Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's Design and Technology lesson.

My name's Mrs. Fletcher and I'm here to help and guide you through this lesson today.

Today's lesson is called User Feedback to Improve the Pattern and it's part of the Textile Pattern Pieces: Hats and Caps unit.

In this lesson we'll be looking at an important aspect of the design process, which is user feedback.

This gives us a chance to alter our designs and pattern pieces before we make our final pieces to make sure that the final piece suits the user's needs.

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

The outcome of today's lesson is I can share my work with my user, and this is an important part of the design process to be able to get some feedback on the designs that you've made to make sure that it suits the user's needs.

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

First of all, we've got the word presentation.

Can you repeat that? Presentation.

Well done.

And a presentation is where you get to show or explain something to others.

So, in this case, we'll be presenting, giving a presentation of our designs to the user.

Then we've got the word decisions.

Can you repeat that? Decisions.

Well done, and decisions are the choices that you make and sometimes includes the reason you've made that choice as well.

Then we've got the phrase fabric swatch.

Can you repeat that? Fabric swatch.

Well done, and a fabric swatch is a very small sample of fabric that you might use to show somebody the fabric you are going to use in a design.

And then finally, we've got that word feedback.

That's very important in today's lesson.

Can you repeat that? Feedback.

Well done, and feedback is someone else's opinion of your works.

It's what they think or feel about the designs of the work that you have done.

So, now we've got the words.

Let's have a look at the lesson.

Today's lesson is going to be split into two parts.

First of all, we're going to be looking at how to prepare a presentation for your user and then we'll move on to how we get the feedback and use that to help us improve our design.

So, let's get started with preparing a presentation.

A design presentation for a hat product is a chance for you, the designer, to show the user the product that you are going to make and explain the decisions and choices that you have made.

A presentation can include a spoken explanation.

That's where you get to talk about your design.

Drawings or diagrams that you can show to your user.

Fabric swatches, so that's those small samples of fabrics so you can show the user what you intend to use for the final product.

And maybe even a prototype, which is a model version of the end product.

So, let's have a look at how we can present our hat design to our user.

As well as showing the user what the product will look like, so that might be through the diagrams or through the prototype, we can also have a chance to explain the decisions that we've made on the design and why we've chosen it, the fabric choices, and the construction method, which is how it's going to be made.

So, it's an important chance for us to explain why we are making what we are making and why we're making it in the way that we've chosen to.

A quick check then before we move on, what is a design presentation? Is it A, a chance to gather ideas? Is it B, a user interview? Is it C, sharing designs and decisions? Or is it D, a prototype product? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well done if you said it's sharing designs and decisions.

So we've already got the information and the ideas together.

Now is a chance to share those designs and decisions with the user.

Well done if you got that right.

So how do we explain the design decisions that we've made? Well, you can tell the user about what you have designed for them, so you can give them details about the products that you've designed.

You can explain to them how your design solves their problem.

So, they would have had a reason for wanting the product in the first place and you get to explain how your product meets that need.

You can explain to them where the design came from.

So, that might be an inspiration, might be an existing product, or something that they told you gave you inspiration for your design.

You could show the user your design drawings or diagrams at this point because that will help you to explain the product in a little bit more detail.

When we come to explaining the fabric choices, we need to tell the user the fabric that we've chosen to use for the product, the properties of that fabric, which will help us to explain why we've chosen to use it, and how the fabric suits the design or purpose of the product.

Including a fabric swatch at this stage allows the user to see the colour and feel the texture of the fabric that you've chosen to use for their product.

And it gives them a chance to give you some feedback about how they feel about that choice.

Then, we can explain the construction methods.

This is how the product is going to be made.

We can tell the user how the product will be made, including showing them the pattern shapes that we intend to use to make the product, we can talk about any strengthening techniques that we'll use, because this is a hat product, so we may include some cardboard inserts in the brim.

It could be double layers of fabric that we've chosen to strengthen the hat.

We get to explain those techniques to the user.

And we also get a chance to explain how we're going to join those fabric pieces together and how that will affect the look of the products at the end.

So for example, will it have hidden or visible seams? Might be an important point for the user and may have an opinion on what they would prefer to see.

It is a good opportunity at this stage to show the user the prototype of your hat design because they'll be able to see the construction method in real life.

So, how do we go about presenting our work to the user? Well, Sofia is presenting her design to Jacob, and this is what the spoken part of her presentation looked like.

She's telling him, "I have designed a brimmed hat for you to wear for a special occasion.

It is in the style of a magician's top hat because you like performing magic tricks.

The final hat will be made from thick cotton in a grey colour, which is water resistant in case it rains.

The brim will be strengthened with card so it keeps its shape.

