Key Stage 1 design and technology · Design

KS1 design and technology: design criteria and users

In Years 1 and 2, design and technology starts with a simple question: who is this for, and what does it need to do? Children are taught to design products that are purposeful, functional and appealing, for themselves and for other people, and to say what the product must be like before they start making it. Those “must be” statements are called design criteria, and they are the first step in a cycle of designing, making and improving.

Design criteria and users, explained

A design criterion is a short statement about what a product needs to be or do. “It must keep the rain off a teddy”, “it must be easy to pick up with one hand” and “it should be bright” are all criteria. At this age teachers usually ask children to think of two or three, often spoken aloud or drawn rather than written. The words the National Curriculum uses are worth knowing, because teachers use them in class: a product should be purposeful (it has a job), functional (it actually does that job) and appealing (people like how it looks and feels).

Everything starts with a user. Children are asked to design for themselves and for other people, such as a younger sibling, a grandparent, a class pet or a character from a story. Thinking about a real user changes the questions a child asks. A bag for a toddler needs to be light and have a strap that is easy to hold, while a bag for a gardener needs to be tough. Learning to ask “who will use this, and what will they need?” is the most important habit at this stage, more important than how neat the finished model looks.

The curriculum asks pupils to work in a range of relevant contexts. It gives examples, such as the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment, but these are suggestions and each school chooses its own projects. You might see a unit on a playground game, a shelter for a minibeast, a healthy snack, or a puppet for a story. The context gives the child a real reason for the criteria, rather than a vague task such as “make a box”.

Design and technology is taught as an iterative process, which simply means going round more than once. Children plan, make a first version, try it out, then change something. A criterion gives them a fair way to judge the first version: did it keep the teddy dry? If not, what could be different? Teachers are looking for children who can explain why they made a choice, so asking “why did you choose that?” at home is more useful than praising how it looks.

Words your child will hear

Design criteria: A list of things a product must be or do, written or spoken before making begins.
User: The person (or animal or toy) who will use the product.
Purpose: The job a product is for, such as keeping something dry or holding things.
Functional: Works well and does its job.
Appealing: Pleasing to look at, touch or use, so that people want to use it.
Design: To plan how something will look and work before you make it.
Improve: To change a design so it meets its criteria better.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 1 says:

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.
Pupils should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment].

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: designing a bag for a teddy’s picnic

Your child is asked to design a picnic bag for a teddy. How do they decide what it needs?

Name the user and the purpose. The user is the teddy, who is small and cannot grip a handle with his paws. The purpose is to carry a pretend picnic to the park.
Ask what the user needs. Children can talk through questions such as: How big is the teddy? What food will go inside? How will it be carried? Should it stay closed?

Turn the answers into two or three design criteria, in the child’s own words.

1. Big enough for 3 play foods.
2. A strap that fits over a shoulder.
3. Bright colours for a picnic.

Notice which criteria are about function (size, strap) and which are about appeal (colours). A good design needs both.
Draw or make a first version, then test it against each criterion: put the play food in, hang it on the teddy and see if it stays on. Change one thing if a criterion is not met.

The criteria give the child a reason for every choice. “I made the strap longer because the first one slid off his shoulder” is a strong Year 1 or 2 explanation, because it links a decision to the user and the criteria.

Common mistakes and how to help

Designing for themselves when the user is someone else

Young children find it natural to see the world from their own point of view, so a bag for a grandparent ends up with their own favourite colours and cartoon characters.

What helps: Ask “Would Grandad choose this?” or “What does he like?” It also helps to ask the real user a question or two, then use the answers.

Thinking a criterion is a description of what they have already drawn

Children often write “it has a red handle” after drawing it. That records a choice but doesn’t say what the product must achieve.

What helps: Try starting sentences with “It must…” or “It should…”. “It must be easy to hold” can be tested, whereas “it has a red handle” cannot.

Believing that appealing means the same as functional

A product that looks lovely can still fail at its job, and children often judge success by how it looks.

What helps: Test it before admiring it. Does the umbrella keep the doll dry? Then talk about the colours and shape.

Thinking the first idea is the finished one

Children are proud of what they have made and may see changing it as admitting a mistake.

What helps: Present improving as normal for designers. Saying “Real designers make lots of versions” and asking “What would you change on the next one?” makes it routine.

How to help at home

Ask “who is it for?”. When your child draws or builds something, ask who will use it and what that person needs. A short chat is enough: this is the habit teachers want to build.
Set a tiny design brief. Ask for a hat for a teddy, a bed for a toy mouse or a bookmark for a grandparent, and agree two “must” statements together before starting. Use scrap card, paper and tape.
Spot the criteria in everyday things. Look at a water bottle, a spoon or a school bag and ask what it must do. Spoons need to be the right size for a mouth, and bags need handles you can hold comfortably.
Test, then change one thing. After making something, test it against the “must” statements and choose one change. Keeping to one change helps your child see what made the difference.

Leads on to

Key Stage 2: Research and design criteria
Key Stage 2: Sketches and exploded diagrams
Key Stage 2: Prototypes, patterns and CAD