Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to today's "Design and technology" lesson.

My name's Mrs. Fletcher, and I'm here to help you with your learning today.

Today's lesson is called "Impact statements," and it's part of the "Combining fabrics: accessible textiles" unit.

In this lesson, we'll be testing our textile products to see if they perform as expected, and we'll also be thinking about how our products solve the problem that we set out to solve and how they might impact or affect the lives of the people who use them.

So let's have a look at what we'll be learning about today.

The outcome of today's lesson is: I can write an impact statement.

So we're going to be looking at what that word "impact" mean, and we're going to be looking at how our user actually uses the product that we've developed and designed and how it can affect the way that they live their lives.

There are some key words and phrases that we're going to see in today's lesson, so let's have a look at those together before we start.

First of all, we have the word "criteria".

Can you repeat that, "criteria"? Well done, and the criteria are the details that we're going to judge and test our products on in today's lesson.

Then we've got the word "impact".

Can you repeat that, "impact"? Well done, and that's a very important word in today's outcome, that impact is the effect that something has on a person or on a situation.

So we're going to be looking at the impact of our products today.

Then we've got the word "statement".

Can you repeat that, "statement"? Well done, and a statement is written or spoken information about something.

And then we've got finally the word "outcome".

Can you repeat that, "outcome"? Well done, and the word "outcome" refers to the way something turns out, so it's the finished product.

Okay, so let's have a look at how the lesson will be broken down today.

First of all, we're going to be having a look at testing our products against the design specifications that we use to create them in the first place.

And then we're going to look at writing an impact statement about the effect our product has had on the user.

So let's get started with looking at testing our products against the design specifications.

A product outcome, so that's the thing that we make at the end of the design process, must be tested in order to make sure that it performs as we expected it to, and it meets all the requirements that we set out in the design specification.

And remember, the design specification outlines the details of a new or adapted product that's designed to solve a problem for a specific user or users.

So we are going to be reviewing the design specifications for a utility belt product.

First of all, you need to think about who was your product going to help? Who did you intend to help with the product that you designed? Who were they? How old were they? What kind of job or hobby did they do? And what kind of disability or barrier to accessibility did they have that you needed to overcome and design for? So what were you trying to help them with? That's the first stage of reviewing our product.

Then we need to think about what was the problem that you set out to solve? What was the user having difficulty with, and how or why did they struggle with the existing products that might already be out there, which means that they need an adapted product to make it easier for them to use? And then finally, we need to think about how did your product intend to solve that problem? So what about the design that you made, the specific features of it, that's the parts that you created, the choice of materials that you had on your design, or the style, so the shape and size of your design, how were all those intended to solve the problem and help the user with their barrier to accessibility? Laura and Jacob have been having a think about the purpose of a design specification, so what they are used for.

Who do you agree with here? Jacob is saying that a design specification has details of a new or adapted product that can solve the needs of specific users.

And Laura is saying that a design specification sets out the details of a range of different existing products and how they perform.

Who do you think has got a good understanding of what a design specification is used for? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Well, Jacob had a much better understanding of the purpose of a design specification.

It does detail a new product or an adapted product, and it has the details of how it can solve a specific problem for a specific user or users.

So well done if you got that right.

A utility belt product can be tested against some very specific criteria.

So remember those criteria, it's our key word, are the details that we choose to test the product against.

So we could test them against things like how easy it is to carry or wear, including any fasteners that are involved in putting that product on.

We can think about how easy it is to open and close the pockets on our utility belt, again, including any fasteners that have been used to make that possible.

And we can also think about whether the product meets the needs of the user that was defined in the design specifications, so the person we intended the product to be made for.

Jacob is helping Laura test her utility belt product.

He asks her, first of all, to think about who the product is for and why do they need it.

So this information should be in Laura's design specification.

So she thinks about that, and answers that the design was intended for someone who uses a wheelchair, and someone who finds it difficult to access money in their trouser pockets because they're in that seated position.