And the stitches will be hidden on the inside." And then she will show him a fabric swatch showing the colour and texture of the fabric that she intends to use.

And she'll also show him a prototype of the hat that she's made using his measurements.

So, it's a good chance for him to see exactly what the hat will look like.

A quick check then about the design presentations.

Could these be included in a design presentation? I want you to think about each one and give a tick for yes or a cross for no.

So, we've got a prototype, a fabric swatch, a finished product, and a drawing or diagram.

Would those be included, yes or no? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

How did you get on? Well, let's have a look at each one.

So, would a prototype be included in a design presentation? Yes, it would it or it could.

Would a fabric swatch be included in a design presentation? Yes, that could be included as well.

Would a finished product be included in a design presentation? No, not usually.

So, if you wanted to show the user what the product would look like, it would usually be through a prototype or a diagram at this stage.

And that brings us to the drawings and diagrams, which, yes, would be included in a design presentation.

Well done if you got those right.

So, that brings us to the first task in this lesson.

So first of all, you're going to prepare the presentation for your partner who will be the user for your hat product.

And you're going to write down some of the things that you want to say.

So you need to include some information on the design and how it meets the design brief.

So, why you've designed this product for them, the fabric choices, including the fabric you've chosen, it's properties, so whether it's waterproof or insulating or whether it's a flexible or stiff fabric, and why you've chosen that type of fabric.

And then the construction method.

So, how are you going to make the final product? What pattern pieces are you going to use? How is it going to be joined? Are you going to use a sewing technique? Is it going to be hidden or on show? Decide when you're going to show any drawings or fabric swatches or prototypes in the presentation, as well.

So you're making some notes about what you are going to say and show your user.

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

Welcome back.

So, you've got your ideas now about what you're going to say and what you're going to show to your user in your presentation.

So, it's time for the second part of the task.

This is where you get to present all those ideas to your partner, who is the user.

Make sure you explain in your presentation what you've designed and why, what fabric you've chosen and why, how you're going to make the hat product, and don't forget to show them any drawings, diagrams, fabrics, swatches and prototypes that you have made as well.

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

Welcome back.

How did you get on? Well, you should now have prepared and given your presentation of your design ideas to the user.

Your presentation should have included information on the design, the fabric choice, and the construction of your hat product.

And as Sofia is saying here, including a fabric swatch and a prototype in your presentation helps the user to imagine the final product and how it will look.

So, hopefully you managed to do that for your user.

Well done if you completed that task.

So, it's time for the second part of the lesson now where we'll look at feedback.

So, this is where the user gets to give their thoughts and opinions on your work to help you improve your design.

After presenting your design to the user, you should give them an opportunity to give you some feedback.

Giving feedback is a chance for the user to say what they think about your design decisions.

You can make sure that you have designed the product that the user wanted and you can discuss any changes before the product is actually made.

Feedback should be helpful to the designer, which is you, and to the user as well.

You can guide the feedback by asking some simple questions about how the product meets the user's needs, specific details that they like or dislike about the product and any changes that they would like to make.

By getting that information at this stage, it makes it much easier to make those changes.

So, what questions could you ask to find out how well the product meets the needs of the user? Jacob has an idea.

He's suggesting that we could just simply ask, "Is the product what you wanted?" So, by starting the conversation with that question gives the user the opportunity to say if the product is what they wanted.

Sofia has another idea.

"Will the product work for your needs?" So that's asking the user to specifically think about why they wanted the product and whether it will work for their needs.

Good ideas.

Can you think of any more questions? You can pause the video, talk to your partner or to your group, and think of any other questions that can help you find out if the product meets the needs of the user.

Pause the video while you do that, come back when you're done.

So, then what questions could we ask to find out specific details about what the user likes and dislikes? Jacob and Sofia have been having a think.

Jacob has suggested we ask, "Do you like the fabric and the colour?" So, we're asking very specific questions about the things they might like about the product.

And Sofia is suggesting we ask, "Are you happy with the style?" So, both of those types of questions are asking the user to give us their opinion on what they like about the product and it also gives them the opportunity to say what they don't like about the product.

Can you think of any more questions that we could ask to find out about the user's likes and dislikes of the products that we've shown to them? Pause the video, have a chat to your partner or your group, and come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

So, have you got some more questions about the user's likes and dislikes? Then what about finding out what changes the user would like to make to the product? What questions can we ask to help them to give us that kind of feedback? Jacob's had another think and he's come up with, "Is there anything you would change?" So that's quite a straightforward question that asks them to tell us if there is anything that they would like to change.

Sofia is suggesting we could ask, "How could we improve the product for them?" So, it's another way of asking them if there's something that they'd like to change that would make it better for them.

