New
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Lesson 2 of 14
  • Year 10

Identifying challenges and opportunities

I can identify barriers to mental health and wellbeing, and frame them as opportunities for design.

Lesson 2 of 14
New
New
  • Year 10

Identifying challenges and opportunities

I can identify barriers to mental health and wellbeing, and frame them as opportunities for design.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are common barriers in mental health and wellbeing that impact on daily tasks.
  2. Problems can be reframed as design opportunities.

Keywords

  • Stressor - a situation, event, or pressure that makes someone feel worried or upset

  • Barrier - something that prevents a person from completing a task or feeling content

  • Opportunity - a chance to use design to solve a problem or improve a situation

Common misconception

Mental health and wellbeing challenges are too personal or 'invisible' to be designed for.

Designers don’t solve mental health itself, but create supportive products, services, or environments that ease challenges.


To help you plan your year 10 design and technology lesson on: Identifying challenges and opportunities, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Use relatable school-based scenarios (e.g. stress during exams, noisy environments, poor sleep) to ground discussion before expanding into wider contexts.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of mental health issues

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these best describes inclusive design?

design only for people with disabilities
Correct answer: design for as many different people as possible
design only for aesthetics
design that is cheap to make

Q2.
Match each keyword to the correct definition:

Correct Answer:flexibility,the ability of a product or space to adapt to different needs

the ability of a product or space to adapt to different needs

Correct Answer:wellbeing,how comfortable, safe, and healthy a person feels

how comfortable, safe, and healthy a person feels

Correct Answer:mental health,a person’s emotional and psychological state

a person’s emotional and psychological state

Q3.
Match the design term to its meaning:

Correct Answer:prototype,an early version of a product to test ideas

an early version of a product to test ideas

Correct Answer:idea,thought or suggestion for solving a problem

thought or suggestion for solving a problem

Correct Answer:feedback,opinions from others to improve a design

opinions from others to improve a design

Q4.
Which of the following statements is correct?

Inclusive design and accessible design are exactly the same thing.
Correct answer: Accessible design removes barriers, but inclusive design goes further.
Inclusive design only focuses on mental health.
Accessible design is always better than inclusive design.

Q5.
Which product feature best supports wellbeing?

a chair available in only one size
a door that requires heavy pushing to open
Correct answer: an app with calming colour themes and reduced notifications
a website with only small, fixed text

Q6.
Designers need to consider the needs of the when designing a product.

Correct Answer: user, users

Assessment exit quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the keyword to the correct definition:

Correct Answer:barrier,something that stops a person from completing a task or being content

something that stops a person from completing a task or being content

Correct Answer:stressor,a factor that creates pressure or tension

a factor that creates pressure or tension

Correct Answer:opportunity,a chance to solve a problem through design

a chance to solve a problem through design

Q2.
Which of these is the best example of reframing a barrier into an opportunity?

saying that noise in classrooms is frustrating
Correct answer: designing dividers that reduce noise and help students focus
complaining that social media is distracting
ignoring barriers and hoping they go away

Q3.
Which of the following is the correct order of cause and effect?

barrier, stressor, impact
Correct answer: stressor, barrier, impact
impact, stressor, barrier
stressor, impact, barrier

Q4.
Why do designers study barriers to mental health and wellbeing?

to diagnose medical conditions
to prevent stressors from ever existing
to make people work harder under pressure
Correct answer: to identify real problems that design can help to solve

Q5.
Match the example to the correct category:

Correct Answer:stressor,parent feels stressed about balancing work and childcare

parent feels stressed about balancing work and childcare

Correct Answer:barrier,a lack of time leads to tiredness and reduced focus

a lack of time leads to tiredness and reduced focus

Correct Answer:opportunity,a magnetic wall planner to organise tasks and childcare duties

a magnetic wall planner to organise tasks and childcare duties

Q6.
Noise, deadlines, and social isolation are examples of .

Correct Answer: stressor, stressors