Key Stage 2 design and technology · Evaluate

KS2 analysing existing products: a guide for parents

In Key Stage 2 design and technology, children are expected to investigate and analyse a range of existing products before they design their own. That means looking closely at what something is for, who uses it, what it is made from, how it is put together and how well it does its job. It is the research that makes their own designing sensible rather than guesswork, and it is the first step in learning to evaluate ideas and products against criteria and other people’s views.

Analysing existing products, explained

In Key Stages 1 and 2 the national curriculum treats looking at existing products as part of designing and making, not a separate lesson. In Years 1 and 2 children explore products and say what they think of them. From Year 3 the expectation moves on to investigating and analysing: taking a product, working out why it was designed the way it was, and using what they learn. “Analyse” simply means breaking something down into its parts and asking about each one: what it is for, who it is for, what it is made from, how it is joined or fastened, how it looks and feels, and how well it works.

The statutory wording does not list particular products, so schools choose them, usually to fit the project the class is about to start. A class about to design a bag might analyse several different bags. A class about to make a moving toy might look at a wind-up toy or a pop-up book. Many teachers give children a set of prompts, and some schools use a fixed checklist of headings, for example function, user, materials, construction, appearance, cost, safety and environmental impact. Whatever the framework, the point is that children give reasons from the product itself rather than just opinions.

Good analysis is active. Children handle the product, sketch it and label the parts. Where it is safe and the product is finished with, they may take it apart, or unfold a cardboard box flat, to see how it was constructed. They also test it: does it keep water out, how much weight does it hold, can a small hand open it? These tests should be fair, which means changing one thing at a time and keeping everything else the same. Comparing two or three versions of the same type of product works especially well, because the differences make the designers’ choices easier to see.

Children also learn that every product is a compromise. A very strong material may be heavy, a cheap one may not last, an attractive finish may be harder to clean. Judging a product therefore means asking whether it is fit for purpose for the people it was made for, not whether it is the biggest, newest or most expensive. Materials are described by their functional properties, such as strength, flexibility or being waterproof, and by their aesthetic qualities, such as colour and texture.

The second statutory objective for this topic is about evaluation: children evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work. Analysing existing products feeds directly into this. What a child notices about a lunch box or a torch becomes a list of things their own design must do, and later they check their finished product against that list and ask other people what they think. Over Years 3 to 6 the expectation grows from guided questions to children choosing their own tests and explaining their conclusions.

Words your child will hear

Product: Something that has been designed and made to do a job, from a paper clip to a bridge.
Function: What a product is supposed to do. The function of a lunch box is to keep food safe and fresh.
Fit for purpose: Does its job well for the people it is meant for.
Durable: Able to last a long time without breaking or wearing out.
Aesthetics: How a product looks, feels, sounds or smells, and why people find it appealing.
Disassemble: To take a product apart carefully, to see how it is made.
Design criteria: The list of things a new product must do or be, written before it is made.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to investigate and analyse a range of existing products
When designing and making, pupils should be taught to evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work

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

Try it: analysing a lunch box

Analyse a plastic lunch box with a clip-on lid, then decide what to keep and what to change if you were designing a new one for a Year 4 child.

Function and user. Say what the product is for and who uses it: it keeps a sandwich and a snack from being squashed in a school bag, and a child of about eight has to be able to open and close it alone. It must also be easy to wash.
Materials and construction. The body and lid are moulded plastic, which is light, waterproof and wipes clean, but can crack if dropped hard. The lid fits against a soft rubber seal and is held shut by two plastic clips that pivot on a hinge. Sketch it and label each part with the reason it is there.
Fair test. Put a little water inside, close the lid, turn the box upside down over a tray for ten seconds and check for drips. Use the same amount of water and the same time for every lunch box you compare, so that the only thing that changes is the box.
Views of others. Ask two other people to open and close the box and say what was easy or hard, and why. A classmate might say the clips are stiff for small fingers. Write down the reason, not only “it’s hard”.
Conclusion. Sort what you found into strengths (watertight, light, easy to wipe) and weaknesses (stiff clips, one big compartment so the food mixes). Turn the weaknesses into criteria for your own design.

Model conclusion: the lunch box is fit for purpose because it is light and does not leak, but the clips are too stiff for a young child and there is no way to keep a snack apart from a sandwich. A new design should open with one hand, have two sections, still pass the upside-down water test and be easy to wipe clean.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking analysis means saying whether you like the product

Opinions come naturally, and “I like it because it’s blue” feels like an answer. Liking something is a reaction, not an investigation.

What helps: Keep asking “because…” and point to a feature: “The handle is wide enough for my whole hand.” An opinion with a reason from the product is analysis.

Only looking at how a product looks

Appearance is the easiest thing to see, so colour and shape take over the answer while materials, function and construction get skipped.

What helps: Cover up the decoration and ask what each part is for. “What would stop working if this bit was missing?” gets children thinking about function.

Believing the most expensive or newest product must be the best

Price and novelty feel like signs of quality, and advertising encourages the idea.

What helps: Judge against the purpose and the user. A wooden clothes peg is a very well-designed product: simple, cheap and perfectly suited to its job.

Treating a feature that annoys you as a design mistake

Children often assume designers got it wrong, without thinking about what else the feature was doing or who it was designed for.

What helps: Ask what the designer might have been balancing: cost, weight, safety or strength. Then ask whether the choice still suits this user. Identifying a trade-off is a sign of good analysis.

How to help at home

Compare two of the same thing. Put two different water bottles, coat hangers or pens side by side and ask the same three questions of each: what is it for, what is it made from and what would you change? Differences make the designers’ decisions easier to see.
Unfold a box. Carefully open out a finished cereal or biscuit box until it lies flat. Your child can see how a whole 3D shape comes from a single flat piece, where the glued tabs are and how the folds make it rigid.
Run a simple fair test. Which of two bags is more waterproof, or which of two pegs grips a tea towel better? Agree what you will keep the same before you start. Fair testing is the habit that matters most here.
Keep taking-apart safe. Only take apart something that is finished with, with an adult nearby. Never open anything that has been plugged into the mains, contains a button or coin battery, or has glass or sharp edges. Cardboard, fabric and plastic packaging are all good choices.
Ask “why is it like that?”. On a walk or in a shop, pick one everyday object, such as a bin lid, a door handle or a bench, and ask why it was made that way and who it was designed for. Two minutes of this builds the habit of looking closely.

Builds on

Key Stage 1: Exploring existing products
Key Stage 1: Evaluating against criteria

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Studying designers and engineers
Key Stage 3: New and emerging technologies
Key Stage 3: Testing and refining a product
Key Stage 3: Impact and responsibility of designers