Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to what is our second lesson in the unit on 3D computer-aided design.

My name is Mr. Wicken, and it's great to see you today.

In today's lesson, we're going to look at why research is really important to the design process, how that research can really help us design a better product, and ultimately, whatever we create from that process is suitable for our end user.

Now, let's have a look at today's learning objectives.

So in today's lesson, hopefully, you've all completed the intro quiz before getting to this point.

If you haven't, can you please make sure you just go and get that done first? Because it's really important to help set up for today's learning.

Great, now, first of all, we're going to look at what a design brief is and why they're so important to the whole design process.

Then after that, we're going to look into what primary research is and more importantly, what defines primary research.

Then we're going to look into secondary research, and as with primary, we're going to make sure we understand and clearly know what the difference is between primary and secondary research.

And then once we get through all that, we're going to get to the end quiz, and that will then conclude all the learning from today's lesson so that you can demonstrate how much you've learned here today.

Now, there are a couple of key things that we need to know before going any further.

We need to make sure that we've got the right equipment to be successful.

So there's three things that you need for today's lesson.

The first is an exercise book or some paper.

Doesn't matter which one, just make sure that you have some ready at hand because you're going to need them for the exciting tasks we're doing in today's lesson.

The second is a pen.

Doesn't matter what colour.

Choose a colour that you are happy at using, but make sure the pen is good, comfortable to use, and is working.

And finally, today, we're going to need a computer or some sort of device, preferably one that has a good clear screen that you can access some images later in the lesson, but more on that when we get there.

So keywords.

We've already spoken about some of them, but let's define them.

The first one is primary research.

So let's just say that together before we go into the definition.

I'm going to say it, you're going to repeat it, primary research.

Primary research, primary research.

Great, well done.

So what is primary research? Well, primary research means that you are finding out information directly from the source itself.

Now, the other area that we need to look into today that is our second keyword is secondary research.

Now, let's say that together again.

So I'll say it, and you'll repeat it.

Secondary research, secondary research, secondary research.

Now, secondary research means actually finding out information that already exists from another person.

So there is slight differences here between primary and secondary.

And as we go through today's lesson, we'll have a much clearer understanding of these two keywords.

So let's look at the first area of today's lesson, what is a design brief? So a design brief is something that is really crucial to any design process, and it's something that all design products would have had at the beginning of their creation.

Effectively, what a design brief is, is a short statement of intent by a designer as to what they intend to design and manufacture.

That way, it keeps at a really focused and concise statement so that the intended audience can see clearly what they aim to achieve.

Now, when you're writing your design brief, you need to make sure that you're structuring around four key areas.

The first one is the why, why is this product going to exist? The second is the what, what are you actually going to design and make? The third one is the who, who is this actually intended for? And the fourth one is the where, so where will this product actually be used? If you make sure you answer those four areas within a design brief, you are clearly going to tell your intended audience what the product should do.

Now, if we take an example of a product that already exists, your school bag, hopefully, you wear a school bag every day to and from school.

They're really important to be able to carry all of your work to and from school, as well as your lunch, as well as some drinks, maybe toys, pens, pencils, whatever.

But let's think about what a design brief might look like for a school bag.

So here's an example.

And when I've written this example, I've color-coded it so that it's clearly defined into those four different areas.

So first of all, we're going to look at the why, why actually does this schoolbag exist? So if we look at the example, it says children need to have a safe and reliable way to carry items to and from school.

Brilliant, that's the why statement.

Now, the second sentence, I am going to design and make a school bag with built-in security.

Right, so that is now the what, what is this going to actually be? What are we designing and making? Great, the third sentence then is this will be sold to children at primary school.

Right, that's the who, who is this product going to be targeted at? And in this case, it's going to be primary school children.

And the last one, the bag will be used whilst children are going to and from school to keep their items safe.

Great, that's the where, where is this product going to actually be used in life? Because without the where, there really isn't any point for it.

Now, what you're going to do now is write your own design brief for this project.

Let me introduce to you what we're going to be designing and making.

We are going to design in this unit, a 3D computer-aided model of a shelter.

