← Design and Manufacture syllabus

ScotlandDesign and Manufacture

Design

7 dot points across 7 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do designers communicate their proposals using sketching, modelling and computer-aided design?

Communicating design proposals: graphic techniques (freehand and pictorial sketching, annotation, rendering), physical modelling and prototyping, and computer-aided design (CAD), and the purpose of communicating ideas clearly to clients and manufacturers.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture content on communicating design proposals, covering graphic techniques such as sketching and rendering, physical modelling and prototyping, and computer-aided design (CAD), and why clear communication matters.
11 min answer →

What is the National 5 Design and Manufacture design assignment, and how is it carried out and marked?

Overview of the assignment - design: the externally assessed coursework in which a candidate develops a design proposal in response to a set brief, applying research, specification, idea generation, development, communication and evaluation, worth 55 of the 180 course marks.
An overview of the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture assignment - design: the externally assessed coursework in which a candidate develops a design proposal to a set brief, what skills it assesses, and how it fits the 180-mark course assessment.
10 min answer →

What are the design factors, and how does each one influence the design of a product?

The design factors that influence the design of a product: function, performance, aesthetics, ergonomics (anthropometrics, physiology and psychology), market and consumer demands, economic factors, environmental factors and safety, and the tensions and trade-offs between them.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture content on design factors, covering function, performance, aesthetics, ergonomics (anthropometrics, physiology, psychology), market, economic, environmental and safety factors, and the trade-offs designers make between them.
12 min answer →

How does a designer evaluate a proposal against the specification and resolve it into a final design?

Evaluating and resolving design proposals: testing ideas and models against the specification, using objective and subjective evaluation, identifying improvements, and refining a proposal on an ongoing basis until it is resolved and meets the brief.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture content on evaluating and resolving design proposals, covering objective and subjective evaluation against the specification, identifying improvements, and refining a design until it is resolved.
11 min answer →

How does a designer generate a range of ideas and then develop the strongest into a workable proposal?

Generating and developing ideas: creativity and idea-generation techniques (brainstorming, morphological analysis, mind mapping, lateral thinking), divergent and convergent thinking, and developing chosen ideas through modelling towards a workable proposal.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture content on generating and developing ideas, covering creativity techniques such as brainstorming and morphological analysis, divergent and convergent thinking, and developing chosen ideas through modelling.
11 min answer →

How does a designer research a design problem and turn that research into a measurable specification?

Researching a design problem and writing a specification: methods of research (investigating existing products, the user, the market and materials), product analysis, and turning findings into a measurable design specification used to judge proposals.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture content on research and specification, covering research methods, product analysis against design factors, and how findings become a measurable design specification that proposals are judged against.
11 min answer →

What are the stages of the design process, and why is it iterative rather than a straight line?

The stages of the design process from brief to resolved proposal: the design brief, specification, generating and developing ideas, modelling, evaluating, and the iterative design/make/test cycle in which ideas are refined and resolved on an ongoing basis.
A focused answer to the SQA National 5 Design and Manufacture content on the design process, covering the brief, specification, idea generation, development, modelling and evaluation, and the iterative design/make/test cycle that refines and resolves a proposal.
11 min answer →