Design Process and Project Development
The shape of a design project
WACE ATAR Design rewards candidates who can describe the design process as a cyclical, iterative system rather than a straight line. The recognised stages are: identifying the need or problem; researching and investigating; generating a design brief and specifications; ideating and sketching; developing and refining; producing; testing and evaluating; and reflecting back into the brief. Each stage should produce documented evidence - annotated sketches, mood boards, client interviews, test data - because the portfolio, not memory, is what is assessed.
Concepts you must control
Know the difference between a design brief (the client's problem, constraints and intent) and design specifications (measurable criteria such as dimensions, materials, cost ceiling, sustainability targets, safety standards). Specifications must be testable: "attractive" is not a specification; "withstands a 15 kg load without deflection greater than 3 mm" is. Understand constraints (time, budget, equipment, regulations) versus criteria (what success looks like). Learn to draw and read a Gantt chart and a simple critical path, and know why prototyping happens early and cheaply (fail fast, learn cheaply).
Traps in questions
- Confusing the brief with the specifications, or listing specifications that cannot be measured.
- Describing the process as linear and skipping evaluation, when the question asks about iteration.
- Naming a tool (e.g. CAD) without saying what decision it enabled.
- Ignoring the client/user voice when asked about problem definition.
Rule of thumb
For any process question, use the "because–so–evidence" chain: We chose X because testing showed Y, so the specification changed to Z, as recorded in the annotated prototype photos dated Week 6. This demonstrates iteration with proof.
Worked example
Asked to justify a mid-project change, a strong answer states the original specification, the test result that contradicted it, the revised specification, and the effect on the timeline shown on the Gantt chart.