DESIGN THINKING
What is the first step of the Engineering Design Process?
What is Ask?
What are the requirements a successful design must meet called?
What are criteria?
What is a model?
What is a representation of a product, idea, or solution?
A water bottle has a handle so users can easily carry it. What user need does the handle address?
What is portability/easy carrying?
True or False: A design can always be improved.
What is True?
A designer wants to create a backpack for students who carry heavy books. What should the designer do FIRST?
What is identify the user's needs/problem?
What are the limits placed on a design called?
What are constraints?
Why do engineers create models before making the final product?
What is to test and improve their ideas?
A chair has a soft cushion because the designer wants people to sit comfortably. What user need is being addressed?
What is comfort?
A designer creates a solution without ever testing it. What important step is missing?
What is testing/evaluating the design?
A student builds a model, tests it, notices a problem, and changes the design. What part of the design process is happening?
What is Improve?
Your tower must be at least 12 inches tall and can only use 10 sheets of paper. Which one is a constraint?
What is 10 sheets of paper?
A student builds a paper tower. It falls over during testing. Should the student immediately throw away the entire design?
What is no—identify the problem and improve the design?
A student designs a pencil holder but makes it too small to hold the required number of pencils. What did the designer fail to meet?
What is a criterion?
You have to design a desk organizer for a student. Name two features that could make the organizer more useful.
Possible answers: pencil holder, phone slot, compartments, space for notebooks, ruler holder, etc.
Why is it important to understand the person who will use a product?
What is so the design can meet the user's needs?
A backpack must have at least five useful features. Is this a criterion or a constraint?
What is a criterion?
A designer changes one part of a product after testing shows that it doesn't work correctly. What is this an example of?
What is iteration?
A designer is told that the product cannot cost more than $20. What type of design information is this?
What is a constraint?
Your client says, “I need something that helps me carry my school supplies, but I don't want it to be heavy.” What are two things you should consider when designing the product?
Possible answers: the user's needs and the weight/material constraint.
A designer creates three different ideas before choosing one to build. Why might this be better than choosing the first idea?
What is comparing different solutions can help the designer choose the best one?
A client wants a product that is strong, inexpensive, and easy to carry. Explain why a designer may have difficulty meeting all three requirements.
What is designers often have to make trade-offs between different needs?
Two designs solve the same problem. Design A looks better, but Design B is stronger and uses fewer materials. Which design might an engineer choose and why?
What is Design B because it better meets important criteria and constraints?
A product looks amazing but is difficult for the intended user to operate. What important part of the design process may the designer have overlooked?
What is the user's needs/feedback?
You are designing a backpack for a 6th grader. The backpack must be comfortable, hold school supplies, have at least 5 useful features, and use a limited amount of material.
Name THREE design decisions you would make and explain how each one helps the user.
Answers will vary. Students should connect their choices to user needs, criteria, and constraints.