Designing Things That Work

Using a design process to create something a person or machine can actually use.

9 questions, free, marked as you go with a worked explanation on every one.

What this covers

Before designing a product, why is it important to know who will use it?
What are criteria in a design project?
Which of these are constraints a designer might have to work within? Select all that apply.
A step in your instructions is in the wrong order, so the machine does the task incorrectly. What does this show?
What should you do when your design meets some criteria but not others?
Why is it useful to write down instructions in small, clear steps?
A team's written criteria say their quiz app must be usable by a student who cannot see the screen. Which design change best meets that criterion?
A model rover must have a total mass no greater than 500 g. A team builds one with a 220 g frame, 95 g of wheels and a 140 g base. By how many grams is the rover under the limit?
Use the table. The design must hold at least 200 g and cost no more than $5 to build. Which design meets both the criterion and the constraint?