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

Design Skills: From Idea to Tested Prototype: Unit Review

A1.1 A1.2 A1.3 A1.4 A1.5 A1.6 A1.7 A2.1 A2.2 A2.3 A2.4 A2.5 A2.6 A2.7 A3.1 A3.2 A3.3 A3.4 A4.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can use the engineering design process and STEM concepts to plan, build, test and refine a product or service.
  • I can research users and diverse sources, set criteria and communicate designs with sketches and technical drawings.
  • I can measure accurately, manage a project, and choose materials, tools and documents.
  • I can analyze test data, solve problems and communicate refinements to an audience.

Words to know

engineering design process
Define, research, generate ideas, choose and plan, build, test, refine and communicate, repeated as needed.
universal design
Designing so as many people as possible can use something without special changes.
criterion
A standard a design must meet to be successful.
constraint
A limit the designer must work within.
orthographic projection
Separate flat views (front, top, side) of an object.
tolerance
The allowed variation in a size, such as 50 ± 0.5 mm.
critical path
The longest chain of dependent tasks in a project.
bill of materials
A list of all materials and parts with quantities and costs.
fair test
A test in which only one variable changes.
refinement
A change made to improve a design, based on evidence.

Let's review!

In this unit you learned the design skills used across technology and the skilled trades: you explored technological concepts, used the engineering design process with STEM, researched users, accessibility and diverse sources, set criteria, sketched and made technical drawings, measured in metric and imperial, managed a project, chose materials and tools, used industry documents, built and documented a prototype, tested and troubleshot it, and refined and communicated your results.

This review has a few questions from every lesson. Try each one, then press Show answer to check. If a part feels tricky, go back to that lesson for more practice.

Definelessons 3, 5Researchlessons 1, 4Generate ideaslesson 6Choose and planlessons 5, 7, 8, 9Buildlessons 10, 11, 12Test and evaluatelesson 13Refinelesson 14Communicatelessons 6, 14repeat until criteria are metLesson 2 ties it all together
The design process with the lessons that teach each stage. The yellow stages loop (dashed arrow from Refine back to Build) until the design meets its criteria.
Design briefUser profileResearch findingsCriteria + constraintsSketchesTechnical drawingGantt chart + budgetBOM + cut listDesign logTest data + analysisRefinement proposalReport / presentation
The documents a complete design project produces, in order. Together they form your design portfolio, the evidence of every skill in this unit.

Technological Concepts in the Products and Services Around You

1

Is a tire change a product or a service? Name two technological concepts that apply to it.

2

Which concept is about fit to the human body?

3

Explain how aesthetics and sustainability might compete in designing a coffee cup.

The Engineering Design Process and STEM

1

List the eight steps of the design process.

2

A shelf brace forms the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs 9 cm and 12 cm. How long is it?

3

Why is the process called a cycle?

Designing for Real Users: Design Considerations and Accessibility

1

What is the difference between a need and a want?

2

Name three principles of universal design.

3

Give one example of the curb-cut effect.

Research: Gathering and Synthesizing Information from Diverse Sources

1

Primary or secondary: (a) your survey (b) a manufacturer's manual?

2

Rewrite the leading question "Don't you think a bigger handle is better?"

3

Name two respectful practices when learning from First Nations, Métis or Inuit communities.

Criteria, Constraints and Evaluation Measures

1

Criterion or constraint: "must cost under $15"?

2

Make "looks nice" testable.

3

Weights 3, 2, 1; scores 4, 5, 2. Weighted total?

Sketching and Communicating Design Ideas

1

At what angle are depth lines in isometric? In oblique?

2

What makes an annotation useful?

3

Explain the term "kerf" in plain words.

Technical Drawings: Orthographic Views, Dimensions and Scale

1

In third-angle projection, where is the top view?

2

A 1500 mm desk on a 1:10 drawing is how long?

3

What does a dashed line mean?

4

What does Ø8 mean?

Measuring Accurately in Metric and Imperial

1

Convert 5 in to mm.

