Product Analysis and Evaluation

What this unit covers

This unit sits in The Design Process strand of Design and technology. It is about looking closely at a product and judging it. Most of the page is made up of mind maps, each one analysing a real or student-chosen product. There are also flashcard decks, two quizzes, a few notes and a flowchart.

Start with the method

Begin with the flashcard deck Product Analysis. It asks what the acronym is for remembering what to include, and why we look at function, form, ergonomics, competition and cost. Then open the mind map Fitness for Purpose, which explains that a product should suit what the buyer wanted it for and lists ways to assess it, such as performance and safety.

Study the worked examples

Next, read some product maps and notice how each one is organised.

• Baby highchair and multi-function bar stool use headings such as function, materials, aesthetics, cost, safety and ergonomics.
• Cotton Dress looks at the target customer and who would pay for a Dior dress.
• Candle Holder Evaluation covers colour, shape and the light let through the polypropylene.
• Multi-Functional Desk Analysis considers texture and shape for writing and storing items.

There are also maps on crutches, scissors, a thermos flask and the Alessi juicer, so you can compare how different products are judged.

Life cycle and sustainability

The flashcard deck The life cycle asks what pre-production and production include, and the difference between direct and indirect materials. The mind map Sustainability: The Life Cycle Of A Product goes with it.

Use quizzes and maps together

Read a map, close it, then try GCSE Graphics Product Analysis or Product Analysis 2. Anything you get wrong tells you which map to reopen. Teachers can set a map as a model, then ask students to analyse a different product in the same headings. When you are ready, pick a product of your own and build a map to match.