Design contexts
Contexts are a starting point to inform possible outcomes and situations in relation to a design brief. Within a context, many different elements need to be considered before the design of a product can take place.
Material properties
Designers are required to use their understanding of material propertiesThe mechanical, physical or optical properties of materials that define how they behave in use. to make informed selections when designing products. When making a selection, two types of properties must be taken into consideration:
- mechanical - how a material will perform and react when exposed to external forces and loads
- physical - something that can be measured, like weight and size
Mechanical properties
| Mechanical property | Definition |
| Durability | The ability of a material to withstand damage or wear |
| Ductility | The ability of a material to deform |
| Strength | The ability of a material to withstand forces without bending or breaking |
| Malleability | The ability of a material to deform without cracking |
| Stiffness | The ability of a material to hold its shape without bending |
| Brittleness | When a material cannot absorb energy and will result in the material breaking into pieces |
| Hardness | The ability of a material to withstand indentation, scratching and wear |
| Toughness | The ability of a material to withstand impact without breaking |
| Mechanical property | Durability |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to withstand damage or wear |
| Mechanical property | Ductility |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to deform |
| Mechanical property | Strength |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to withstand forces without bending or breaking |
| Mechanical property | Malleability |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to deform without cracking |
| Mechanical property | Stiffness |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to hold its shape without bending |
| Mechanical property | Brittleness |
|---|---|
| Definition | When a material cannot absorb energy and will result in the material breaking into pieces |
| Mechanical property | Hardness |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to withstand indentation, scratching and wear |
| Mechanical property | Toughness |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to withstand impact without breaking |
Physical properties
| Physical property | Definition |
| Aesthetics | The appearance of a material, including colour and feel |
| Density | The amount of material contained in a set volume |
| Conductivity | The ability of a material to hold heat in or out (thermal) or the ability of electrical current to flow through a material (electrical) |
| Corrosion | The breakdown of a metal due to a reaction with water |
| Size | The measured dimensions of a material in two or three dimensions |
| Magnetic | The ability of a material to be attracted to a magnet |
| Physical property | Aesthetics |
|---|---|
| Definition | The appearance of a material, including colour and feel |
| Physical property | Density |
|---|---|
| Definition | The amount of material contained in a set volume |
| Physical property | Conductivity |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to hold heat in or out (thermal) or the ability of electrical current to flow through a material (electrical) |
| Physical property | Corrosion |
|---|---|
| Definition | The breakdown of a metal due to a reaction with water |
| Physical property | Size |
|---|---|
| Definition | The measured dimensions of a material in two or three dimensions |
| Physical property | Magnetic |
|---|---|
| Definition | The ability of a material to be attracted to a magnet |
Manufacturing processes
The designer will consider many aspects when designing and developing a product, including the selection of a suitable manufacturing process and the use of computer aided design (CAD)The process of creating a 2D or 3D design using computer software. and computer aided manufacture (CAM)The manufacture of a part or product from a computer aided design (CAD) using computer-controlled machinery, such as a 3D printer..
Prototype
The designer may wish to prototypeThe first working model of a design used for testing, development and evaluation. the final product using the material of choice to test how it could be manufactured commercially and whether the mechanical and physical propertiesThe mechanical, physical or optical properties of materials that define how they behave in use. of the material are meeting performance requirements.
Scale of production
The designer will need to consider the scale of production of the final product to ensure the product is affordable to manufacture:
- one-off productionSpecialist skills are required to make a unique product, making this the most costly production method. - this is the most costly as specialist skills are required to make a unique product, eg a commission for a statue
- batch productionWhere one group of identical products is made at the same time, before moving onto producing the next group. - this is cost-effective when a set quantity is required, eg masks for a festival
- mass productionWhen the same product is manufactured many times. - this is cost-effective on larger production runs because the set-up cost is shared over a large number of products, eg ballpoint pens
Consideration will then need to be made based on this to the material selection, the manufacturing processes and the associated running costs.
Cost
A designer may need to put a costing case studyA descriptive analysis of a person, group, product or event, which can be used to identify whether something is possible. forward before a product is able to go to manufacture. Cost factors that need to be considered include:
- materials
- manufacture of componentWorking parts of a product or system.
- labourWork.
- power
- transportationTo move objects or people from one place to another.
- waste management
Function
A designer will need to consider the functionThe purpose or reason. of the product they are designing - why does it need to be designed (what is its purpose) and how is it going to work?
This will have a reflection on which materials and processes will be used, for example:
- Does the product need to be used inside or outside?
- Does the product need to be able to fold away or not?
- Does the product need to hold a certain amount of weight?
