EXPLORE
4
FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS
The aim of the explore section is to do some initial investigations so that you can put an initial list of design criteria together so that you have enough information and context to start the design process. There are are a number of different techniques that can be used to do this (scroll down). This 'further investigation section' falls under two mark scheme bands, both 1.4 - 1.5. To quote OCR this section (1.4 & 1.5) should show:
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'The candidate's use of appropriate method and skills to explore existing products, systems and design practices
The obtaining of relevant information and inspiration that influence the candidate's design thinking and development of design solutions
The quality and depth of the candidate's exploration of relevant materials carried out as appropriate during the iterative designing
The candidate's consideration of the physical and performance requirements for their design'
https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/531798-internal-marking-guidance.pdf
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You will see that the text highlighted above refers to an exploration of materials that may happen in the design stage. You will find that as you move through the iterative design process that you will carry out more research and so it doesn't ALL have to be done at the start of the project.
Where to start?
You should now have your design brief and have started to understand the needs of your user and stakeholders in greater detail. So what next? The video below runs through how you might tackle this next section which is all about 'further investigations' or what is also referred to as a 'contextual enquiry'.
After watching the video you know that the best place to start is to think about what you need to find out before being able to put together a list of 'design criteria'. There are a number of techniques you can use to find out this information and depending on your brief some techniques will be more useful than others at this stage. Only you will be able to establish what would be best for you and your brief. Below are multiple techniques that might be useful. Each one takes you to a 'how to page' which you can look at to understand that technique in more detail.
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REMEMBER: You will need to do more research as you start the design process so you DO NOT need to do ALL your explore now. We would recommend carrying out 2-3 extra bits of research at this early stage.
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At this stage you should as a MINIMUM aim to do the following:
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Hands-on Product Teardown
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Product research
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Anthropometric data
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Materials research
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Click on the techniques below to find out more about how to do them
Investigation Techniques
Exemplars
Checklist & Markscheme
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A full hands on product tear-down / disassembly (including materials, interesting features, positives & negatives, manufacturing / electronic function)
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Research into a variety of different relevant products currently on the market including all commercial aspects
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Research products / humans / animals that interact with the product you will be designing eg. designing for a dog will require you to investigate a dog and their needs /sizes etc
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Investigating wider issues relevant to your design brief eg. sustainability and social, moral and ethical issues
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First-hand tests of materials, finishes & components (performance). stakeholders should be involved (NOTE: this is likely to occur during the design process)
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Have you investigated everything essential to start the design process?
