Chapter 1

Question 1

1: How would you go about investigating a solution to a design context?
2: What are the five main areas of a design context solution?
3: Define a Primary User.
4: Define a Stakeholder.
5: Name 4 different ways in which you could gain information from a primary user or a stakeholder.

Answer 1

1: Concept maps or mind maps exploring all factors
2: Who, What, Where, When, Why, Function – all covered in the mind map
3: The person that has the most interest within a product and will be using this the most.
4: The stakeholder is someone or a company that has a general interest in it – will buy it for someone, or will use it occasionally.
5: Observing the primary user in the situation, talking to other stakeholders/primary users, ongoing feedback from the groups through the development stage, user testing of prototypes with feedback.

Question 2

1: Explain the difference between Social, Moral and Cultural considerations.
2: What effect does CAM have on society?
3: Define globalisation
4: What are the qualities of a sustainable economic future?
5: When considering cultural issues, why would this be an important factor in design? Give some examples of cultural issues.

Answer 2

1: Social – impact on society around you, Moral – has the right decisions been made, Cultural – activities and behavior of a group of people that could influence design
2: Results in loss of skilled workers in factories, ability to create more detailed products quicker.
3: Businesses operating on a global scale – influencing internationally
4: Satisfy the needs of public whilst sustaining natural resources & environment
5: Could cause offence to other groups of people – need to ensure an inclusive design for all. Colours – White in western world represents purity/peace/clean – White in Asian countries represents death and mourning/bad luck.

Question 3

1: What does it mean when a design is inclusive?
2: Define both Ergonomics and Anthropometrics. Explain the difference between them.
3: How can psychological factors hinder a design?
4: Give 2 examples of usability in action.

Answer 3

1: A design that breaks down barriers for the widest possible audience to use – not only catering for the normal user.
2: Ergonomics is the interaction between a human and the product – button sizes, placement of buttons so it would be comfortable etc. Anthropometrics is the size of the human, percentiles are used here – you will usually design for the 5th – 95th percentiles.
3: Mental reactions to products / designs, certain colours may be included here, short term memory triggers
4: Hand-held tools (smooth, comfortable handles, coping with tool weight) Seating (seat height, posture, padding, comfort, weight etc)

Question 4

1: What are Aesthetics? How is something aesthetically pleasing?
2: Explain how colour could influence a design
3: What is the difference between symmetry and asymmetry?
4: What is the Golden Ratio? Find products where this is used.

Answer 4

1: Factors concerned with appreciation of beauty – how it looks, feels, tastes. Something that is aesthetically pleasing means that it looks, tastes, feels nice to the senses involved.
2: Colour elicits responses by triggering emotions – positively and negatively
3: Symmetry creates balance, balance in design creates harmony, order and aesthetically pleasing products. Asymmetry is where there is no symmetry of any kind to produce interesting shapes.
4: A maths ratio that is found in nature that creates aesthetically pleasing products - symmetrical