Design and Technology - My Set of HSC Notes (Written Exam)

[FallonXay]

Design and Technology!

A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE REST!!!

These notes assume that you already have the basic knowledge from the Major Design Project. For example, in the exam, they may ask about safe work practices (which you should know from completing your MDP: this may include protective eye wear, tying loose clothing/hair back through the use of an apron, completing OnGuard tests to ensure user has appropriate knowledge of tools, etc) or things like application of creative thinking processes (this of which would have been applied throughout your MDP; they include brainstorming, PMI charts, generation of ideas through concept sketches, etc), design opportunities and challenges (i.e design parameters and limitations in MDP) and other MDP related processes. So make sure you're paying attention during your MDP! 

Also, these notes are by no means perfect. They are just a 'concise' set of notes I developed pre-HSC exams which I developed so that my friends and I would be able to easily revise over content for the written exam

DEFINITIONS FOR MULTIPLE CHOICE, SHORT ANSWERS and EXTENDED RESPONSE

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY results from the application of someone's mind/ intellect to create something new/ original.


• Patent: a right granted for any device, substance, method of process that is new, inventive and useful; Gives the owner exclusive rights to commercially exploit the invention for the life of the patent

example

Coca Cola recipe

• Trade mark: way of identifying a unique product or service; used to differentiate goods and services of one trade from those of another

example

Coca Cola name, shade of red, font, pod shape of bottle

• Copy right protection: protects the original expression of ideas NOT THE IDEA THEMSELVES; free and automatic in Australia

example

Books, films, music, programs

• Design Registration: protects designs which have an industrial/ commercial use. Design refers to the features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornamentation which gives a product a unique appearance, and must be:
   ◦ NEW: it must not be identical to any design disclosed.
   ◦ DISTINCTIVE: it must not be substantially similar in overall impression to any design previously published.

example

looks and shape/style of original Apple Ipod in comparison to the newer generations or other brand of ipods such as Samsung (a unique design can differentiate one product from a range of others)

INNOVATION uses an existing material/ technology in a new way or is an improvement to an existing design through the use of new materials/ technology.


an ENTREPRENEUR is responsible for the overall management:
•Ensures a design/ innovation is successfully manufactured and marketed (i.e sales and services) by
•Ensures availability of resources
•Raising financial backing
•Protecting intellectual property
•Distribution and transport


SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRACTICE is designing in such a way as to preserve our non-renewable resources; reduces consumption of energy, raw materials and resources as well as minimising environmental impact at the end of the product's life cycle.


LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT is a tool used by designers to assess the environmental impact of their design throughout all stages of a design; cradle to cradle or cradle to grave.

Process

Gathering raw materials --> Process raw materials --> Product manufacture --> Packaging and transport --> Product use ---> End of life disposal (recycle or landfill)

FACTORS THAT AFFECT DESIGN

• Appropriateness of design solution
• Needs
• Function
• Aesthetics
• Finance
• Ergonomics
• Work, health and safety
• Quality
• Long and Short Term Environmental Consequences
• Obsolescence
• Life Cycle Assessment

My Personal Mnemonic To Help Me Remember These Factors!

I used to play a lot of League of Legends and I was just studying one day and found that reading the first letter of each of these factors backwards provided a real perfect mnemonic - from then on I never forgot any of these 

Mnemonic: League Of Legends Q W E Flash Away Full N A

So the logic behind this is that I open referencing the game LoL, then in the game a player basically spams their abilities (QWE) and proceeds to flash back, if you play any game that has a competitive scene, you'll know that 'Full NA' generally refers to a really crazy/ bad play and in my mind this person is basically just spamming their spells and abilities so it's full NA 

Other factors to consider: Social, Global, Political, Economical, Environmental, Ethical, Historical, Cultural, Legal, Marketing Strategies, Timing, Available and Emerging Technologies.

