Key Stage 3 design and technology · Design

KS3 design and technology: understanding user needs

Good design starts with people, not with a product idea. In Key Stage 3 design and technology, pupils learn to use research and exploration, including the study of different cultures, to find out what the people they are designing for actually need. They collect evidence, work out what it means, and use it to shape what they make, in domestic, local and industrial contexts.

Understanding user needs, explained

In primary school, children research and design for particular users, often a group the teacher has chosen. In Years 7 to 9, the programme of study asks for more: pupils use research and exploration to identify and understand user needs for themselves. That means working out who the user is, what they are trying to do, what gets in the way and what would make it better, before any drawing begins. Designers who skip this step often make something that looks good but nobody wants.

Pupils meet a toolkit of research methods. Primary research is gathered first-hand: interviewing people, observing how they use an existing product, running a questionnaire or survey, or trying out and analysing an existing product themselves. Secondary research uses what others have already found and published: books, articles, websites, reviews, and data such as the range of hand sizes in a population, called anthropometric data. Teachers stress that questions should be open and not leading, so “How do you carry your lunch to school?” teaches more than “Don’t you hate your lunchbox?”

The curriculum names the study of different cultures as one way to explore needs, and also to avoid narrow assumptions. How people eat, sit, carry things, dress and celebrate varies around the world, and looking at that variety helps pupils see that their own habits are only one set of choices. They also learn the difference between a need, something the product must do, and a want, something that would be nice. A bag needs to hold books and be comfortable on the back, and it may be wanted in a favourite colour.

Research happens within contexts. The programme of study lists domestic and local contexts such as the home, health, leisure and culture, and industrial contexts such as engineering, manufacturing, construction, food, energy, agriculture (including horticulture) and fashion. Those are examples, and each school chooses which to use. A project might be a storage product for a bedroom, a packaging design for a food business or an accessory for a sports team.

Research is also not a one-off. Design and making is an iterative process: pupils test ideas with users, find new needs, and revisit their research as they go. Their research notes feed into the specification, which sets out what the finished product must achieve, and many teachers look at the quality of the thinking and not only the finished object.

Words your child will hear

User: The person or group of people who will use the product.
Need: Something the product must do or have for the user to be satisfied.
Primary research: Information you collect yourself, for example by interviewing or observing people.
Secondary research: Information that already exists, such as books, websites, reviews or data tables.
Ergonomics: How well a product fits the human body and suits how people move and work.
Questionnaire: A set of written questions used to collect information from many people.
Iterative: Repeated and improved in cycles: design, make, test, then change.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 3 says:

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to use research and exploration, such as the study of different cultures, to identify and understand user needs
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 domestic and local contexts [for example, the home, health, leisure and culture] and industrial contexts [for example, engineering, manufacturing, construction, food, energy, agriculture (including horticulture) and fashion].

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

Try it: researching a lunch bag

Pupils are asked to design a lunch bag for Year 7 pupils who walk or cycle to school. Show how they could use research to identify and understand the users’ needs.

Define the user. The users are 11 and 12 year olds who carry food on foot or by bike. List what is not known yet: what they carry, how they carry it, what goes wrong.
Choose research methods. Interview three or four Year 7 pupils with open questions. Observe how people carry their lunch at the school gate. Study existing lunch bags and note what they do well or badly. Then add secondary research, such as published reviews of lunch bags or guidance on keeping packed lunches cool.
Ask good questions. “What do you carry at lunch time?” and “What annoys you about your current lunchbox?” are open. “Don’t you think a bigger bag would be better?” is leading and would give biased answers.
Record and sort the findings. Suppose pupils report that lunchboxes leak, that they get squashed in rucksacks, and that bike riders need a bag that stays on their back. Group the comments into themes: keeping food fresh and safe, protecting food, carrying comfortably.
Separate needs from wants. Needs: waterproof lining, holds a drink and a sandwich box, easy to clean, fits in a rucksack. Wants: a favourite colour, extra pockets. Think too about the different foods users bring from their family and cultural traditions, such as rice dishes or soup, which may need a different kind of container.

A set of findings grouped by theme, with needs and wants listed separately, based on interviews, observation, a study of existing products and some secondary research. These findings feed straight into the design specification.

Common mistakes and how to help

Designing what they would like rather than what the user needs

Pupils naturally treat themselves as typical users. They often skip research because they feel they already know the answer.

What helps: Ask, “How do you know that’s what they want?” Encourage them to talk to at least one real user who is different from them, such as a younger sibling or grandparent.

Writing leading or closed survey questions

Pupils ask questions with the answer they expect already built in, or with only yes or no responses, so the results confirm their idea rather than test it.

What helps: Compare two versions of the same question together. Open questions like “What do you find hard about…?” bring out surprising answers that closed questions miss.

Collecting lots of data but not saying what it means

Charts and tables feel like finished work, so pupils stop before drawing conclusions.

What helps: After each piece of research, ask the question “So what? What does this mean for the design?” Each finding should lead to a clear need or a decision.

Treating other cultures as one stereotype

A quick search can produce a single image of a country or group, so a design may rely on cliché.

What helps: Encourage them to look for several sources and to ask real people where possible. People within any one culture vary a great deal, so one picture never tells the whole story.

How to help at home

Be a willing interviewee. If your child is researching a product, let them interview you. Answer honestly, including the things that annoy you about everyday objects. Real, specific answers are what good research looks like.
Spot design in everyday life. Pick an object at home, like a kettle, a bin or a school bag, and ask who it was designed for and what it does well. What would you change? You do not need technical knowledge, only curiosity.
Watch someone use something. Suggest your child watches a relative open a jar, use a phone or carry shopping, and notes where they struggle. Observation often reveals needs that people don’t think to mention.
Explore how other cultures do things. Look at how people in different countries eat, carry, cook or sit, using library books or well-chosen websites. Ask what need each solution meets, rather than which is “better”.
Ask about the project, not the grade. Ask, “Who is your user and what did you find out about them?” rather than “What mark did you get?” It shows you value the thinking and gives your child a chance to explain their reasoning.

Builds on

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