Key term
CCEA AS-Level Technology and Design 8900
Material Selection and Wood
Metals
Plastics
Composite and Emerging Materials
Processing Materials
Product Analysis and Design Communication
Design for Manufacture, Quality and Safety
Electronic Control SystemsOption A
Topic overviewControl systems, feedback and electronics safetyResistors, Ohm's law and power ratingsCapacitors and RC timingPotential dividers, sensors and comparatorsSwitches, pull-up and pull-down resistorsOutput devices and LEDsTransistors, Darlington pairs and thyristorsLogic gates, truth tables and flip-flops555 monostable and astable timers
Mechanical and Pneumatic ComponentsOption B
Topic overviewOpen and closed loop mechanical and pneumatic controlSafe working with compressed air and mechanismsLevers, linkages and momentsGear types and gear trainsPulleys, belts, chains and shaft fixingsCams, cranks and converting motionCompressed air supply and pneumatic valvesCylinders, shuttle valves, restrictors and reservoirsPneumatic circuits for logic, timing and speed control
Designing and Manufacturing ProductsOption C
Topic overviewResearch, questionnaires and specificationsIdea generation, critiques and computer simulationManufacturing planning and product evaluationCFRP, GRP, Kevlar and tungsten carbideSmart materials, nanotechnology and biophotovoltaicsIsometric, perspective and assembly drawingLaminating, steam bending, cutting and printing processesRisk assessment and product safety lawScales of production, JIT and cell productionQuality assurance, ISO 9001 and continuous improvementDesign influences and intellectual property rights
Product Development
Product Analysis and Design Communication
- 6 subtopics
- 18 things to know
- AS 1 Paper 1
What Product Analysis and Design Communication covers
Product Analysis and Design Communication is examined in Unit AS 1, Paper 1: Design and Materials, the compulsory core. It covers form, function, performance and aesthetics, cost, materials, manufacture and environmental issues, target audience, anthropometrics, culture and safety, design briefs, research and specifications, creativity, innovation and sustainability in design and freehand sketching and mixed media.
Where it is assessed
AS 1 Paper 1
Design and Materials, the compulsory core — a written examination.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 6 subtopics
Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Technology and Design students sit this topic in the first year.
- Form, function, performance and aestheticsForm follows function, analysing form, function against performance, objective performance tests, redesigning handles and cups, aesthetic style, proportion, texture and secondary functions.Open →
- Cost, materials, manufacture and environmental issuesThe elements of manufacturing cost, part reduction and standard components, cost and profit calculations, process and material changes, transport, resin codes and hazardous substances.Open →
- Target audience, anthropometrics, culture and safetyMarket segmentation and marketing constraints, choosing percentiles with a worked clearance, designing beyond the average, cultural and moral issues, and safety in toys and kettles.Open →
- Design briefs, research and specificationsDesign contexts and briefs, refining a brief, analysing research, market research, constraints, essential and desirable criteria, measurable specification points and research plans.Open →
- Creativity, innovation and sustainability in designCreativity and flair, invention against innovation, the Anglepoise lamp, generating and modelling ideas, design fixation, product reviews, sustainability and the circular economy.Open →
- Freehand sketching and mixed mediaMixed media, crating and construction lines, thumbnails, line weight, tone, markers, metal and pastel rendering, annotation, digital sketching, and scale drawing calculations.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Suggest three performance criteria for a cordless drill.
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What elements make up the cost of manufacturing a product?
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What is market segmentation, and why does it help a designer?
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What is a design context, and how does it lead to a brief?
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What is creativity in design?
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What is mixed media in design communication?
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How can reducing the number of parts in a product lower its cost?
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Analyse how a mobile phone designed for older users might differ from one aimed at teenagers.
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How can a vague brief such as “Design a lamp” be improved?
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What is meant by design flair?
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What is crating in freehand sketching?
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What does the phrase “form follows function” mean in product design?
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Why do designers specify standard components, such as stock screws and bearings, in a redesign?
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What are marketing constraints on a product design?
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Why is a design brief often refined after research?
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Explain the difference between invention and innovation.
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Why are faint construction lines drawn at the start of a sketch?
Take Product Analysis and Design Communication further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
5th percentile vs 95th percentile
5th percentile: the body size that only one person in twenty falls below. 95th percentile: the body size that only one person in twenty exceeds.
Invention vs Innovation
Invention: creating a new device or process for the first time. Innovation: turning an idea into a successful product that people adopt.
Cultural issues vs Moral issues
Cultural issues: the customs, beliefs, symbols and traditions of the people who use a product. Moral issues: questions of right and wrong raised by making or using a product.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does the phrase “form follows function” mean in product design?
Model answer
Form follows function is the principle that the shape of a product should arise from the job it does. The phrase is linked to the architect Louis Sullivan and was taken up by the Bauhaus.
- 2
How can the form of an existing product be analysed?
Model answer
The analyst looks at overall shape, proportion, geometry and how the parts are arranged. The analysis asks whether the form helps the product work, feel and look right.
- 3
What is the difference between function and performance when analysing a product?
Model answer
Function is the job a product does, such as a torch giving light. Performance is how well it does that job, such as beam brightness and battery life.
- 4
Suggest three performance criteria for a cordless drill.
Model answer
The drill should deliver enough torque to drive screws into hardwood. The battery should last a full working session. The drill should survive a drop onto a hard floor.
- 5
How can the performance of an existing product be measured objectively?
Model answer
Performance is measured with repeatable tests, such as timing how long a kettle takes to boil a litre of water. Results are compared with rival products under the same conditions.
- 6
Analyse how the form of a garden spade supports its function.
Model answer
The flat, sharpened blade concentrates force to cut into soil. The long shaft gives leverage, and the D-shaped handle lets both hands push and twist.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Product Analysis and Design Communication revision questions
- Is Product Analysis and Design Communication examined at AS in CCEA Technology and Design?
- Yes. It sits in AS 1 Paper 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
- What does Product Analysis and Design Communication cover in CCEA AS-Level Technology and Design?
- 6 subtopics: form, function, performance and aesthetics, cost, materials, manufacture and environmental issues, target audience, anthropometrics, culture and safety, design briefs, research and specifications, creativity, innovation and sustainability in design and freehand sketching and mixed media. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Product Analysis and Design Communication organised?
- By the CCEA 8900 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Product Analysis and Design Communication, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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