Grade by Grade
A. Design Processes and Related Skills · Design Skills: From Idea to Tested Prototype

Refining Designs and Communicating Results

A3.3 A3.4 A1.4About 75 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can use data from testing to identify and prioritize design refinements.
  • I can make one change at a time and retest to show that a refinement works.
  • I can communicate challenges, performance results and refinement proposals clearly to a specific audience.
  • I can choose a format (report, presentation, poster, demonstration) that suits the audience and purpose.

Words to know

refinement
A change made to improve a design based on evidence.
version
A numbered stage of a design (v1, v2, v3) so changes and results can be tracked.
trade-off
Giving up some of one quality to gain another, such as more stability but more weight.
proposal
A recommendation for a change, with reasons and evidence.
design report
A written document that explains the problem, process, results and recommendations of a project.
visual aid
A chart, photo, diagram or model that helps an audience understand information.

Good, better, best

No product is ever finished on the first try. Phones get new versions every year; recipes are adjusted; salons change their booking systems after customer feedback. The curriculum asks you to identify potential refinements based on data collected during development (A3.3) and to communicate challenges, performance analyses and refinement proposals to a specific audience (A3.4).

From data to refinements

  1. List every criterion that failed and by how much (the gap).
  2. Find the root cause of each failure (last lesson).
  3. Brainstorm refinements for each cause.
  4. Prioritize using impact and effort: fix the biggest problems with the simplest changes first.
  5. Check for trade-offs: will this fix cause a new problem? (A longer base is more stable but takes more table space.)
  6. Make one change, retest, record. Then the next change.
  7. Label versions (v1, v2...) in your design log so you can compare.
Quick wins: do firstBig projects: planSmall fixes: if timeAvoiddeeper notcheslonger basetaller backpaintmotorized tiltimpact on criteria →effort, cost and risk →
An impact/effort grid for possible refinements. Changes in the top left fix the biggest problems for the least effort, so they come first. A motorized tilt is a lot of effort for little gain at this stage.
Worked example

Amira's refinements, based on data

v1 results: tipping force mean 4.7 N (target ≥ 5), angle change mean 6 s (target ≤ 5 s), comfort 3/5 (target ≥ 4). Root causes: base too short behind the back support; notches too shallow; screen too low. Plan and test refinements.

  1. Refinement 1 (highest impact, low effort): lengthen the base by 4 cm behind the back support. Retest tipping: 7.0, 7.4, 7.2 N → mean 7.2 N. Pass. Trade-off: the stand now needs 4 cm more table space, which Sami says is fine.
  2. Refinement 2: deepen the notches from 5 mm to 10 mm and angle them upward so the tablet edge drops in. Retest angle change: 3, 3, 3 s → mean 3 s. Pass.
  3. Refinement 3: raise the screen by adding a 6 cm block under the ledge (the back and brace were lengthened to suit). Retest comfort: Sami rates 5/5 ("I don't have to lean forward").
  4. Re-check earlier criteria after refinement 3, because raising the tablet moves its weight higher: tipping force is now 6.5, 6.9, 7.0 N → mean 6.8 N. Lower than 7.2 N, but still a pass.
  5. Record all three versions with dates and data in the design log.

v2 meets all three criteria: 6.8 N, 3 s and 5/5. Each refinement was justified by data and tested on its own.

Tipping force (N) target ≥ 5v1: 4.7v2: 6.8Angle change time (s) target ≤ 5v1: 6v2: 3Comfort rating (/5) target ≥ 4v1: 3v2: 5Dashed line = target. Lower is better for time; higher is better for the others.
Before and after: prototype v1 (yellow bars) missed all three targets; v2 (green bars) meets all three. Each change was tested on its own before the next one was added.

Communicating to a specific audience

Your results are only useful if the right people understand them. Plan your communication around audience and purpose:

  • Client (Sami): wants to know it works and how to use it. Short demonstration, plain language, ask for final feedback.
  • Teacher or evaluator: wants to see your process and evidence. A design report or presentation with data tables, charts, sketches and drawings.
  • Manufacturer or builder: wants exact changes. An updated technical drawing, cut list and a list of version changes.
  • Customers or the public: want benefits. A poster or short video.

A design report outline

  1. Title page (project, name, date).
  2. Problem and user: design brief, user profile, criteria and constraints.
  3. Research summary with sources cited.
  4. Ideas and decision: sketches and the decision matrix.
  5. Final design: technical drawing, BOM, procedure.
  6. Testing and analysis: test plan, data tables, means, charts, pass/fail.
  7. Challenges and solutions: what went wrong and how you solved it.
  8. Refinement proposals: what you changed, and what you recommend next, with reasons.
  9. Reflection: what you learned about the process.

