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SingaporeDesign and Technology

The Design Process

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does a designer turn a vague situation into a clear statement of who the user is and what they need?

Analyse a design situation to identify the user, the problem and the needs and wants, and distinguish a need from a proposed solution
A focused answer to the O-Level Design and Technology outcome on analysing a situation. Identifying the user, the problem, needs versus wants, and why a need must be stated separately from any solution.
7 min answer →

What are the stages of the design process, and why do designers move through them in a structured but iterative way?

Describe the stages of the design process from identifying a situation to evaluating a solution, and explain why the process is iterative rather than strictly linear
A focused answer to the O-Level Design and Technology outcome on the design process. The stages from situation and brief to research, ideas, development, realisation and evaluation, and why the process loops back.
8 min answer →

What is the difference between a design brief and a specification, and how does each shape the rest of a project?

Write a clear design brief from an analysed situation, and turn research into a measurable design specification against which solutions can be judged
A focused answer to the O-Level Design and Technology outcome on briefs and specifications. What a design brief states, how a specification is written as measurable points, and how the two differ.
8 min answer →

Why do designers loop back through earlier stages, and how does iteration improve a design over several cycles?

Explain the iterative nature of designing, where evaluation and testing feed back into earlier stages, and describe how each cycle refines a solution
A focused answer to the O-Level Design and Technology outcome on iteration. How testing and evaluation feed back into development, why early loops are cheaper, and how cycles refine a design.
7 min answer →