: the explore, create and evaluate cycle, the contextual challenge, the chronological portfolio and final prototype, and how the work is assessed against the OCR criteria.