QCAA Design flashcards
QCAA Design · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Design brief
- A document stating the problem to be solved, the intended user, constraints, and success criteria. It frames the work without prescribing a final solution.
- Design specification
- A measurable list of requirements derived from the brief, converting goals into testable targets for dimensions, performance, cost, and appearance so outcomes can be verified.
- Registered design
- An intellectual property right protecting the visual appearance of a product, including shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation, rather than how it functions.
- Constraint categories
- Limits on a design such as functional, aesthetic, economic, legal, ethical, environmental, and time or resource restrictions, each narrowing the acceptable solution space.
- Stakeholder analysis
- Identifying everyone affected by a design - client, user, manufacturer, regulator, community - and weighing their competing needs against explicit criteria before deciding.
- Double diamond model
- A four-phase design process: Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. The first diamond explores and defines the problem; the second develops and delivers the solution.
- Divergent thinking
- Generating many varied options without early judgement, widening the solution space before convergent selection narrows it to the strongest candidate.
- Design fixation
- Attachment to an early idea that blocks alternatives. It is countered by parallel prototyping, deliberately changing constraints, and seeking outside critique.
- Functional decomposition
- Breaking a system into sub-functions, solving each independently, then recombining them into a whole that meets the overall requirement.
- Decision matrix
- A table scoring options against weighted criteria. Weights are set before scoring to reduce bias, and the highest total indicates the preferred option.
- Prototype fidelity
- The level of detail and realism in a model. Low fidelity tests concepts cheaply; high fidelity tests usability, manufacture, and appearance more accurately.
- Mechanical advantage
- The ratio of output force to input force. For a lever it equals effort arm length divided by load arm length, showing force multiplication.
- Stress and strain
- Stress is force divided by cross-sectional area; strain is change in length divided by original length. Young's modulus is stress divided by strain in the elastic region.
- Ohm's law
- Voltage equals current multiplied by resistance. Power equals voltage times current, or current squared times resistance, for resistive circuits.
- Triangulation in structures
- Bracing a frame with diagonal members to form triangles, producing rigidity because triangles cannot deform without changing side lengths, resisting shear loads.
- Production scale
- One-off, batch, and mass production differ in tooling cost, unit cost, and design freedom; high tooling costs require large volumes to be economic.
- Design for disassembly
- Designing products so components and materials can be separated for repair, reuse, or recycling, supporting circular economy and reducing end-of-life waste.
- Third-angle projection
- An orthographic layout where each view is placed on the side of the object it shows, with the top view above the front view.
- Isometric drawing
- A pictorial drawing with three axes at 120 degrees, showing true lengths along axes. It communicates form but not true angles on faces.
- Line conventions
- Standard drawing lines: thick continuous for visible edges, dashed for hidden edges, chain for centre lines, thin for dimension and projection lines.
- Section view
- A drawing that imagines cutting the object to reveal internal features, with hatching showing cut material and lines marking the cutting plane.
- Vanishing points
- Points on the horizon where receding parallel lines converge in perspective drawing; one, two, or three points create different depth effects.
- Exploded view
- A drawing or model separating components along an axis to show assembly order and part relationships, often used in instructions and maintenance documentation.
- Life cycle assessment
- A method comparing environmental impacts across raw material, manufacture, distribution, use, and end-of-life stages, calculated per functional unit of service.
- Triple bottom line
- An evaluation of designs against social, environmental, and economic outcomes. A solution failing any one of the three dimensions is not sustainable.
- Cradle to cradle
- A circular approach treating materials as nutrients cycled continuously through reuse and recycling, unlike cradle-to-grave linear throughput.
- Universal design
- Designing for usability across age, ability, and context without adaptation, meeting accessibility standards such as minimum contrast and keyboard navigation.
- Privacy by design
- Embedding data minimisation, consent, and protection into a system from the outset rather than adding safeguards after the design is complete.
- Planned obsolescence
- Deliberately shortening product life through functional, aesthetic, or technological change, increasing replacement purchases and conflicting with circular economy principles.
- Formative evaluation
- Testing during development to identify problems and guide changes, using methods such as user observation and prototype trials before final commitment.
- Summative evaluation
- Judgement at completion of whether the design meets its specification, using measured data compared against the stated criteria and success targets.
- Usability metrics
- Measurable indicators of user performance and experience, including task completion rate, time on task, error rate, and satisfaction scores.
- Reflective practice
- Structured review of what happened, why it mattered, and what will change, converting experience into improved future design decisions.