New
New
Year 11

Define a specification

I can collate design requirements to form a specification and make design decisions.

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New
New
Year 11

Define a specification

I can collate design requirements to form a specification and make design decisions.

Link copied to clipboard

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Research from primary users/stakeholders and other research informs design requirements.
  2. Design requirements are used to make successful design decisions throughout the iterative design journey.

Keywords

  • Specification - a collection of design requirements

  • Design requirements - something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful

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

  • Iterative - refining and improving

Common misconception

A specification is written after research and then referred to once the product is manufactured.

Design requirements should be used throughout the iterative journey (not just at the end!) to test concepts and make effective design decisions to creatively develop the product into a successful design.


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

Pupils should be encouraged to gather design requirements throughout the research process. This enables them to clearly identify where the requirement has come from and then provide justification.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment
  • Risk assessment required - outdoor learning

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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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a design requirement?
a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem
Correct answer: something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful
a collection of design requirements
Q2.
Who can provide information about design requirements?
only the designer
Correct answer: primary users and stakeholders
people with no experience in the product area
only manufacturers
Q3.
Designers carry out to gather useful information to help make design decisions.
Correct Answer: research
Q4.
What is the main goal of research in design?
to copy existing products
Correct answer: to gather useful information for making design decisions
to avoid testing ideas
to guess what users want
Q5.
What does "iterative" mean in design?
completing a product in one step with no changes
making random changes without testing
ignoring user feedback
Correct answer: improving the design throughout the process
Q6.
The is responsible for making design decisions?
Correct Answer: designer

4 Questions

Q1.
A is a collection of design requirements.
Correct Answer: specification
Q2.
The iterative journey is a process of ...
defining wants and needs.
identifying key stakeholders.
evaluating a finished product.
Correct answer: refining and improving ideas.
Q3.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Correct Answer:specification,a collection of design requirements

a collection of design requirements

Correct Answer:design requirements,something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful

something which is needed or wanted to make a product successful

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:iterative,refining and improving

refining and improving

Q4.
If a company is designing a sports water bottle, which of the following is a design requirement for the specification?
It should have a bright pink logo.
It must be leak-proof and lightweight.
It must be the most expensive bottle on the market.
It should be made without testing.