SAMPLE DESIGN PROBLEMS AND BRIEFS
V. Ryan © 2005-09
PDF FILE - CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE WORKSHEET | |
Below are sample design problems / and a brief for a variety of projects. They have been divided into sentences and you are to write an alternative sentence in the spaces provided. The aim of this exercise is for you to construct a design problem for each of the projects by rewriting each one. |
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EDUCATIONAL TOYS/GAMES | |
PROBLEM ONE |
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A local
company designing and manufacturing educational games have recently
found that sales of its games have fallen.
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PROBLEM TWO |
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A local Primary School has approached me to design an
educational toy to help develop hand - eye coordination. |
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DESIGN BRIEF |
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I am going to design and make an educational game for
young children that will encourage the development of hand - eye
coordination skills. |
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SHOP DISPLAYS | |
PROBLEM THREE | |
A local supermarket designing have recently found that sales of its CDs
and DVDs have fallen. Without an increase in sales it is likely the supermarket will make workers in this section redundant. In the past CD and DVD sales have been quite good because shoppers have browsed through this section whilst doing their normal weekly shopping. However, with the growth of internet shopping, especially in music and entertainment the Entertainment section of the supermarket has suffered a reduction in sales A local survey has found that many local people are visiting alternative shops that exclusively sell CDs and DVDs. Younger people and teenagers like the atmosphere in stores such as HMV and Virgin records. These stores allow for shoppers to sample the music in a young and vibrant atmosphere. New technology such as ‘i-pods’ and ‘mp3’ players have meant that the traditional CD-rom is no longer the main way of storing music. A local graphic / interior designer was employed by the supermarket to suggest ways in which sales can be increase. He / she found that customers were not impressed with the promotional displays that are on show when a new CD or DVD comes on the market. Also, customers considered the Music section as lacking impact and colour. It was too like a supermarket. |
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DESIGN BRIEF |
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I am going to design and make a display for the
entertainment section of a supermarket. |
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AUTOMATIC ANIMAL FEEDER | |
DESIGN PROBLEM FOUR | |
A local pet shop owner has been asked many times to
supply an automatic animal feeder by customers. |
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DESIGN BRIEF | |
I am going to design and make an automatic pet feeder
for a small animal. |
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MODEL GREEN HOUSE - ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL | |
DESIGN PROBLEM FIVE | |
My uncle enjoys gardening and also has a green house. Although the green house is quite large, due to severe winter weather the plants he keeps in it often fail. My uncle is also forgetful and often fails to water the plants regularly. He finds it difficult to keep to a routine and as a result the plants suffer and rarely flower to their best. As he gets older he complains about the amount of time he spends manually watering the plants and opening and closing its windows to allow ventilation. |
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DESIGN BRIEF | |
I am going to design and make a green house with an automatic
environmental control system. It will keep the temperature to a constant level, opening and closing windows to allow ventilation. On cold days and nights it will control heaters, keeping frost away from the plants. The system will automatically operate blinds that protect young plants from strong sunlight. The automatic green house will allow plants to grow to their best without the constant attention of gardeners. The system will be relatively cheap to install and be completely safe. |
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LUNCH HALL - CONTROL SYSTEM |
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DESIGN PROBLEM SIX |
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The dining room in school is often so crowded that it
is difficult to get served. |
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DESIGN BRIEF | |
I am going to design and make a system that monitors the number of
people entering the school dining room. It will indicate the Year allowed into the dining room and calculate the number of pupils entering. When a preset number have entered it will indicate that there are no more spaces. When numbers drop below a set level, the system will allow more pupils in to fill the available spaces. It will be completely safe and in the case of an emergency allow manual override. The system will involve the use of a PIC micro-controller and sensors. It may also have a mechanical operating system such as entrance and exit barriers. |
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COFFEE TABLE |
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DESIGN PROBLEM 1 |
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A local company designing and manufacturing small
coffee tables has recently found that sales of its products have fallen. |
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DESIGN PROBLEM 2 |
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My next door neighbour has been looking for a
replacement coffee table for some time, without success. The furniture
he has seen is too traditional and lacks a modern stylish theme. |
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DESIGN BRIEF |
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I am going to design and make a modern coffee table
that will look stylish and interesting. It will have a range of
functions not only that of holding tea and coffee cups. |
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