At the end of year 1, students should be able to:
i. outline simple, relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution
ii. outline the success of the solution against the design specification
iii. outline how the solution could be improved
iv. outline the impact of the solution on the client/target audience.
The following exemplars were all marked as a 7 or an 8:
7 - 8
i. outlines simple, relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution5 - 6
i. defines relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution3 - 4
i. defines a relevant testing method, which generates data, to measure the success of the solution1 - 2
i. defines a testing method, which is used to measure the success of the solutionD1 Digital Exemplars
D2 Digital Exemplars
D3 Digital Exemplars
D4 Digital Exemplars
D1 Product Exemplars
D2 Product Exemplars
D3 Product Exemplars
D4 Product Exemplars
At the end of year 3, students should be able to:
i. describe detailed and relevant testing methods, which generate accurate data, to measure the success of the solution
ii. explain the success of the solution against the design specification
iii. describe how the solution could be improved
iv. describe the impact of the solution on the client/target audience.
The following exemplars were all marked as a 7 or an 8:
7 - 8
i. describes detailed and relevant testing methods, which generate accurate data, to measure the success of the solution5 - 6
i. describes relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution3 - 4
i. describes a relevant testing method, which generates data, to measure the success of the solution1 - 2
i. describes a testing method, which is used to measure the success of the solutionD1 Digital Exemplars
D2 Digital Exemplars
D3 Digital Exemplars
D4 Digital Exemplars
D1 Product Exemplars
D2 Product Exemplars
D3 Product Exemplars
D4 Product Exemplars
At the end of year 5, students should be able to:
i. design detailed and relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution
ii. critically evaluate the success of the solution against the design specification
iii. explain how the solution could be improved
iv. explain the impact of the solution on the client/target audience.
The following exemplars were all marked as a 7 or an 8:
7 - 8
i. designs detailed and relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution5 - 6
i. designs relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution3 - 4
i. designs a relevant testing method, which generates data, to measure the success of the solution1 - 2
i. designs a testing method, which is used to measure the success of the solutionD1 Digital Exemplars
D2 Digital Exemplars
D3 Digital Exemplars
D4 Digital Exemplars
D1 Product Exemplars
D2 Product Exemplars
D3 Product Exemplars
D4 Product Exemplars
How will you test if your specification was a success? Typical testing methods include:
Survey of people’s opinion’s - what questions would be asked, set up the form or template (subjective)
Timing how long an operation takes - what data would be collected and how to record it (objective)
Checklist for Visually or aurally inspecting final product - Spreadsheet with list of what is to be observed etc (subjective)
Observation of users to see how quickly they learn to use the new system, how often they need help or make errors (subjective)
Stress-testing: Use the product or solution in ways that would be expected in real-life operation (objective or subjective)
Inspection: Weigh it or measure it - Specification table with tolerances (objective)
Comparison: Comparing the product with existing products in the marketplace noting strengths and weaknesses (objective or subjective)
How will you design a survey that doesn't lead the target audience to the answers you want them to say? Objective language and choices may just help.
This survey is a good example of how you could test your ideas or concept sketches with a sample group of your target audience.
Measuring the success of your product or solution is an important step of the design cycle. Once you identify what went well, you can reflect on what did not go well and work to fix that in the next iteration.
Evaluating Reason or Causes
Explaining Impact
We often develop a product without considering all of the unintended consequences of our actions. For example, creating a product out of plastic will have a long term negative impact on the environment if it is not made out of biodegradable materials.
Check out the video to see how systems thinking might help you be more thoughtful about the impact of your product or solution.
Compass Education is also a great resource for thinking about the sustainability of your designs.