Hello there.

My name is Mrs. Dhami.

Thank you for joining me for your design and technology lesson today.

Now, the big question for today is what are research techniques and which ones are suitable for your NEA? I'm gonna show you a whole load today and you're gonna pick the ones that are suitable for your design brief.

It's gonna be a great lesson.

Let's get cracking.

Our outcome for today is we will be able to select the appropriate techniques to research throughout the iterative design process.

Our keywords for today are research needs.

They are what you need to find out.

Design requirements, something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful.

Design brief, outlines the design opportunity and identifies a primary user's needs and wants.

And lastly, research technique, is a method for finding out design requirements.

We have two learning cycles today.

First of all, we're going to identify our research needs and second of all, we're going to investigate.

So let's get started with identifying research needs.

The big picture for our iterative journey today is, we're gonna identify what we need to find out from our design brief.

These are our research needs.

Then we're gonna identify suitable research techniques for how we find out that information.

And lastly, we're going to use that research and our findings to shape potential design requirements.

Now let's remind ourselves what design requirements are.

That's one of our key words today.

Design requirements are something needed or wanted to make a product successful, and that's the main aim of our iterative journey.

So researching enables you as designers to compile design requirements to evaluate your ideas against and consequently make successful design decisions throughout your iterative journey.

Jun says, "Research only happens at the start of my NEA." Where Sophia says, "No, Jun, as we move through our iterative journey, we have ideas or we find out things that we need to research further." Who is right? Jun or Sophia? Have a think.

Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Sophia is right.

Research is not limited to the start as it is not a linear process.

Research needs may be identified at any stage of the iterative design journey so that you can make effective design decisions to create a successful outcome.

Design briefs can be a fantastic starting point to be used to identify what you need to initially find out.

So let's take a little look at Izzy's design brief.

She said, "Design an innovative solution to enable hands to be kept warm when using walking aids in cold weather.

The solution must appeal to elderly users, be easy to use independently and encourage activity.

Other stakeholders could include family members, carers and medical professionals." What can you take from Izzy's design brief that you think she might need to research? Have a think.

Come back to me when you've got a few ideas.

So the first word that Izzy highlighted was hands to be kept warm.

So Izzy could start by researching methods of keeping warm, and you might be surprised sometimes at what you find out.

So for example, my dad used to have this kind of waistcoat thing that used to be able to plug in and charge it up, and then it would produce heat because he struggled with the cold.

You might find out something from your design brief that you didn't know of before.

Izzy then goes on to highlight walking aids.

She could research a variety of walking aids and how they work and are used as they don't all come in the same shape, size, and are sometimes used a little bit differently.

She then highlighted cold weather and she's put here she could research insulating, waterproof or wind resistant materials.

And then lastly, the word independently.

Quite often elderly people want to be able to use products independently without help.

So Izzy could go on to explore other products that enable elderly to be independent.

What a great starting point and loads for easy to research straight from that design brief.

First check-in.

Research takes place: A.

only at the start of the iterative journey.

B, throughout the whole iterative journey.

C, only once the design requirements have been collated.

Or D, only throughout the research stage.

Have a think, pause the video.

Come back to me when you've got an idea.

Well done, if you identified B, research takes place throughout the whole iterative journey.

Whenever you need to find out something, find it out, add it to your iterative journey, and it will help make a more successful product.

As you research your design brief in more detail, you're going to identify and record potential design requirements.

Now a design requirement as we said earlier, is a statement that identifies what a product or solution can do to be successful and meet the needs and wants of the primary user and stakeholders.

When you write a design requirement, remember to include a justification.

Because it shows where you found out that information.

Andeep says, "I found out that my 70-year-old primary user suffers with arthritis and struggles to open jars by herself, especially when her hands are wet in the kitchen and she often drops things." How could Andeep's research here be turned into design requirements? Have a think.

Come back to me when you've got an idea.

Hopefully you reread that and came up with a few ideas.

Take a little look at a few of mine.

So he identifies the word arthritis and struggles.

So a design requirement could be, the product must help people suffering with movement restrictions to open common sized jars easily and efficiently.

Next highlighted word is the word wet.

The product could include grip, so it is easier to use with wet hands.

And lastly, she often drops things.

Let's turn that into a requirement.

The product should be able to withstand being dropped on the floor multiple times, as my primary user frequently drops things.

Now please, please notice how those three design requirements provide a justification.

So that justification comes from the research, but it does not describe a specific solution.

It doesn't tell me what the product or the solution should look like and be like, and the sizes, et cetera, et cetera.

It doesn't give a specific solution.

Therefore, this avoids design fixation, which means when we get onto the designing stage, you can still come up with multiple ideas, and that's really important.

Design requirements should be: A, specific for what a solution needs to do to be successful.

B, not describe a specific solution.

C, describe a specific solution.

What a mouthful or D, be short without justification.

Have a little think.

Pause the video, come back to me when you've got an answer.

