How do new and emerging technologies change industry, society and the environment?
The impact of new and emerging technologies on industry, enterprise, sustainability, people, culture, society and the environment, including automation, and the choice between meeting needs and wants.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Design and Technology core technical principle on new and emerging technologies, covering automation and robotics, enterprise and crowd funding, the social, cultural and environmental impacts of design, and how designers weigh needs against wants.
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What this topic is asking
New and emerging technologies sit at the front of the WJEC core technical principles because every design decision now happens in a fast-changing technological world. WJEC wants you to understand how advances in technology shape industry and enterprise, and how design affects people, culture, society and the environment. This is core content tested in Unit 1 across all three routes (Engineering Design, Fashion and Textiles, and Product Design), so the examples differ but the ideas are the same.
Automation, robotics and changing industry
New technologies also change where and how work happens. Computer-aided design lets teams in different countries work on the same product, and rapid prototyping (3D printing) lets a designer test a physical model in hours rather than weeks.
Enterprise and getting a product made
The wider impact of design on people and society
The environmental impact
Needs versus wants
A central idea WJEC returns to is the difference between a need and a want. A need is something essential, such as safe drinking water or warm clothing; a want is something desirable but not essential, such as the latest phone colour. Recognising whether a product meets a real need or only a want helps designers justify their decisions and consider whether the resources used are worthwhile.
Try this
Q1. State one advantage and one disadvantage of automation for a manufacturer. [2 marks]
- Cue. Advantage: higher output or repeatability or safety. Disadvantage: high set-up cost or job losses.
Q2. Explain the difference between a need and a want, using an example of each. [2 marks]
- Cue. A need is essential (clean water); a want is desirable but not essential (newest phone).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC-style6 marksDiscuss the impact of automation in manufacturing on a furniture company and its workers.Show worked answer →
A six mark extended-response question rewarding balanced discussion, not a list. Advantages for the company: automated machines such as CNC routers and robot arms work continuously, raise output and repeatability, lower the per-item labour cost and improve safety on dangerous tasks (around 3 marks for developed points). Drawbacks: high set-up cost, the loss of skilled jobs and the need to retrain staff, plus a heavy reliance on the technology if it breaks down (around 3 marks). The top band reaches a judgement, for example that automation suits high-volume lines but a small craft maker may keep hand processes to protect quality and jobs. Markers credit clear, two-sided reasoning ending in a conclusion.
WJEC-style3 marksExplain how crowd funding can help a designer bring a new product to market.Show worked answer →
A three mark Explain question, so each point must be developed. Crowd funding lets a designer raise money from many small backers online instead of one large loan or investor (1 mark). It also tests demand before manufacture, because a funded campaign proves people want the product (1 mark). Backers often give feedback and become early customers, reducing the risk of making stock that does not sell (1 mark). A common weakness is to define crowd funding without linking it to bringing a product to market.
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