Presentation tips: one main idea per slide; a chart instead of a wall of numbers; practise out loud; time yourself; speak to the audience, not the screen; use industry terms and explain them if the audience is not expert.

Worked example

Writing a refinement proposal

Write a short proposal to Ethan's student council recommending changes for next year's booth, based on the data.

  1. State the challenge: In our practice run, 3 of 10 customers waited more than 5 minutes (mean 4.7 min, range 4 min).
  2. Explain the analysis: Long waits happened when servers had to make change. Serving and handling money in one role created a bottleneck.
  3. Show the result of the fix: Adding a separate cashier cut the mean wait to 3.8 min and no customer waited over 5 minutes.
  4. Propose next refinements: (1) Keep the separate cashier role. (2) Start with a $40 float in coins. (3) Offer prepaid tickets at lunch the day before, to reduce cash at the booth.
  5. Ask for a decision: We ask the council to approve a $40 float and ticket printing ($5) for next year.

A strong proposal names the challenge, shows the data and analysis, proposes specific changes with reasons, and asks the audience for a clear decision.

Hands-on activity

Refine and present

You need: your prototype and test data from the last lesson (or a product you tested), materials to modify it, your design log, and paper or a computer for a poster or slides. Continue to follow the adult-supervision rules for any cutting or gluing.

  1. Make an impact/effort grid of at least four possible refinements.
  2. Choose the top two. Make one change, retest with three trials, and record. Then make the second change and retest.
  3. Make a before-and-after chart for at least two criteria.
  4. Prepare a 3-minute presentation for one specific audience (your user, your class, or a manufacturer). Include: the challenge, the data, your refinements, the new results and one proposal for the future.
  5. Present it to your family. Ask them to note one thing that was clear and one question they still have.

What to look for: refinements clearly linked to test data, one change at a time with retests, a correctly labelled chart, and a presentation that fits its audience (plain language for a user, more detail and data for an evaluator).

Just for fun

Version history of a sandwich: v1 bread. v2 bread + cheese. v3 bread + cheese, toasted. v4 grilled cheese, with a note in the design log: "Do not leave the pan to answer the phone." Iteration in action!

Your turn

1

What is the first step in identifying refinements?

2

Why make one refinement at a time?

3

Give an example of a trade-off in the tablet stand.

4

On the impact/effort grid, which refinements should usually come first?

5

Name two audiences and the best format for each.

6

v1 tipping mean was 4.7 N; v2 is 6.8 N. By how many newtons and what percent did it improve?

7

Why re-check earlier criteria after a new refinement?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is a refinement?

2

Why label versions v1, v2, v3?

3

Name three sections of a design report.

4

What is a visual aid?

5

What is a proposal?

More practice: on your own

1

Rewrite for a client: "Mean tipping force increased from 4.7 N to 7.2 N after a 40 mm base extension."

2

Rewrite for an evaluator: "It works way better now."

3

A refinement improves comfort but makes the stand fail the tipping test. What should the designer do?

4

Place these on an impact/effort grid for the booth: (a) a separate cashier (b) a new urn costing $300 (c) a bigger sign.

5

List three things a slide about test results should include.

Challenge

1

Write a 5-sentence refinement proposal to a manufacturer that wants to sell Amira's stand in wood. Include data, the change, a trade-off and a request.

2

Explain why communicating challenges and failures is valuable, not embarrassing, in technology and the trades.

3

The hot chocolate booth had a 70% on-time rate in the practice run and 100% after the fix. Design a simple chart and a one-sentence conclusion for a school announcement (audience: students).

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Refinements should be based mainly on...

2.

Which refinement is a quick win?

3.

A longer base is more stable but takes more space. This is a...

4.

Which is the best way to present test results to an evaluator?

5.

Why change only one thing between tests?

6.

Which section of a design report recommends future changes?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Expectation A3.3 asks students to identify refinements based on data collected during development; A3.4 asks them to communicate challenges, performance analyses and refinement proposals to a specific audience. This completes the design cycle.

How to help at home:

  • Be the audience for the presentation. Afterward, ask one question you genuinely want answered.
  • Ask, "What would you change next, and what evidence makes you think so?"

Common difficulties:

  • Changing many things at once. Encourage one change, one retest.
  • Presentations full of text. Suggest a chart and a one-line conclusion per slide.
  • Hiding failures. Praise honest reporting; it is a professional skill.

Grade 10 connection: these design, testing and communication skills carry into every Grade 10 and later technology course and into apprenticeships and college programs.

Safety: continue adult supervision for any cutting or gluing while refining prototypes.