EXAMPLE OF DESIGNS THAT CAN BE USED FOR SHORT ANSWERS AND EXTENDED RESPONSE

Examples of Design and Innovation

Looking at past papers, the two main things they normally ask you about in extended responses either refer to sustainable design OR new and emerging technologies (aka innovation). In order to get in the top band for this Design and Technology exam, it is absolutely crucial that you provide examples in your responses. They will even often ask you to use examples, so for me, I thoroughly learnt 4 examples. Two for emerging technologies  and two for sustainable design  (although one of my emerging technologies could cross over as sustainable design, so this was a bonus for confidence!). These are my case studies, some of which I used knowledge learnt from other subjects such as photovoltaic cells from physics, so feel free to do your own:

{Sustainable Design} PLANTIC TECHNOLOGIES

• is Innovative because it uses an existing material (corn) in a new way to develop a sustainable alternative to petrochemical based plastics.
   ◦Traditional Petrochemical Plastic: comes from oil (non-renewable resource) and is a byproduct of petroleum manufacture (never breaks down); uses a large amount of energy to manufacture.
   ◦Plantic Packaging: comes from non-genetically modified corn starch (amalyose); is biodegradable within 7 days; uses 40% less energy than traditional plastic to manufacture.

•Intellectual Property: uses a patent to protect the process of transforming corn starch into a biodegradable plastic substitute material; design registration to protect the visual appearance of their company/ products; copyright to protect their website and all written/ graphic material contained within it (including advertising, promotional and educational publications).

•Agencies that affect innovation: includes IP Australia who protect the process and identity of the design to ensure that no other company can use the same innovative process; Australian Taxation Office will ensure that all taxation requirements are met (lack of appropriate taxation management can lead to company closure/ legal action; Workcover Australia ensures all WHS requirements are met/ adhered in production and manufacturing (infringement of Workcover regulations could result in big fines and potential court action; high cost in legal fees and loss of production).

•Impact of the Innovation:
   ◦Individual:
     *Reduces individual carbon footprint; personal guilt reduction
     *Employs individuals for corn growing, production and transportation and white collar related employment
   ◦Society:
     *Increased employment - taxation revenue raised as well as employs income/ spending; financial stability
     *Social awareness increased regarding need for sustainable products; supported by exposure to material such as Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient truth.'
   ◦Ethical:
     *Ethical use of non-genetically modified corn - doesn't impact on ecoosystem/bugs and soil.
     *Location of source materials
     *Ethical protection of intellectual property
     *Ethical use of water (a scarce resource in a dry country like Australia) and land (that could be better used for growing food)
   ◦Environmental:
     *Preservation of non-renewable resources - 40% less energy used in production as well as non-petrochemical raw materials; less contribution towards global warming
     *Decrease in landfill; petrochemical plastics never break down
     *Less impact on wildlife; is biodegradable and doesn't leave residue like crude oil plastic; won't be eaten by animals
     *Potential negative impact of resources used petrol for transportation; chemicals for corn growing (affects land and surrounding ecosystem)

{Sustainable Design/ Emerging Technologies} PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL: FOUR JUNCTION DEVICES

•Is Innovative as it utilises an existing understanding of solar cells and improves efficiency by implementing a new four band structure that functions by splitting incoming sunlight into four bands via a prism; energy is extracted by each layer/ junction at its most efficient wavelength.

•Intellectual property: uses a patent to protect the four junction device idea/ structure; design registration to protect the visual appearance of their design; copyright to protect their website and all written/ graphic material contained within it (including advertising, promotional and educational publications)

•Agencies that affect innovation: includes IP Australia who protect the process/ device to ensure that no other company can use the same innovative design; Workcover Australia ensures that all WHS requirements are met/ adhered in production and manufacturing (infringement of Workcover regulations could result in big fines and potential court action; high cost in legal fees and loss in production).

•Impact of the Innovation:
   ◦Society:
     *[Advantage] Creates jobs in regions where development occurs
     *[Advantage] Viable and cost-competitive energy to fossil fuel sources
     *[Advantage] New cells cover less surface area and therefore are also cheaper
     *[Disadvantage] Harder to maintain and initially more expensive to install than the standard single-junction solar cells
     *[Disadvantage] Creates a visual impact
     *[Disadvantage] Possible disturbance of cultural landscapes
   ◦Environment:   
     *[Advantage] Solar facilities have low air emissions of air pollutants; provides a cleaner alternative of producing electricity
     *[Advantage] Minimises contribution to global warming by comparison to fossil fuel/ current energy extraction processes
     *[Disadvantage] Requires large areas for solar collections; land occupation, land degradation and habitat loss; interference with rainfall and drainage
     *[Disadvantage] Construction of solar facilities requires clearing and grading resulting in soil compaction, alteration of drainage channels and increased erosion
     *[Disadvantage] Consumes water for cooling; demand in water resource; contamination of ground water/ ground surface due to chemical spills from facilities

