Design Process and Problem Solving
The iterative design cycle
Candidates should be able to describe and apply the stages of a design process: identifying a need or problem, writing a design brief, producing a specification, generating and evaluating ideas, developing a chosen concept, planning and making, testing, and evaluating against the original brief. Understand that the process is iterative rather than linear - testing often sends you back to generate or refine ideas. Learn the distinction between a brief (a broad statement of intent) and a specification (a detailed list of measurable requirements such as size, cost, materials, safety and target user).
Tools for thinking
Know techniques for creative and analytical thinking: brainstorming, mind mapping, SCAMPER-style idea prompts, morphological analysis, and evaluation matrices. Understand how a design specification drives objective evaluation, and how user research (interviews, observation, questionnaires, anthropometric data) informs requirements.
Common traps
Questions often confuse brief with specification, or 'design idea' with 'final solution'. Another trap is the claim that evaluation happens only at the end - evaluation is continuous. Watch for wording that asks for the first stage of the process (identifying the problem/need) rather than the brief.
Worked rule of thumb
When asked to justify a design decision, use the chain requirement → evidence → decision. Example: a school bag must carry 6 kg comfortably (requirement); user trials show 50 mm shoulder straps spread load better than 25 mm (evidence); therefore specify 50 mm padded straps (decision). This structure earns marks for justification rather than description.