Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor, and thank you for joining me today for our lesson.

Today's lesson is feedback and evaluation, and this is part of the Designing and Making Principles unit.

The outcome, I can explain how and why industries use feedback to improve products.

We have three key words, feedback, comments on a design to help improve or refine it, evaluation, assessing something to judge its quality, and improvement, making something better.

The lesson has two parts, gathering and using feedback and evaluating feedback for improvement.

Let's begin.

Feedback is comments on a design to help improve or refine it.

Industries use feedback to understand what works well and what needs improvement, which is making something better.

Feedback can come from customers, employees, product testers, or specialists.

As well as a child, feedback on this toy can come from parents, nursery workers, retailers, experts in toy safety and specialists in child development.

Industries collect feedback in different ways.

Customer reviews, which could include online, surveys and social media, product testing, such as prototypes and observations, focus groups, which is users giving opinions, employee feedback, where workers suggest improvements.

Flight simulators provide vital product feedback, helping refine aircraft design, enhance safety, and improve user experience.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is the purpose of feedback in industry? Is it A, to criticise a product, B, to collect opinions and archive them, C, to improve and refine a product, or D, to make production more expensive? Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's C, to improve and refine a product, well done.

Many companies rely on customer reviews and ratings to identify strengths and weaknesses in their products.

For example, electronics manufacturers may notice repeated complaints about battery life and decide to improve battery capacity in the next model.

Or fast food chains monitor customer comments on social media to adjust their menus and services.

Product testing is another key way for companies to receive feedback.

For example, car companies conduct test drives and safety tests before releasing new cars.

Tech companies might release beta versions of software so users can report bugs before the final release.

Companies can use opinions of manufacturers and retailers to receive a fully rounded perception of a product.

For example, sportswear companies may refine a running shoe based on feedback from professional runners who test them in different conditions, or factory workers might notice a way to speed up the assembly process without reducing quality, leading to cost savings.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why might a company choose to collect feedback from employees as well as customers? Is it A, employees know how the product is made and can suggest technical improvements, B, customers always give biassed feedback, C, employees will give only positive feedback, or D, customers are not important in product design? Pause the video.

Great, let's check.

That's right, it's A, employees know how the product is made and can suggest technical improvements, well done.

Industries gather feedback to improve products to meet customer needs, to avoid costly mistakes before mass production, to stay competitive in the market and to ensure quality and safety.

The development of headphones has involved feedback to include new features like Bluetooth and noise cancellation, as well as refinements to aesthetics and ergonomics.

Not all feedback is useful.

Industries must evaluate it carefully to judge its quality.

Useful feedback is specific, constructive, and actionable.

For example, Aisha says, "The material feels cheap." Jacob says, "I don't like it." Aisha's comment suggests using a better quality material, but Jacob's comment is not useful because it lacks detail.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these would be the most useful feedback for improving a product? Would it be A, the product is bad, or B, the button is too small and hard to press, or C, I prefer another brand, or D, it looks okay, I guess? Pause the video.

Great, let's check.

That's right, it's B, the button is too small and hard to press.

This would be useful feedback because it is specific and gives a clear area for improvement, well done.

Here we have task A.

Part one, explain two ways industries collect feedback on their products, and part two, why is it important for industries to use feedback before launching a product? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful, let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

For part one, you may have said, "Industries collect feedback through customer reviews, where people leave comments about their experience with a product.

This helps companies understand what needs improvement.

Another method is product testing, where a small group of users try a product before it is fully released, giving detailed feedback on its performance." And for part two, you may have said, "Using feedback before launching a product is important because it helps identify problems early, avoiding costly mistakes.

It also ensures the product meets customer needs, leading to higher satisfaction and better sales." Well done.

We now move to the second part of the lesson, evaluating feedback for improvement.

Evaluation means assessing something to judge its quality.

After gathering feedback, industries must evaluate which feedback is useful and how to act on it.

Poor evaluation can lead to wasted resources or unnecessary product changes.

Companies ask themselves questions to sort their feedback.

For example, is this a common issue? No, so we might monitor for future complaints, but if the answer was yes, they would investigate further.

Industries don't act on all feedback.

They assess its reliability and impact first.

Key questions they ask could be, is the feedback specific and detailed? For example, "The screen is too dim in sunlight," is useful, while, "I don't like it," is vague.

Does the feedback come from multiple sources? If many customers report the same issue, it needs attention.

And what is the cost versus the benefit of making changes? Will the improvement increase customer satisfaction and sales? Let's have a check for understanding.

Why is it important for industries to check if feedback comes from multiple sources? Is it A, because only feedback from certain customers is valuable, or B, to identify common trends and avoid acting on isolated opinions, or C, to make changes as quickly as possible without analysis? Pause the video.

Great, let's check.

That's right, it's B, to identify common trends and avoid acting on isolated opinions, well done.

Examples of how industry can use feedback to improve include aesthetics, following trends, for example, interior decor, durability, reworked design, for example, toys, ethics, workers' rights, for example, fast fashion, sustainability, eco-friendly materials, for example, trainers, new technology, longer battery life, for example, laptops, and safety, update in the law, for example, car booster seats.

There is a fine line between making the right or wrong decision for product improvement.

Sometimes making the wrong decision can have a negative impact on company sales or reputation.

In the 1980s, a well-known drinks brand changed their cola recipe, but it was widely disliked.

The company had to revert to the original.

Social media apps are always changing their interface to enhance the user experience.

However, not all changes are well received.

Let's have a check for understanding.

A company receives feedback suggesting a feature that is too expensive to implement.

What is the best approach, is it A, change the entire product design to fit the request, or B, apologise and do nothing, or C, try to find a cheaper alternative that meets customer needs? Pause the video and have a go.

Great, let's check.

That's right, it's C, try to find a cheaper alternative that meets customer needs, well done.

Legal and safety regulations ensure products are safe, reliable, and ethical.

They are set by government bodies.

If a product fails to meet regulations, it can be banned, recalled, or lead to the company being sued.

Companies must consider this when improving their products.

Industries such as construction, electronics, food, and automotive have to conform to legal standards.

Here we have task B, part one.

Why is it important for industries to evaluate feedback instead of acting on all suggestions? And part two, give an example of an industry or product that successfully used customer feedback and explain why it was a good decision.

Pause the video and have a go.

Great, let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

For part one, you may have said, "It is important for industries to evaluate feedback because not all suggestions are useful or practical.

Some feedback may be too expensive to act on, while other feedback may come from a small group and not represent most customers.

By evaluating feedback properly, companies can focus on changes that will have the biggest impact on quality and customer satisfaction." And part two, you may have said, "One example is a smartphone company improving battery life.

After receiving feedback that earlier models had short battery life, the company analysed the data and introduced more efficient batteries in subsequent models.

This was a good decision because it addressed a common issue without much expenditure and improved customer satisfaction," well done.

Here we have a summary of our learning today.

Industries collect feedback through reviews, testing, and surveys.

Not all feedback is used.

It must be specific, constructive, and actionable.

Safety and legal rules require careful evaluation of feedback.

And good evaluation leads to improved products and customer satisfaction.

Well done and thank you for joining me today.