Well done if you've got A and B.

Now this is quite a mouthful.

So design requirements should be specific for what a solution needs to do to be successful, but not describe a specific solution.

So we need to know what kind of attributes it needs to have to be successful without defining and describing exactly what the product should look like and exactly how it should work.

That is of course, to avoid design fixation.

Well done if you got both of those right.

Onto task A, Part one, I'd like you to identify your research needs.

Now, best way to do that is you could revisit your design brief and you need to think carefully about what you personally need to find out to design a successful product.

So start with that design brief.

Second of all, I'd like you to define what a design requirement is.

Good luck.

Have a good go.

Come back to me when you have some answers.

Well done with your efforts there.

So your answers could include for number one, you could have highlighted keywords in your design brief.

A little bit like how we started off with Izzy at the start of the slides.

And then use these to identify potential research needs.

You could produce a list or you might produce a mind map of research needs.

That's entirely up to you.

Part two, I asked you to define a design requirement.

So a design requirement is something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful.

They should not describe a specific solution.

So as not to create design fixation.

Keep your mind open, keep it open, ready for the design stage.

Onto the second learning cycle.

The really exciting bit where we are going to start investigating your research needs.

We are going to explore a few research techniques for researching into your design brief and research needs.

Now, you are not limited to the research techniques we share, and you might come up with a better way for researching the needs you want to.

Some will be right for your iterative journey and others will not.

Now, you may also wish to revisit your design brief at any point to either adapt or perhaps to keep you focused in the right direction.

Remember, take lots of photos and videos and record the information you collect.

You need a record.

You need to show that it was you doing this amazing research.

Now, you may also identify a design requirement at any point.

Let's remind ourselves.

A design requirement is something which is needed or wanted to make a product or solution successful.

So if you identify a design requirement at any point, remember to record it.

Otherwise you're likely to forget it.

You could record them as statements or in a chart.

It's entirely up to you.

Let's get cracking on the research techniques.

A great place to start is by looking at existing products.

They were obviously made at one point, they were probably successful.

So why were they successful and perhaps what needs improving about them? Now I opened my kitchen drawer and these are all the bottles that I manage to pull out.

You probably think I've got about 10 kids from this picture when actually I've only got two.

So have a little look around.

Perhaps they might be physical products you own or a neighbour owns, or perhaps you need to have a little search on the internet.

If you've got the physical products, you could actually do a bit of product testing.

And you can see my daughter here testing three of the bottles.

You can see her struggles with the odd one, especially that purple one for opening it.

And you can see how the user interacts with them.

So it's a great idea for understanding the market and identifying successful features or those that need to be improved.

Please remember, record any design requirements as you research.

Another great place to start is with past and present designers or periods in art history.

So for example, you could go on the internet, or you could go to shops or you could go to museums. So for example, this is the Alessi toilet brush.

Now you look at that product on the left and you think, what on earth is that? It's only the second image that shows you what it is.

Perhaps that might give some inspiration about how your product looks, but also about how it functions.

Then you might like to look at different times of art history.

You might like to be inspired perhaps by a particular style such as art deco.

You might also like to look at other products, maybe not necessarily to do with form, but more to do with function.

So the Hippo roller here, this is a product designed to be able to transport water without having to carry it on your head in villages where there are no taps.

And that has gone on to influence other products such as camping products as the aqua roll has been designed, and that is to carry water around campsites.

So look for inspiration, and I've put here it's a good idea for inspiration, but also identifying, again, successful features and those to be improved.

And of course, you know it record any design requirements as you come along.

There are often lots of ways to do the same thing.

So it's good idea to look at inspiring solutions and that might not be as a whole product, that might be as a small part of a product.

Okay, so for example, when you close a garment, you could use press studs, you could use magnets, you could use hook and eyes, hook and loops.

These are four completely different ways, yet they all achieve a very similar outcome.

So it's good for considering alternatives.

And you might like to think of some inspiring solutions for your design brief.

As we said before, record any design requirements as you find them.

Sometimes it's a really good idea to find out how a product is made and what actually makes up that particular product.

And to do this, a great idea is disassembly.

You can take apart a product and you can find out exactly what goes in, and you can understand the elements that make up the product.

But you can also identify those bits which you could change, and those which you absolutely can't.

You can see that clearly through the pictures of the hot glue and the watch.

Now, as Laura says, remember to check with an adult before you take something apart.

Because A, it might be dangerous, but B, you might not actually be allowed.

So please do double check or perhaps do a bit of an internet search and see what you can find there.

Remember as you go, record any design requirements.

A great idea is sometimes to do a site or a shop visit.

Now this is a really good idea for identifying what is currently being sold or any potential gaps.

But also identifying areas that you might not have considered before, which shops or which sites you visit will completely depend on your design brief.

And as we say, as you go along, as you find out things, record any design requirements.

Materials research is likely to happen throughout your whole iterative journey.

