Design Process and Project Work
Design Process and Project Work tests the full design cycle and project planning, including a measurable specification and honest evaluation.
Stages
Identify the need and write a design brief. Research existing solutions and materials. Write a specification with measurable criteria: function, size, load, cost, finish, safety and environmental impact. Generate several ideas, then develop the best one with sketches and recorded decisions. Plan the making: cutting list, sequence, tools, time and cost. Make, test and evaluate against the specification.
Project work
A project folio should show evidence of each stage, not just the finished artefact. Use a Gantt chart or simple time plan, record quality checks during making, and evaluate honestly: what worked, what failed, and what you would change.
Worked example
Design a wall bracket for a workshop shelf carrying 20 kg. Specification: mild steel, 3 mm thick, two 8 mm clearance holes for wall fixings, painted finish, maximum cost P60. Idea 1 is a flat plate, which bends under load. Idea 2 adds a triangular gusset, which stiffens the bracket. Choose idea 2, weld the gusset, drill the holes, remove scale and paint. Test with a 25 kg load. Evaluate: stiff enough, but the weld distorted the plate, so next time clamp a heatsink or weld in stages. Reasoning: the gusset increases stiffness with little added material, and the evaluation identifies a real manufacturing problem.
Traps
Skipping the specification, offering one idea only, ignoring cost or safety, and claiming success without testing all lose marks. A folio that shows only the final product cannot earn design-process marks.