Analysing a Product Against Specification Criteria
A specification is a checklist a product must live up to. Learn to judge any product, and the work of other designers, against criteria like form, function, cost and sustainability.
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Judging a design 🔍
How do you decide whether a product is any good? You compare it against its **specification** - the checklist of requirements it was meant to meet. This module shows how to analyse any product, and the work of other designers, against those criteria.
Words to know 🔑
Four terms run through this module:
Looks and does ⚖️
Two of the biggest criteria pull in different directions, and a good design balances **both**.
The checklist 🎯
What is a design specification?
- A list of requirements a product must meet
- The finished product itself
- A type of material
- The selling price of a product
Match each criterion to its question 🔗
- Function
- Aesthetics
- Sustainability
- Cost
- Does it do its job well?
- Does it look good?
- Is it kind to the environment?
- Can it be made at the right price?
Learning from others 👀
Designers also investigate the work of **past and present** designers and companies. You analyse their products the same way: judging how well each one meets the specification criteria, so you can learn what works and improve on it.
On the checklist ✅
Select the TWO things a product specification would set out.
- How well the product must perform
- Who the user is and what they need
- The designer's favourite colour
- The weather on the launch day
Match each criterion to its meaning 🔀
- Marketability
- Innovation
- Materials
- Scale of production
- How likely the product is to sell
- How new or original the idea is
- What the product is made from
- How many will be made
How to analyse a product 🪜
An interactive activity.
The green criterion 🌱
Which criterion asks about a product's impact on the environment?
- Sustainability
- Aesthetics
- Marketability
- Form
Analysis in words 🧩
A _____ is a list of requirements a product must meet. When you analyse a product, you judge its _____, how well it does its job, and its _____, how it looks. You also check its _____, its impact on the environment, and its _____, how likely it is to sell.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Which criterion? 🧭
An interactive activity.
Analyse a product ✍️
An interactive activity.