Completing Your D&T Design Journal for Submission - Design Features and Modeling

By now, many students might be busy patching up work in the design journals or rushing to complete their prototypes. 

However, if you've been consistent with your work, this last week or two before the coursework submission should be much more relaxed. 

Ideally, this time would be spent confidently and casually checking what else might be good to include in the design sheets to help the assessor understand the work and intention of the design process better. 

Below are two main areas I focused on today with my students to help them complete their work effectively:

1. Elaborating on Design Features

This targets the ideation and sketching component, which is crucial for students who are still lacking in these areas. Here's a step-by-step approach:

• Review Design Sheets: Start by thoroughly reviewing both the design sheets and any models or mock-ups you have created. Identify any gaps in your ideation process.
• Recreate Missing Options: Draw detailed sketches of each part, exploring different ways to make the parts and joints. Show various shapes and forms to demonstrate exploration.
• Annotate Your Work: Finish by adding annotations that note your decisions and conclusions. This helps to clarify your thought process and design intentions for the assessor.

2. Improving Models and Mockups

Some students might show a lack in this component by not providing sufficient evidence of how a model or mock-up was used for ideation and development. Follow this generic process to ensure your documentation is complete:

• Study Your Model: Carefully examine your model. Have you tested it? If so, ensure there are photo evidences of the tests.
• Annotate Findings: Note what aspects are not working and what needs improvement. For example, if something is too big, clearly state this in your annotations.
• Sketch Improvements: Draw the necessary improvements on your design sheets. For instance, if a part was too big, show a revised version that is smaller.
• Update the Model: Either update the existing model or create a new one to reflect the improvements. Repeat this process until your model evolves into a working mock-up that resembles the final prototype.

By following these strategies, you can ensure that your ideation & development, and modeling phases are comprehensive and well-documented. 

Consistency is key to avoiding last-minute rushes and ensuring a smooth submission process. 

Good luck!