MYP 4 | Grade 9
UnDesign
Statement
of inquiry:
"Buy less, choose well, make it last" -Vivienne Westwood
Evaluating and inquiring into the global footprint of products enables greater sustainability in redesign
This Design unit ends the year by examining existing products in a more detailed way and looking at the bigger picture of the design world.
As responsible designers, we must design products that are sustainable, produced ethically, and add value throughout their lifecycle
2023-24 Project theme: Fashion | Thời trang| 패션 | 时尚 | Faisin
2025-26 theme: TBC | Suggestions welcome
In this unit, you are asked to disassemble a product as part of a group. Your goal is to break down the product into it's most basic parts so they can be analysed.
Once disassembled we will use sections D and A of the Design Cycle to evaluate and analyse the product. Our lens for this analysis is sustainability.
We will then create a display piece of each product to help others understand how their everyday products are made.
Success criteria:
Your product will be successful if;
Your display informs others about the sustainability aspect of design
Initial inquiry:
What materials and processes are used in textile design?
What are the effects of fashion on the environment?
What does sustainable design in fashion look like?
Possible sources:
Deliverables are related to assessment strands and sections of the MYP Design cycle.
These strands and the language used in them (command terms) determine your achievement grade.
D: Evaluating
D1: Testing
Since these are commercial products they have already been tested to meet specific criteria. Our aim is to test them beyond what is expected. Here we will do some destructive testing to push the limits of what this product can do.
Aside from being fun, destructive testing shows the durability of a product and gives insight into the intended lifespan.
D2: Evaluation against specification
We do not have access to the industry specification for these products but together we can generate a basic list of success criteria for this product type.
Once you have agreed on the specification for this product, rate how successful it is from the point of view of a user and from the manufacturer.
A: Inquiry & Analysis
A1: Problem Statement
Products and new designs arise from gaps in the market, problems people face, or areas needing improvement. The first step in creating new products is identifying a design opportunity.
The designer of this product might have identified a design opportunity... can you emulate them?
A2: Research planning
Effective problem-solving in design starts with a thorough understanding of the issue.
In this section, we will try to prioritize the most important areas which the designer focused on.
There is no correct answer as to which area is most important but this is useful to focus your research.
A3: Analysing existing products
It is likely that this product is just another iteration of a previous product and is one of many similar products. We will try to find some of the products that inspired this product.
Depending on your earlier evaluation you will find products that are more or less sustainable and/or well-designed.
Resources for Drawings:
You may want to use drawings for some elements of this unit.
For that, you can use these paper templates.
They can be printed on A3 or used as a background in digital drawings on iPad
DesignEngineeringTemplateA3landscape.pdfA3 Orthographic template
DesignIsometricTemplateA3landscape.pdfA3 Isometric template
Assessment
Check Toddle for your assessment deadline and submission guidelines for this unit.
Unlike other Design units, there is a single document and one submission date.
Feedback and Criteria grades will be given by your class teacher for this EOL.
