Designing and Producing

13 dot points across 13 inquiry questions, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How do CAD, CAM and other computer based technologies support the design, communication and production of a quality solution?

Use computer based technologies in designing and producing, including computer aided design, computer aided manufacture, simulation and digital communication, and evaluate their advantages and limitations

Computer based technologies. Computer aided design and manufacture, CNC machining and 3D printing, simulation and testing, digital communication and collaboration, and the advantages and limitations of these tools in the Major Design Project.

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How do marketing and project management contribute to the success of a design solution and the completion of a Major Design Project?

Apply marketing and management principles to a design solution, including market research, promotion, time and finance management, and quality control

Marketing and management. Market research and the marketing mix, promotion and branding, project management with timelines and finance, quality control, and how these principles support a successful Major Design Project.

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How do designers reduce the environmental impact of a solution across its whole life cycle, from materials to disposal?

Apply sustainability principles to the design and production of a solution, including life cycle thinking, material and energy choices, waste reduction and design for the environment

Sustainability. Life cycle analysis, sustainable material and energy choices, the reduce reuse recycle hierarchy, design for disassembly and durability, and how to build environmental responsibility into the Major Design Project.

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How do designers identify and control risks to keep the production of a design solution safe and compliant with work health and safety requirements?

Apply work health and safety principles to the design and production of a solution, including hazard identification, risk assessment, control measures, safe operating procedures and relevant standards

Work health and safety and risk management. Hazard identification, risk assessment, the hierarchy of control, safe operating procedures, personal protective equipment, relevant standards, and the WHS evidence required in the Major Design Project folio.

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How do designers plan and control finance, time and resources so a project is completed within budget and on schedule?

Manage finance, time and resources in a design project, including budgeting, costing, scheduling, resource allocation and monitoring progress against the plan

Finance and resource management. Budgeting and costing, scheduling and Gantt charts, allocating materials, tools and people, monitoring progress and contingency, and keeping the Major Design Project on time and on budget.

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What ethical and social responsibilities do designers have, and how do they choose technology that is appropriate to its users and context?

Consider ethics, social responsibility and appropriate technology in designing and producing, including legal obligations, inclusive design, and the social and cultural needs of users

Ethics and appropriate technology. The designer's social and ethical responsibilities, legal obligations, inclusive and universal design, appropriate technology for context, and respecting cultural and social needs in the Major Design Project.

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How does the project development and realisation section document the research, idea development and production that turn a brief into a finished solution?

Document project development and realisation, including research, idea generation and development, experimentation, modelling, and the safe and skilful production of the final solution

Project development and realisation, the largest folio section. Documenting research, idea generation and development, experimentation and modelling, selection of materials and processes, and the safe, skilful production of the final product, system or environment.

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How does the design process structure the development of a product, system or environment from identifying a need to a realised solution?

Apply the design process to develop a quality solution, including identifying needs, research, generating and developing ideas, planning, producing and ongoing evaluation

Design process. Identifying needs and writing a design brief, criteria for success, research, idea generation and development, planning and production, and the iterative ongoing evaluation that underpins the Major Design Project.

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How do research and communication skills support good design decisions and present a solution clearly to users and markers?

Conduct and document research and use a range of communication techniques in designing and producing, including sketching, technical drawing, modelling, referencing and presentation

Research and communication. Primary and secondary research, ergonomic and anthropometric data, referencing and acknowledgement, and communication techniques from sketching and technical drawing to modelling and folio presentation.

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How do designers select materials and apply tools, techniques and quality control to produce a quality solution?

Select and use appropriate materials, tools, techniques and processes to produce a quality solution, applying knowledge of material properties, processing methods and quality control

Materials, tools and production techniques. Material properties and selection, processing methods such as shaping, joining and finishing, scale of production, quality control and tolerance, and skilful safe production in the Major Design Project.

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How do students develop and document a Major Design Project, including the project itself and the supporting portfolio, to satisfy NESA requirements?

Develop a Major Design Project consisting of a product, system or environment and a supporting portfolio that documents the design and production process

Major Design Project and portfolio. The project (a product, system or environment), the structure and content of the supporting portfolio, the 60 percent weighting, and how to document an iterative process for NESA marking.

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How does the project proposal and project management section of the folio establish a clear need and a workable plan for the Major Design Project?

Develop a project proposal and project management plan, including identifying the need, writing the design brief and criteria, and planning time, finance and resources for the Major Design Project

Project proposal and project management folio section. Identifying and exploring the need, writing the design brief and criteria to evaluate success, action plans and Gantt charts, finance and resource planning, and the NESA marks attached to this folio section.

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How do designers evaluate a solution against criteria throughout the design process and judge whether it meets the identified need?

Evaluate a design solution against the criteria to evaluate success, using ongoing and final evaluation methods to judge fitness for purpose and inform improvement

Evaluation. Writing measurable criteria to evaluate success, ongoing versus final evaluation, methods such as testing and user trials, and how evaluation feeds back into the iterative design of the Major Design Project.

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