← Design and Technology syllabus

EnglandDesign and Technology

1. Identifying requirements and learning from others

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What can you learn by taking apart and critiquing products that already exist?

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.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on analysing existing products: using product analysis and disassembly to examine materials, manufacture, function, ergonomics, cost and environmental impact, and learn from them.
9 min answer →

How do designers use human body data to make products that fit, are comfortable and are easy to use?

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.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on anthropometrics and ergonomics: using body measurement data and percentiles to design products that fit, and designing for comfort, efficiency, safety, ease of use and inclusivity.
9 min answer →

How do you turn a broad context into a clear design brief that says what to make and for whom?

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.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on analysing a context: identifying the primary user and wider stakeholders, the situation of use, the social and economic factors at play, and writing a design brief from them.
9 min answer →

What turns a design brief into measurable requirements you can design and test against?

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.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on the design specification: turning a brief and research into measurable, justified criteria, how it differs from a brief, and using it to evaluate ideas and the final prototype.
9 min answer →

How do established designers and companies influence the products we use, and what can we learn from them?

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.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on learning from past and present designers and companies: how their materials, methods, branding, style and ethos influence design and inform new work.
9 min answer →

How do social, moral and environmental issues shape design, and how can products be made more sustainable?

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.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on the wider issues in design: social, moral, ethical and environmental impacts, the 6 Rs of sustainability, life-cycle thinking, and reducing a product's footprint.
10 min answer →