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Year 11

Design brief

I can explain how and why design briefs are used in industry.

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New
New
Year 11

Design brief

I can explain how and why design briefs are used in industry.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Link copied to clipboard

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

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

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Design briefs outline the requirements of a project.
  2. Focusing too narrowly on one idea can limit creativity and prevent finding the best solution.
  3. Understanding limitations (e.g. budget, materials) helps shape realistic and achievable designs.

Keywords

  • Design brief - a statement that outlines the requirements of a product

  • Design fixation - focsuing so heavily on one idea that creativity and problem-solving becomes limited

  • Constraints - restrictions that shape a design solution

Common misconception

Design briefs are only used in creative fields like product or graphic design.

Design briefs are crucial across many industries, including engineering, architecture, and product development.


To help you plan your year 11 design and technology lesson on: Design brief, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use real-world examples from various industries (e.g. product design, tech, or architecture) to show how design briefs guide the process. This will help students see the broad application and importance of briefs beyond creative fields.
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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

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Product analysis helps companies stay __________ by creating new or improved products.
Correct Answer: innovative, current, on trend
Q2.
Which of the following is an example of using product analysis to improve a design?
A phone company reduces costs by removing key features
Correct answer: A shoe brand tests different materials to make trainers more comfortable
A company ignores customer feedback and continues with the same design
A brand copies a competitor’s product exactly without any changes
Q3.
Why do companies analyse their products?
To make them more expensive
Correct answer: To improve quality and meet customer needs
To reduce competition
To create completely new products every time
Q4.
A design __________ is a statement that outlines the requirements of a product.
Correct Answer: brief
Q5.
The 4Ws are used to help structure a design brief. Which of the following questions focuses on defining the purpose of the design?
Who is the target user?
What is the product supposed to do?
Where will the product be used?
Correct answer: Why does the product need to exist?
Q6.
Match each research method to its correct example:
Correct Answer:Survey,Asking people about their product preferences

Asking people about their product preferences

Correct Answer:Observation,Watching how users interact with a design

Watching how users interact with a design

Correct Answer:Experiment,Measuring the weight of a product

Measuring the weight of a product

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the main purpose of a design brief?
Correct answer: To outline the project requirements and guide the design process.
To provide a step-by-step plan for manufacturing.
To compare different design ideas.
To test the final product.
Q2.
When a designer becomes stuck on one idea and struggles to explore other solutions, this is called __________.
Correct Answer: design fixation, fixation
Q3.
Match each element of a design brief to its description.
Correct Answer:User,Who the product is designed for

Who the product is designed for

Correct Answer:Functionality,What the product needs to do

What the product needs to do

Correct Answer:Materials,What the product should be made from

What the product should be made from

Correct Answer:Constraints,Limitations such as budget or size

Limitations such as budget or size

Q4.
Put these strategies for avoiding design fixation in the correct order:
1 - Research existing products and alternative solutions.
2 - Use creative techniques like mind maps and brainstorming.
3 - Generate multiple ideas before committing to one.
4 - Test different ideas and refine the best one.
Q5.
What term is used to describe the limitations or restrictions that designers work within, such as budget, time, and materials?
Correct Answer: Constraints
Q6.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a design constraint?
Budget
Materials
Correct answer: Creativity
Time