The flexible money belt that she designed features a simple design, so it's not too complex to use, not too difficult to use, and an easy-to-use fastener.

So the fastener that she chose was to help them to access the product as well.

So those are all details from her design specification.

They then set some criteria, so some specific points that they wanted to test the product on.

And again, it's based on Laura's design specifications.

So it's based on what she wanted the product to do and how she wanted it to perform.

So they decided to test, first of all, the comfort, so how comfortable it is to wear, especially if you're seated as a wheelchair user would be.

Then they wanted to test the pockets specifically.

They wanted to look at whether the pockets can be opened and closed easily, because that's something that Laura said she wanted her product to do.

And then they want to think about the accessibility of the product.

So that's how easy is it for the user to access the pockets while they are seated? Because again, that's the user that she set out in her design specification.

So they chose three different criteria to test her product on.

They tested the product to assess how well it met those criteria that they had set.

So they tested the comfort and they decided that the elasticated belt that Laura had used in her product made it comfortable to wear specifically when they tested it in a seated position.

Then they looked at the pockets and they decided that the hook-and-loop fastening that Laura had used to open and close the pocket, made it very quick and easy to open and use.

And because it sealed the pocket right the way across, the coins that the user might put into this pocket did not fall out.

So they tested whether that would happen and they found that that didn't.

So it's again, it's a successful design that Laura has made.

And then they thought about the accessibility.

And the position of the pocket, they decided, can be adjusted, which means it's easy to move it to the place you want it when you are seated in that wheelchair position.

So by using the product themselves, by having a go at wearing it, by using it the way the user would be using it, they can decide whether it actually meets the needs of the user or not.

Quick check then before we move on, what are criteria? So it's our key word, but what are they? Are they specific points to test? Are they problems to solve? Or are are they a design solution? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Well done if you said it was A, the specific points to test a product against, well done.

Time for a task now in this part of the lesson.

So I want you to work with a partner for this task.

And just like Jacob and Laura did, I want you to first of all discuss the design specifications that you set for your utility belt product.

So talk about who the user was for your product, what the problem was that you intended to solve with your product, and how you solved that problem? What was the solution? That's the product that you made and how it solved the problem that you identified for that user.

Talk about each other's design specifications so you've both got a clear idea of why you made that product.

Once you've done that, I want you to set yourselves three criteria.

So that's three points that you can test your product against, and they must be relevant to the user and the product that you designed.

So I want you to think about three things you can test to check that your product works for the intended use that you had in your design specification.

Pause the video while you complete this task and come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Well, we are not quite finished yet.

So now you have reviewed your design specifications and you've set yourself those criteria to test your product against, we now need to test the product.

So I want you to test your product by using it as it was intended to be used.

So in Laura's case, she designed her product to be used by someone who was seated in a wheelchair.

So in order to test her product, she needs to test it in a seated position because that's the way it will be used by the user.

So you need to think about how your user will use your product, and you need to test it in that exact same way.

You need to think about whether it performs as you expected it to, so whether it does the job that you wanted it to do, and does it meet those three criteria that you set in part two of the task.

Pause the video, and come back when you've done that.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Well, after discussing the design specifications for Laura's product, Lucas and Laura tested her product by choosing the three criteria to test it on.

So in their case, it was comfort pockets and accessibility.

Then they tested their products or Laura's products against those criteria.

So they checked whether it was comfortable, they checked whether the pockets were easy to use, and they checked whether it was accessible to someone who was seated in a wheelchair and needed to get access to their money.

So it's all tested against the person they set out to develop the product for in the design specifications.

Hopefully you managed to do that for your design specifications, and you decided on three criteria that suited yours, and you tested your product against those criteria.

Well done if you've completed that task.

So it's time to move on to the second part of the lesson now.

In this part of the lesson, we'll be looking at writing an impact statement to talk about the effects that your product has had on the user.

Testing against the design specifications is one part of evaluating a product.