You could also suggest a change that you could make as well, especially if the user's not sure about how they would make a change to the product.

Are there any more questions that you can think of that would help us find out about the changes the user would like to make to the product? Pause the video.

Have a chat.

Come back when you're done.

Welcome back.

So, a quick chat before we move on then.

Feedback comes from the designer.

Is that true or false? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? True or false, feedback comes from the designer? Of course that is false.

Feedback comes from the user.

It's a chance for the user to share their thoughts and opinions on the design or the product that's being made for them.

Well done if you got that right.

Sofia is asking Jacob for his feedback on the hat product that she presented to him earlier.

She's asking him if he's happy with the design.

And he's answered, "Yes, it looks very smart and it will go with the grey jacket I will be wearing for the special occasion." So, he is linking it back to that design brief, why he wanted that product in the first place.

Sofia then asks him if he's happy with the fabric choice, a very specific question about a detail of the product, and Jacob answers, "Yes, it's a good idea to make it water resistant.

We will be outside and it could rain." So he's telling her why he thinks it's a good idea that she's chosen a water resistant fabric.

She then goes on to ask, "Is there anything you would like to change?" So, she's giving him the opportunity to say if there's something he's not happy with.

And he's answered that he's not sure about the cardboard in the brim.

He thinks it might be too stiff and uncomfortable.

So, he's telling her something he's not quite happy with.

Sofia also says that she could make the brim with a double layer of fabric instead.

So, she's making a suggestion of a change she could make.

That would add strength, but it would still be comfortable, and she's asking if that would be more suitable.

So she's suggested the change, but she's checking again that that is something that the user would want.

Quick check then before we move on, which of these is an example of good feedback? Which one would be useful to the designer? Is it Lucas's feedback? He's saying, "I like the style but the colour is not right.

I would like a warmer colour like orange." Is it Andeep's feedback, who's saying, "I don't like it.

It's not what I wanted.

Change it?" Or is it Izzy's feedback? She's saying, "You are really good at drawing hats!" Who has got the best feedback there? Pause video and have a think.

Welcome back.

What did you think? Well, Lucas definitely has the best type of feedback there because he's being quite specific and he is telling the designer what it is that he doesn't like and even making a suggestion of what he would like.

So, he's saying that it's not quite right, it's the colour that's not right, and he's suggesting a change of colour.

Andeep's feedback was quite negative and had no detail about what it was he didn't like and what he wanted changing.

And Izzy's feedback was not about the product.

So, she's being very complimentary and it's a positive comment, but it doesn't help the designer because it's not a comment about the product.

Well done if you got that right.

And that brings us to the task in this second part of the lesson.

So first of all, you as the designer need to come up with some questions that you can ask your user to guide their feedback so that you get the information that you need to make any relevant changes.

So first of all, you need to think of three questions to ask your user.

Make sure you have a question about how well the hat product meets their needs, the specific features of the products that you've included and what they feel about that, and any changes that they would like to make.

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

Welcome back.

So, you should have a few questions now ready to help guide your user to give you feedback.

So that brings us to the second part of the task.

Ask your user for their feedback using those questions that you've come up with in the first task.

And make a note of any changes that you are going to need to make to the product that's suggested by your user or that was suggested by you to help your user be happy with the product.

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

Welcome back.

How did you get on? Well, you should now have received your feedback from your user and that will help you to understand how they felt about the product, how well it met their needs, the specific details that they liked or disliked about your design, and any changes that you will need to make to the final product.

And those changes could have been suggested by the user or they could have been suggested by you to help the user be more satisfied with the design that you've come up with them.

Sofia received her feedback from Jacob and she's saying that the user's feedback led her to make a change to the structure of the brim on her hat design.

So, if you remember, Jacob wasn't sure about the use of cardboard to strengthen the brim.

Sofia suggested a change of using double fabric and that is the change she's going to make to her final product design.

Well done, Sofia, and well done to you for completing that task.

It is the end of the lesson now.

We have done lots of work today on an important part of the design process, which is getting feedback from the user.

We have learned that a presentation about a product needs to include design decisions.

So, you need to say why you have chosen the things that you have chosen in your design.

A presentation about a product needs to include fabric choice and fabric swatches so we're giving the user an idea of the fabric that we're going to use in the final product.

We've also found that a presentation about a product needs to include methods of construction.

So, if we can give information to the user about how we're going to construct the final product, then it gives them a chance to voice their opinion about how they feel about that.

And we've also found that feedback can be provided against those original design criteria.

So, the things that we set out to design for, the feedback can weigh up the product against that design criteria to see how well it meets the need.

Thank you for joining me for this lesson.

I hope to see you again for another lesson in the future.

Bye for now.