Through your prototyping, through your manufacturer, through the whole process.

Now, materials research is great because it enables you to consider environmental or sustainability issues.

It encourages you to identify potential options or alternatives, and it also encourages you to consider physical or working properties.

Now, let's remind ourselves, physical properties are characteristics of a material such as appearance.

Whereas working properties are the way in which a material responds to an external force.

So for example, how malleable a material is.

And it might be a great idea to actually do a bit of materials testing with a few samples For this.

As we always say, record any design requirements as you come across them.

Alex says, "I should use the same research techniques as everyone else in my class, but with my own conclusions." True or false? Have a think.

Come back to me when you've got an idea.

Well done, if you managed to get false, and why? Which research techniques you use depends on your own design brief and identified research needs.

Everybody's iterative journey, including research will look different, and that's okay.

There has been a huge rise in the awareness of the environment and of sustainability issues.

So we must try and include that in our research if we can.

So perhaps with sustainability you could look at some ways that your product or solution could use or be to be more sustainable.

So for example, you might want to have a little look at flat pack options.

You might want to look at ideas for encouraging reuse.

Here's the inside of my daughter's coat.

It has a label encouraging users to pass on when they're finished with it.

Perhaps that might be good for your solution.

Then foldable or stackable products are great, especially for the logistics of getting them from manufacturer to being sold.

But they're also really good of course for users being able to store them away.

So here's an example of the folding cloves horse.

You might like to think about how your product or solution could be used over multiple stages or multiple years.

So for example, here is a small child's seat.

In the picture on the left, you can see it's got a play attachment on.

So the baby can have a nice play, then you can take that off and they can eat.

Then you can take it off and it just be a little seat for them without the tray.

And then if they get much bigger, you can remove that green insert so it still fits them even when they are bigger.

This extends the products lifecycle, it means that being used for longer and perhaps that's something you can consider in your design solution.

You might also like to look at materials.

So this is a really good idea for environmental and sustainability considerations.

And remember as you've got it now, record any design requirements you come across as you research.

There may be a load of measurements that you need to find out for your solution.

So for example, you might need to know pet measurements.

Perhaps you need to know the pet's height or perhaps their colour size, I don't know.

Perhaps you need to know the size of a certain object or a certain space.

Here's underneath the church pew in my hallway.

And you can see that is a set space.

My husband will love something there to be able to store all of the shoes.

He hates those two boxes.

So perhaps that might be a measurement that you need to find out.

So this is a really good idea for recording required relevant data.

And as we've said before, you've got it.

Record any design requirements as you come across them in your research.

There might be certain restrictions that you need to think about when you are producing ideas for your solution.

This could be things such as laws, warnings, or it could be products that must be designed around or included.

Now you can see on the right, I've put a picture of a child's car seat.

If you were to design something for them to say play with in the car on a long journey to stop them getting bored, you might need to make sure that the product fits around a product such as a car seat.

It's a great idea for identifying or considering the limits to design within.

And of course, as you know, record any design requirements that it might cause or it might produce.

As you find out these findings, Laura says, I have thought of a different way to research my design brief, but I cannot do it as it is not listed in these slides.

Is that true or is that false? Have a think.

Come back to me when you've got an answer.

Well done, if you got false, and why? You are not limited to these research techniques, you may think of a better or alternative way to research your design brief and research needs.

And that is absolutely okay.

Enjoy your research, enjoy the iterative process.

Task B, part one, I would like you to consider which research techniques will enable you to find out the research needs that you identified in task A.

So feel free to go back and have a little look at what you wrote down for task A.

And just remember, you are not limited to the research techniques that I have said.

You can come up with your own.

Part two, using a variety of research techniques.

I would like you to investigate your own design brief.

Enjoy it.

Part three, remember as you go along through researching, record any design requirements identified in your research.

If you don't, you are very likely to forget them.

So jot them down and make that consistent place that you do that.

Good luck.

Answers could include.

So for part one, consider which research techniques will enable you to find out the research needs you identified in task A.

So a great idea is to read through the research techniques and assign suitable ones to your research needs, or think of alternative techniques.

Part two, I said using a variety of research techniques, investigate your design brief and research needs.

And that's for you to do.

Try if you can though, use several different research techniques.

And lastly, record any design requirements identified in your research.

And let's remind ourselves a design requirement is something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful.

They should not describe a specific solution so as not to create design fixation.

Well done with all of your hard work on that.

That brings us to the end of our lesson.

So let's summarise what we have found out.

Research needs can appear at any stage of the iterative design journey.

Design briefs provide a good starting point to identify research needs.

Analysis of existing products, product disassembly, shop or site visits and material research are some of the many research techniques that you could possibly use.

A design requirement is something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful.

And remember to record these when you discover one.

Fantastic, I hope you have enjoyed today's lesson and I look forward to seeing you hopefully in another lesson.

Good luck with this stage of your iterative journey.

Take good care.

Bye bye bye.