Now, this shelter can be of any type you want.

It could be a shelter to sit under, maybe at school or at home, or it could be a shelter for your bike.

Maybe it's a bus shelter because you get the bus to and from school, or maybe going into town and back home again, or completely separately, it could be shelter to protect animals, be it pets or wildlife.

That's entirely up to you, but ultimately, what we're going to design through all these lessons by the end of it is some sort of structure that provides shelter to things.

Now, your design brief needs to be written for this project.

Remember, when you're writing the new brief for the shelter, you must consider the why, the what, the who, and the where.

If you don't answer those things in your design brief, then we're not going to have a really clear statement to tell everybody what you are creating.

Now, before you go off and do your own, let me just show you an example.

So first of all, here is my example for my shelter.

So a well-designed shelter in a primary school playground can help keep children safe and protected.

Great, that's the why, why am I doing this shelter? This is the reason for it.

So the second sentence, I'm going to design a 3D model of a playground shelter.

Great, that's the what, what am I actually going to design and make? Thirdly, the new playground shelter will be designed to ensure that children can sit and play underneath it all year round.

Who, who is this actually going to be for? Well, it's going to be for children at school, so they are protected.

And finally, the playground shelter will have many modern features so that everyone inside can feel safe whilst under its protection.

The where, where is this going to actually be? And what are the features that are going to be involved in it? Now, what you need to do is you need to go and write your design brief for your shelter.

Make sure that when you're writing your design brief, you're telling me what this shelter is going to be for.

So mine is going to be for the playground at school, but yours might be for a completely different purpose but as long as it's providing coverage for something or someone, that's great.

So pause the video here now, and then let's get writing our design briefs, good luck.

Welcome back, and thanks for getting your design briefs written.

Now, let's move on to the next area of learning.

What is primary research? That's a really good question.

And obviously, it's one of our keywords in today's lesson.

So primary research is a vital skill for all designers to have.

A person must be able to collect, edit, and record information linked to a given design topic.

Now, when we are doing primary research, what we must make sure is that it can help us, as designers, produce a really good range of design ideas for our intended user.

By actually going to see, ask, and actually find out firsthand, we can really use that information to help us design a truly engaging and supportive product.

Now, to actually do primary research is then the next thing we need to consider.

Primary research, ultimately, means that you are directly getting that information from the source.

So if you need to see somebody to ask them a question, or you might need to go and visit something, then that's what you would do.

You would go and directly find that source of information and then gather that information back, so that it could then help you with your designs.

Some examples of primary research are things like interviews, so actually speaking to people face-to-face or virtually, like I'm doing to you now.

Questionnaires, asking a series of questions that people could answer.

Testing, and when I say testing, what I mean by that is that you can take an existing product and actually test to see whether it's good or bad.

That links back to our last lesson to do with product analysis.

So product analysis is primary research.

Now, what we're going to do in this part, you are now going to find out on your own some information to help your shelter's design.

I'd like you to go and find out with some of your family or friends, as well as asking yourself, what you would like from the shelter that you're going to design.

Now, if I take my example, where I am going to be designing for a primary school, in that situation, I would go and ask some of the primary school teachers, maybe some of the parents, and actually find out what they would like to see from a shelter in the playground.

If you're doing something similar, you might need to go and find some people who are linked to the use of this product.

Now, if you're doing something for animals, maybe what you can do in this situation is speak to the animal owners.

Obviously, you can't ask the animals themselves, because as far as I'm aware, they can't answer, but you never know, give it a try.

So pause the video here now, and I want you to go and ask people who are going to be linked to your shelter product, what they would like to see in the end result.

Welcome back, and I hope that by asking those questions for your primary research has really given you some information to help inform your designs moving forward.

Now, let's move on to the last area of learning in today's lesson, and that is what is secondary research? Now, secondary research is different to primary research in the respect that what you're doing is you are still gathering information like with primary, but this time, instead of you gathering it yourself by asking questions or interviewing people, what you do in this situation is you take information that's already been completed by somebody else to help inform your design process.