It's also important to consider the impact, which is the effect that the product will have on the user.

This information can be used to write an impact statement, and that's what we're going to be doing in this part of the lesson.

An impact statement is a written or spoken evaluation of how the product and its design features affect the user in their everyday life.

It shows how the product solves a problem for the user.

A quick check before we move on then, what does that word "impact" mean? Does it mean a problem, a solution, or an effect? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Well done if you said it's an effect.

So the impact that something has is the effect it has on a person or situation.

Well done if you got that right.

So an impact statement includes details on the user, their accessibility issues, so why they can't access a standard product, and the problem that the product needs to solve.

It also has information on the design solution that you've come up with and the product outcome.

So that's what did you make to solve the problem? And it also has information on the product's performance.

So that's what does the product do for the user? How does it perform, how does it work for the user? And then finally, we need to think about that keyword, the "impact" on the user.

How does the product help them? How does it affect their life? How does it make it better or easier, just as we plan to in our design? Laura has been writing an impact statement for her utility belt product.

So first of all, she thought about the user and the problem that they had, and she set out that it was a wheelchair user who needed a product to hold money because trouser pockets can't be accessed very easily while you are seated.

The design solution that she came up with was, "An elasticated money belt with flat, easily-accessible pockets." And then she thought about the performance of the product, so how it works for the user, and she's wrote that the belt can be adjusted to fit comfortably, so that's one of the features of her product.

The pocket is on a loop which allows it the position of the pocket to be changed, and the hook-and-loop fastener that she used is easy to open and it securely closes the pocket, which keeps that money safe inside.

So how does that product impact her user's life? While Laura has assessed that question and she's thought that the user now has easy access to their money, the product is secure and closer to the user rather than on the rear of the wheelchair.

So she starts about what the abuse would've done before they had access to her products, and it was maybe to store their money in a bag which might be stored on the handlebars of the wheelchair.

So the impact that's had is that the money is more secure because it's closer to the user.

That makes the user feel safer, and it also promotes independence.

So because they've got all their things accessible to them, close to them, they don't need to rely on another person to help them access their money or their product.

A quick check then before we move on: A statement is written or spoken what? Is it designs, information, or problems? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Well done if you said that a statement is written or spoken information about our product.

So your task for the final part of this lesson then is to write an impact statement just like Laura's, but about your utility belt product.

So you're going to be thinking about the user and the problem that they have.

You're going to think about the design solution that you created, what you made to solve the problem, how it performs for the user, so how they will use it and what it will do for them, and finally, the impact that it has on their life.

So how does it change or affect their life now that they have that product to use? Pause the video while you think about those sections and come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? So by thinking about those four different sections of our impact statement, make sure we think through all the details of our product and how it affects the user, the impact it has on the user.

So just like Laura, we should have written something about the user and their problem.

So for Laura, it was the wheelchair user and not having access to their money.

You should have written about the design solution that you created.

So Laura created her elasticated money belt.

The performance of your product, so what it did for the user, just like Laura's was adjustable and easy to wear and easy to access.

And then finally, the impact that your product had on your user.

So Laura thought about how it gave the user of her products more independence and help them to feel more safe and secure, keeping their money close to them.

So what impact did your products have on your user? Well done if you managed to complete all four sections of your impact statement.

We are at the end of the lesson now.

So we've learned today how we can test and assess our products to make sure they perform as we intended and to make sure they actually have a use to the user that we set out in our design specifications.

We've learnt that an impact statement reviews those design specifications.

So it takes that information and checks that we've actually made a product that suits the needs of the user.

We also have learned that an impact statement reviews why the problem needed solving, so why couldn't the user access standard products that are already out there, why did we need to make this product in the first place? We also thought about how an impact statement considers the outcome, so that's the thing that you made to solve the problem, and the impact that the product has had on the user as well.

Thank you for joining me for today's lesson.

I hope to see you again in another lesson.

It's goodbye for now.