Research, user needs and specifications
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Notas de aula
Researching
- Choose research to answer a specific design question. Primary research is collected firsthand for that investigation: observation, interviews, surveys and trials can qualify. Secondary research uses existing information, including another organisation’s survey results. Record where evidence came from and its limitations.
- Product analysis examines an existing product’s use, function, construction, materials and limitations. Your own inspection or testing can be primary; a published review is secondary. Disassembly is optional and may be unsafe or inappropriate for some products.
- Use neutral questions and a relevant sample. Interviews can include follow-up and need not be strictly one-to-one. Observation can reveal differences between what users say and do. Colour names are categories, counts of colour choices are quantitative, and reasons for choices can supply qualitative evidence.
Research type depends on who collects it
Understanding the user
- Identify who commissions, buys, uses, maintains or is affected by the product. These roles may differ. Investigate relevant tasks and contexts instead of stereotyping people from demographic categories alone.
- Ergonomics addresses interaction with people’s physical and cognitive capabilities. Anthropometric body measurements inform some decisions; accessibility also considers sensory, cognitive and other barriers. User feedback, adjustment and alternative interaction methods may be needed.
- A 5th–95th interval covers the central 90% of one dimension in the stated population. It is not a guarantee of whole-product fit: individuals differ across dimensions, and people outside the interval remain users. Choose the population, posture and task carefully; a smaller reach may constrain control placement, while larger dimensions can constrain clearance. Test the complete design rather than combining unrelated percentile values as a fictional average person.
Select measurements for the task
Specification criteria
- Select relevant criteria for function, size or mass, materials, manufacture, appearance, cost, safety, sustainability, usability and maintenance. Each important criterion should trace back to evidence or a genuine constraint and have a suitable method of evaluation.
- Numerical limits are useful when appropriate, but arbitrary precision is not evidence. “Handle length 100–120 mm” is measurable; it does not by itself prove comfortable use. Define what is measured, the conditions, the acceptance rule and how research justifies the range.
- Practice targets are hypothetical: a lunch box might require at least 1.5 litres usable volume checked by an agreed suitable method, and at most 300 g empty mass checked using a suitable balance. These two criteria are not universal school-product recommendations, food-safety standards or a complete specification.
A target needs evidence and a test
Standards and regulations
- Regulations establish relevant legal requirements. A British Standard is a published consensus document for a defined subject; it may set requirements or provide guidance. A standard is not automatically law, and relevance depends on the product and context.
- CE and UKCA markings indicate the manufacturer’s declared conformity within the applicable assessment regime. They do not apply to every product or market and are not universal quality awards or government guarantees of safety. This lesson teaches their meaning, not current market-placement procedures or deadlines.
- Small parts can create choking concerns in toys for children under three, but a full safety assessment covers more than this one example. Investigate the appropriate current requirements using authoritative sources rather than assuming a mark or an age label replaces assessment.
Keep three ideas distinct
Evaluating existing products
- Compare products against the same relevant criteria and record evidence for strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. A competitor review can inform decisions without becoming a plan to copy its design unchanged.
- Trace findings into design action: a hypothetical observation that users cannot locate a control suggests a discoverability need. A draft trial criterion might require at least 8 of 10 users to find it unaided under an agreed task procedure. This invented small trial is evidence for iteration, not proof of universal accessibility or population-wide success.
Trace evidence into evaluation
Slides
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Questões de prática
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1.What is primary research?
Easy- Ainformation you collect yourself
- Binformation from books
- Cinformation from websites
- Dinformation from others
2.What is secondary research?
Easy- Ainterviews
- Bquestionnaires
- Cuser trials
- Dinformation that already exists
3.What is a target market?
Easy- Aa material
- Ba tool
- Cthe group of people a product is aimed at
- Da shop
4.What is product analysis?
Easy- Atesting materials
- Bexamining an existing product
- Cdesigning a product
- Dselling a product
5.What is ergonomics?
Easy- Adesigning interactions around people’s capabilities, comfort and usability
- Bdesigning for cost
- Cdesigning for colour
- Ddesigning for weight
6.What are percentiles in anthropometric data?
Easy- Atypes of metal
- Bcosts
- Ccolours
- Dpositions of particular body measurements within a stated population
7.What does a 5th–95th percentile interval describe for one body measurement in its reference population?
Easy- Ait is cheaper
- Bit is simpler
- Cthe central 90% for that measurement, without guaranteeing whole-product fit
- Dit fits no one
8.Where required for the applicable product and market, what is the purpose of CE or UKCA marking?
Easy- Athe product is hand-made
- Bto indicate declared conformity with the applicable product requirements
- Cthe product is cheap
- Dthe product is old
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