New
New
Lesson 8 of 8
  • Year 10

Redesign: The Washing Machine Project

I can explain how products can be redesigned within the circular economy.

Lesson 8 of 8
New
New
  • Year 10

Redesign: The Washing Machine Project

I can explain how products can be redesigned within the circular economy.

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Products can be redesigned or adapted to make future successful products.
  2. Existing products can inspire future design.
  3. The success of products designed for developing countries can inspire future designs.

Keywords

  • Circular economy - products and materials are kept in circulation and do not become waste

  • Life cycle assessment (LCA) - assesses the environmental impact at every stage of a product’s lifecycle

  • Design decisions - a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

  • Iteration - refining and improving

  • Redesign - making design decisions to improve a product in some way

Common misconception

Redesigning a product for the circular economy only means making it recyclable.

Redesign in the circular economy involves designing products to last longer, be repaired, reused, or upgraded to reduce waste throughout the product’s entire life cycle.


To help you plan your year 10 design and technology lesson on: Redesign: The Washing Machine Project, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If you can get hold of a salad spinner and a wet sock, this would be fantastic to demonstrate how Navjot Sawhney was inspired to design the flat pack Divya washing machine!
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Maintenance is the regular and small fixes to keep a product working properly and lasting longer.

Correct Answer: care

Q2.
Repair and maintenance of a product is the responsibility of the user and the .

Correct Answer: designer, Designer

Q3.
The ability to take apart products helps them to be:

Correct answer: recycled
redesigned
Correct answer: upcycled
discarded

Q4.
A design opportunity happens when there is a or a need for a new or improved product.

solution
Correct answer: gap
plan
material

Q5.
Which of the following products follow a linear economy model?

Correct answer: alkaline battery
bag for life
compostable bag
Correct answer: fast fashion

Q6.
What does iteration mean in the context of design?

creating a completely different product from scratch
Correct answer: refining or improving a product through repeated development
improving a product by making one final change

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

4 Questions

Q1.
Match the terms to their definitions.

Correct Answer:redesign,making design decisions to improve a product in some way

making design decisions to improve a product in some way

Correct Answer:life cycle assessment (LCA),assesses a product's environmental impact throughout its life cycle

assesses a product's environmental impact throughout its life cycle

Correct Answer:design decisions,a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

Correct Answer:iteration,refining or improving

refining or improving

Q2.
Which of the following is not a common reason for redesigning a product?

to comply with newly introduced regulations
to reflect feedback from users or stakeholders
Correct answer: to intentionally increase production costs
to take advantage of technological advancements

Q3.
Which redesign strategy helps to extend a product's life?

Correct answer: using durable materials that resist wear and tear
requiring specialist tools to repair
designing it to go out of fashion quickly
including components that are difficult to replace

Q4.
Which of the following best describes how the circular economy approach applies to product redesign?

it focuses only on ensuring that products are recycled at the end of their life
it aims to reduce waste by designing products to be used once and then disposed
Correct answer: it involves designing products to last longer, be repaired, reused, or upgraded
it focuses on lowering the cost of manufacturing regardless of product lifespan