People who influence design
Design & Manufacture · Higher · mrkellydt.co.uk
What you're learning in this topic
Learning intention WALT
We are learning about people who influence design, specifically to understand:
- the roles of designers, ergonomists, lawyers, production engineers, project managers, market researchers and materials technologists
- communication between members of a design team
- the advantages and disadvantages of in-house design teams and sub-contracting
Success criteria WILF
- I can describe the roles of designers, ergonomists, lawyers, production engineers, project managers, market researchers and materials technologists
- I can describe communication between members of a design team
- I can explain the advantages and disadvantages of in-house design teams and sub-contracting
The design team HIGHER
| Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Designer | Creative input; increasingly manages product development. |
| Ergonomist | Anthropometric, physiological and psychological data for the target users. |
| Lawyer | Legal compliance in the country of sale; protects IP (patents, trademarks) and avoids infringing others'. |
| Production engineer | Production rate, volume and best production system; tooling and planning. |
| Project manager | Plans and oversees tasks so the project runs to time and budget. |
| Market researcher | Finds consumer needs and wants, pricing, trends, projected sales. |
| Materials technologist | Advises on material properties and suitable manufacturing methods. |
Good communication between members (meetings, shared CAD files, reports) prevents costly mistakes.
Communicating in the team: regular meetings and video calls, shared CAD files and cloud folders, reports and specifications, Gantt charts so everyone sees deadlines, and models or prototypes to discuss physical issues. Poor communication causes delays and costly mistakes.
In-house team vs sub-contracting HIGHER
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|
| In-house | Always available; know company practices; reliable; less risk of ideas leaking to competitors | Paid even when not needed; may lack specialist skills; ideas can become stale |
| Sub-contracting | Specialist expertise; fresh ideas; only hired when needed; flexible | Higher fees; may be unavailable or unreliable; risk of sharing information; IPR issues |
Key terms
| Role of a retailer | Feedback on sales, what will sell and market trends. |
|---|---|
| Role of a manufacturer | Ensures the product can be made efficiently and economically. |
| Role of a marketing team | Plans how the product is priced, promoted and sold. |
| Materials technologist | Advises on material properties and suitable manufacturing methods. |
| Production engineer | Plans production rate, volume, tooling and system. |
| Lawyer (design team) | Legal compliance and protection of intellectual property. |
| Advantage of sub-contracting | Access to specialist skills and fresh ideas, only paid when needed. |
Quick check
1. Who gives feedback on which products are selling well in shops?
- Marketing team
- Designer
- Manufacturer
- Retailer
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2. Who checks a design can be made efficiently and economically?
- Manufacturer
- Consumer
- Marketing team
- Retailer
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3. Who would apply for a patent on a new mechanism?
- Project manager
- Lawyer
- Ergonomist
- Market researcher
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4. Which is a disadvantage of using an external designer?
- Fresh ideas
- Specialist skills
- Higher fees and IPR issues
- Only hired when needed
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5. Who provides data on hand grip sizes for a target market?
- Retailer
- Lawyer
- Production engineer
- Ergonomist
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Exam-style questions
1. A toy manufacturer employed an external designer. Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of this. (2 marks)
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- Advantage: only hired when needed, saving money; fresh ideas; specialist knowledge (1)
- Disadvantage: higher fees; unfamiliar with company practices; IPR issues / risk of leaks (1)
2. Describe the influence two people from the design team have on the design of products. (4 marks)
Show marking guidance
- 1 mark per valid description, max 3 per person
- e.g. Materials technologist advises on suitable materials for the target market (1) and works with production engineers so materials suit the processes available (1)
- e.g. Market researcher works with focus groups to find needs/wants and acceptable price (1)
Printable worksheet
An I do, we do, you do worksheet for this topic, with a separate answer sheet.