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Year 11 - Design and technology

Design specification

Designing and Making Principles

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils will develop designing and making principles knowledge with an explicit focus on exam technique.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how and why design specifications are used in industry.

Key Notes

  • Design specifications outline the product's purpose, user, and key features.
  • Design specifications define the product's aesthetics, materials, and form to ensure it's functional and appealing.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • design specification: describes what a product has to do
  • requirements: something which is needed or wanted
  • justification: the reason or explanation for why something is done, or believed to be right
  • aesthetics: how a product looks

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Design specifications and technical specifications are the same.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Design specifications outline the product's purpose, user, and key features. Design specifications define the product's aesthetics, materials, and form to ensure it's functional and appealing.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'design specification'

describes what a product has to do.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Design specifications and technical specifications are the same. Correction: Design specifications focus on the overall concept, user needs, and appearance. Technical specifications detail the materials and measurement requirements needed to build a product.

More Lessons In This Unit

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