Lesson video

Hello, I'm Mrs. Taylor and I'm really pleased you can be here to join me for our lesson today.

Our lesson today is design optimization and this is part of the developments in new materials supporting new parents unit.

The outcome, I can apply optimization to a design.

We have three key words, design optimization, the process of improving a design to make it as efficient as possible while still meeting all requirements.

Refine, the process of making small improvements to something and design for manufacture, abbreviated to DFM, the process of designing products in such a way that they are easy, cost effective and efficient to manufacture.

There are two learning cycles in our lesson today.

Design optimization and apply optimization.

Let's begin with design optimization.

Design optimization is the process of improving and refining a design to achieve the best possible outcome.

Refine refers to the process of making small improvements.

It falls under the umbrella of design development.

However, design optimization is the specific part of development where you focus on preparing the design for manufacture.

It's getting the best possible version of your existing design finalised.

Design optimization refines designs to improve factors like efficiency and effectiveness while still satisfying the design requirements.

Designers will consider the following when optimising designs, sustainability, reducing materials waste and costs, ensuring high safety standards, improving user experience and ergonomics, improving function, size and design for manufacture, DFM.

We now have a check for understanding.

Read the sentence and complete with the missing word.

Pause the video.

Fantastic, let's check.

Design optimization is the process of improving and refining a design to achieve the best possible outcome.

Well done, an example of design optimization when designing a chair could include refining the chair to make it more lightweight, yet maintaining strength properties.

Refining sport shoes to be more lightweight can improve function and the user experience.

Examples of design optimization within the context of products for new parents could include ensuring the highest safety standards in products that are used on or for babies and children, making products reusable, improving their sustainability and material adaptations like using smart material to improve safety or function.

Here we can see some examples of products for babies and children.

An incliner, a reusable nappy and thermochromic spoon.

Here we have a check for understanding.

A reusable nappy is an example of improving what factor when optimising designs? Is it A, safety B, sustainability or C, function? Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful, let's check.

That's right, it's sustainability, well done.

Design for manufacture or DFM is the process of designing products in such a way that they are easy, cost effective and efficient to manufacture.

DFM is an important consideration for designers and manufacturers as it can improve efficiency, reduce production costs and minimise errors.

Let's have a check for understanding now.

What does DFM stand for? Is it A, design for making, B, design for meeting, C, design for manufacture or D, design for materials? Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's C, design for manufacture, well done.

The key factors to consider for DFM are, simplify the production processes, minimise material waste, reduce manufacturing costs, ensure product quality and consistency and choose suitable manufacturing techniques and materials.

Here is a highchair, a product designed for new parents.

There are many ways in which the designers have considered this design for manufacture.

Minimal parts, a basic frame and a moulded plastic seat.

Legs click into the seat base without tools.

This is simple manufacturing.

Cost-effective materials.

They are lightweight, polypropylene, and steel, which is durable, but inexpensive and easy to clean surfaces, which is important for hygiene and quality.

When completing design optimization for your own designs, it is helpful for us to remember a success criteria for the process.

Here we have a table with the columns, simplify, minimise, and reduce, ensure and improve.

The examples include we could simplify, minimise or reduce materials, production processes, waste or cost, which would then ensure safety, sustainability, and quality and in turn would improve user experience, function, design for manufacture, ergonomics and size.

We now move to task A.

There are three pictures of products for new parents with young babies and children, a food bowl, a bottle, and a changing mat.

For part one, choose a product that is used by new parents from below.

For part two, identify three factors of design optimization that could be used to refine that product.

And part three, state and explain three opportunities to apply design optimization to the product using the three factors identified.

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, I have chosen the food bowl and for part two, the three factors I will focus on for design optimization are minimising materials, improve the user experience and improve the function.

Minimise materials, I could reduce the height of the sides.

User experience, I could add a hydro or thermo chromic ink to make the material change colour and function, I could add some grip or suction to the bottom of the bowl so that it will not slip on its surface.

Well done, we now move to the second part of the lesson today, apply optimization.

The context of this unit is developments in new materials, supporting new parents, Andeep has explored the context, produced initial design ideas, gathered user feedback, developed the ideas, and has now arrived at the stage where he will now optimise the chosen developed design.

And here we can see annotated sketches of Andeep's medicine dispenser idea, including the hydro and thermochromic ink that he wants to incorporate.

He also explains how it is a controlled measure of the medicine.

The twist mechanism enables one hand use by parent and handles for ease of use.

Andeep will use the success criteria to support the design optimization process.

Not all factors of design optimization will be possible or relevant to every design.

Here we can see a table that identifies things that we could simplify, minimise or reduce, which would ensure safety, sustainability and quality, and would also improve user experience, function, designed for manufacture, ergonomics and size.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Read the sentence and complete it by adding the missing word.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

Not all factors of design optimization will be possible or relevant to every design.

Well done.

Andeep revisits his design requirements to remember what the priorities are for his design.

This will support the decisions for optimization.

For Andeep's design optimization, he decides to focus on the factors of ensuring safety, ensuring sustainability through reducing materials, improving design for manufacture and improving user experience and function.

Andeep completes a design optimization page of sketches and annotation.

He refines the idea to achieve the best possible outcome.

Here is a sketch where he describes his developed design, and now, more sketches with the optimised design.

Smart material would be added to improve user experience, a silicone tip for comfort.

There would be handles made smaller and a solid shape to support manufacture and reduce materials.

The smaller tube twists into a larger tube using tracks and the twist would be safer than a push force.

This would be turned with a thump and this rests in the palm to enable one handed use.

Here we have a check for understanding what is the reason for why Andeep has used a twisting mechanism instead of a pushing one to dispense the medicine, is it A, sustainability B, safety, C, reduces materials or D, simplifies production.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's safety.

Well done, we now move to task B, part one, using the design optimization success criteria.

Identify the factors that are relevant and a priority for your design.

Part two, create a design optimization page, which includes sketches and annotation demonstrating how you are refining your design to make it the best possible outcome.

Here is a table with the design optimization success criteria to help you, pause the video and have a go.

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

For part one, you may have said, the factors I identified as the most relevant and a priority for design optimization are ensuring safety, ensuring sustainability through reducing materials, improving designing for manufacture and improving user experience and function.

And for part two, here is Andeep's design optimization page, refining the design for the best possible outcome.

Did you remember to include annotations to explain each optimization? Well done.

We now have a summary of our learning today.

Design optimization is the process of improving and refining a design to achieve the best possible outcome.

Designers will consider the following when optimising designs, sustainability, reducing materials, waste and costs, ensuring high safety standards, improving user experience and ergonomics, improving function, size, and design for manufacture or DFM.

An example of design optimization is refining a chair to make it more lightweight, yet maintaining strength properties.

Using a design optimization success criteria can support optimising your designs in preparation for manufacture.

I'm really pleased you could join me for the lesson today.

Thank you and well done.