That way, that information that you gather can really help guarantee that whatever you're designing and making is truly a outstanding piece of design work that is going to be suitable for the end user.

Also, what you have to remember is with secondary research, the information that you're gathering and using is publicly accessible, i.

e.

that this information that you're actually using with your design is in the public area.

So you don't have to then hide it.

You can just use it in your research because it's accessible in the public ether.

That way then, what you can do is make sure that your research not only has firsthand primary research, that you've gathered to help inform your design, but also from secondary sources that can then actually take in a much wider field that can then really allow you to absolutely nail the design ideas.

Now, I've got a question, visiting a gallery or a museum is classed as secondary research, true or false? So visiting a museum or visiting a gallery is actually classed as secondary research, true or false? It's true, well done.

So by going to a museum or a gallery, you are actually collecting information from sources that already exist.

You're not going firsthand and creating those museums and sources, what you're doing is going to the museums and galleries, and actually taking the information from there to use with your designs.

Great, and that's perfectly allowed.

Now, there are actually quite a few different sources that you can go to for secondary research.

One is books and magazines.

By looking through different books and magazines, you can really get a good idea as to what you are trying to design and make.

And of one obviously is museums and galleries.

There are loads of museums and galleries across the country.

Make sure you visit them because that actually can truly help inform your designs.

Another one is visiting shops and outlets.

By going to these shops and seeing what's already on the market, you're going to get a much better understanding of what you need to do to beat the competition.

And lastly, websites and online resources.

There is a huge amount of information on the internet, and it's really important that you use the good stuff, not the bad stuff, on the internet to help inform your designs.

That way then, you have got a really good view of the different areas for what you are creating.

Now, your task for the secondary research is as follows.

What I need you to do is using one of those secondary sources, I want you to create a mood board.

Now, don't worry if you don't know what a mood board is, but actually what I'm going to show you in a second is an example of a mood board that can then give you a clear understanding as to what to create.

Make sure that when you are producing this mood board, actually, you've got loads of different images that are clear and easy to understand.

Don't forget also, you need to make sure you keep the images linked to the theme of your shelter.

So if you're creating a shelter for people, make sure that you've got images in there that would be linked to that.

But if you're creating a shelter for animals, again, make sure you've got images in there about the animals you are intending to cover.

Here is my example of a mood board.

So if you remember, my shelter was going to be for primary school children.

So I have then created a mood board with lots of different images that I think will help me with my designs for the primary school.

I've got images of shelters that already exist but I've also got some truly random images, but that's because I like the image, and actually I'm thinking I could use it for my designs later on.

Don't worry if you're not sure how you could use that image yet because at a later point, as you're going through the design process, you might find that image really useful.

So what you need to do now is pause the video and go and create your mood board.

I'd like you to be able to create your mood board on the computer.

Please open up a blank document, and gather loads of images off the internet, and paste them into that document.

Make sure there's no white space in that document.

I want it full of images because the more images you can gather and put into one place, the better your design ideas are going to be when we get to those at a later point.

Also do try make sure that when you're creating that mood board, you are using truly good quality images, make sure they're not blurry, or they're not pixelated because what could happen is actually when you're using those images at a later point it's really difficult to see them.

So try and make sure the quality of your images is to a good standard.

So you'd have to pause the video here now and go and create your mood board to help you with your designs, good luck.

Welcome back, and I hope we had lots of fun creating that mood board, and you got really good images that are going to help us with the designs going forward.

And that's it for today's lesson.

Hopefully, you really enjoy the information and the activities that we've gone through in today's lesson.

We've looked at what a design brief is, and more importantly, you've been able to write one yourself.

We then understood what primary research is and how we can actually gather that information successfully.

You then went and asked, hopefully, lots of really good questions that is going to inform the design process moving forward.

And finally, you've just created your mood board using secondary research.

So now, we have a really good understanding with some images that can help with our designs.

As always, I'd love to see your work.

And if you can get permission from your parents or carers, I'd love you to share your work online using the hashtag #learnwithoak.

I look forward to seeing you in the next lesson.

Take care, bye-bye.