2

Simplify 14/16 in.

3

A part is 30 ± 0.2 mm. Is 30.25 mm acceptable?

4

Convert 25 °C to °F.

Project Management: Planning Tasks, Time, Resources and Risks

1

What is the critical path?

2

Budget $45; costs $19.99 and $14.50. How much is left?

3

Give one factor that could affect a project and a strategy.

Materials: Properties, Sustainability and Justifying Choices

1

Name the property: resists being squashed.

2

Does a material with density 1.3 g/cm³ float in water?

3

Name the life-cycle stages.

Tools, Equipment and Industry Documents

1

Why is a dull blade dangerous?

2

What is the difference between a cut list and a BOM?

3

A recipe yields 5 servings; you need 30. What is the conversion factor?

Making the Product or Delivering the Service, and Documenting the Process

1

What should you do right before gluing?

2

Three layers of 4.1 mm card: how wide should the slot be?

3

Name four things a good design log entry includes.

Testing, Troubleshooting and Analyzing Performance

1

Mean and range of 6, 9, 7, 10?

2

What is a fair test?

3

Waits 2, 4, 4, 6 min; criterion each ≤ 5 min. What percent met it?

Refining Designs and Communicating Results

1

Why make one refinement at a time?

2

What is a trade-off? Give an example.

3

Rewrite for an evaluator: "Now it's way faster."

Just for fun

Why did the engineer bring a ladder to the design review?

She heard the project was going to the next level: version 3!

How to use this review

  • Do the questions without looking back first. Mark any you miss.
  • For each miss, reread that lesson's explanation and worked example, then try two more practice questions from it.
  • Check that your design portfolio has every document in the chart above.
  • Do the 10-question quiz last. If you score 8 or more, you are ready to move on.
Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a service?

2.

What is the first step of the engineering design process?

3.

A lever door handle instead of a round knob is an example of...

4.

Which is a quantitative criterion?

5.

In cabinet oblique, depth lines are drawn at...

6.

A 3000 mm wall on a 1:50 plan is...

7.

3/4 in is how many sixteenths?

8.

Tasks: A (2 days) then C (1 day); B (4 days) then C. The critical path is...

9.

Which document gives a hazardous product's first aid and protective equipment information?

10.

Trials: 5.5, 6.5, 6.0 N. Criterion: mean ≥ 6 N. Result?

For parents and teachers

How to use the review results:

  • Mixing up products and services, or naming concepts without reasons → revisit Technological Concepts in the Products and Services Around You.
  • Steps out of order, or Pythagorean theorem errors → revisit The Engineering Design Process and STEM.
  • Vague user needs, or unsure about universal design → revisit Designing for Real Users.
  • Leading questions, unreliable sources or missing credit → revisit Research: Gathering and Synthesizing Information.
  • Mixing up criteria and constraints, or decision matrix arithmetic → revisit Criteria, Constraints and Evaluation Measures.
  • Wrong angles in 3D sketches, or annotations without reasons → revisit Sketching and Communicating Design Ideas.
  • Views in the wrong places, line-type or scale errors → revisit Technical Drawings.
  • Fractions of an inch, conversions or tolerance mistakes → revisit Measuring Accurately in Metric and Imperial.
  • Critical path, budget or risk-planning errors → revisit Project Management.
  • Confusing material properties, or one-sided sustainability claims → revisit Materials: Properties, Sustainability and Justifying Choices.
  • Wrong tool choices, BOM vs. cut list, recipe scaling → revisit Tools, Equipment and Industry Documents.
  • Skipping dry-fits or weak log entries → revisit Making the Product or Delivering the Service.
  • Single trials, mean/range errors, fixing symptoms instead of root causes → revisit Testing, Troubleshooting and Analyzing Performance.
  • Changing many things at once, or unclear presentations → revisit Refining Designs and Communicating Results.

Supervision reminder: any further building at home should follow the same rules as the unit: an adult does or supervises all cutting and hot-glue work.