Task Analysis and Design Needs

Start with a need

Begin with Identifying a Need. This mind map links everyday situations to possible product needs, including carrying food and drinks, controlling a shopping trolley and finding clean water. Use it to notice how a situation can lead to a design idea. For each example, consider who needs the product and what it needs to do.

Move on to task analysis

Next, look at the Task Analysis mind map with branches for user, environment, quality, ergonomics, function, appearance and cost. Follow each branch and consider the questions it raises. For example, the cost branch asks how much people may be willing to pay and whether different appearances could affect the price.

Other maps take different approaches. One brings together safety, size and joining materials. Another considers materials and processes alongside the function of a speaker that changes language. Compare their branches to see which considerations appear in each design.

Use maps and questions together

There are no quizzes listed on this page, but you can write questions from a mind map and use them as a quiz. Cover the branches, then try to recall the considerations before checking the map. You could also ask how a change in the user or environment might affect a design.

Connect the page to the unit

Task Analysis and Design Needs is a section of the Product Design and Analysis unit in Engineering and technology (general or other). The maps connect identifying a need with examining a product's function, users, materials and cost. Together, they offer starting points for thinking about a product from more than one angle.

Explore a map and make notes on the branches most useful to your work.