{Emerging Technologies} GOOGLE SELF-DRIVING CAR

•Is Innovative because it uses an existing technology/ design of a car and improves on its design by integrating new technologies to allow it to posses capabilities to self-navigate; i.e without human interaction.
   ◦ Features include: radar to detect objects through emitting radio waves to analyse range, angle and velocity of objects; lidar to measure distance through the application of a laser (light waves); GPS for spacial and time data; odometers for external motion sensory; and artificial intelligence to analyse/ process the data gathered.
   ◦Auto pilot system for navigation; sensors for environmental detection; sleek, round design to allow for maximal view for the sensors; electric batteries to power the vehicle; a computer to operate the car; also utilises back up systems for safety.

•Intellectual Property: uses a patent to protect the device design and the process; design registration to protect the visual appearance of their company/ products; copyright to protect their website and all written/ graphic material contained within it (including advertising, promotion and educational publications).

•Agencies that affect innovation:
   ◦US Department of Transportation: Secretary Anthony Foxx unveiled Obama's 10 year, 4 billion dollar proposal to accelerate the development and adoption of safe vehicle automation; large investment (increased advancement in development through funding research and development).
   ◦National Highway Traffic Administration's preliminary policy statement on autonomous vehicles expressing the feasibility of autonomous vehicles eases implementation of the innovation through permitting use of fully autonomous vehicles.
   ◦United States Patent and Trademark Office play a vital role in protecting the intellectual property of Google including the self-driving technology and vehicle design; also ensures the design meets the legislative requirements.

•Impact of the Innovation:
   ◦Society:
     *Eliminates human error; increases road safety
     *Allows more efficient travelling and time usage
     *Addresses egalitarianism by providing equal opportunities of mobility for all citizens (i.e the blind) thus improving social inclusion
     *Depletion of driving skills (including decision making, multitasking, situation/ environmental awareness and responsibility)
     *Makes jobs redundant i.e especially regarding public transport
   ◦Environment:
     *Lower fuel consumption through efficiency of autonomous driving leads to a reduction in greenhouse gases produced by fuel consumption
     *Increased landfill as previous generations of cars become obsolete
     *Increased non-renewable resource usage (i.e plastics and metals)

{Emerging Technologies} WINDOWS 10

•Is Innovative as it takes its predecessors and improves on systems by implementing new technologies and devices.
   ◦Introduction of Cortana; personal AI helper (learns individual preferences to provide relevant recommendations, fast access to information and important reminders; bringing what matters most to their attention; natural interaction via typin or talking and advance control features for more trustworthiness and transparency.
   ◦Cross-comparability of Windows 10 and Xbox one; improves connectivity across platforms; Games developed for the new DirectX 12 application programming interface in Windows 10 will see improvements in speed, efficiency and graphics capability; accessibility to direct streaming creating efficiency in society/ individual lives.
   ◦Continuum mode; on 2-on-1 devices, Windows 10 will move easily between keyboard and mouse and touch and table as it detects the transition and conveniently switches to the new mode; Windows 10 adapts to the devices customers are using for accessibility and efficiency.
   ◦Windows Hello and Passport; harnesses biometrics (i.e face, fingerprint, speech recognition) to unlock and log in to your device without entering a password; this new technology makes it more secure as no passwords are stored on your device or server.
   ◦Free periodic updates; battles obsolescence

•Intellectual Property: uses a patent to protect the process/ device/ technologies; design registration to protect the visual appearance/ interface as well as company logo; copyright to protect their website, graphic/ written content, advertising, promotional and education publications.

GENERIC EXTENDED RESPONSE ADVICE FOR DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

When answering Design and Technology extended response questions, to access the top band, you must remember: IMPACT    IMPACT    IMPACT

What do I mean? Well, when writing your essay always keep in mind CAUSE AND EFFECT (what is the advantage/disadvantage? and what is the result of this advantage/disadvantage?). At the start of writing time in my exam I would sprawl a massive C-->E across the extended response planning space just to remind myself. Here's an example of a good an bad cause and effect for a generic 'effects of technology on society' question ( Obviously a little exaggerated ):

Bad Impact Writing

The introduction of the (insert design example) has led to an increase in employment thus proving to be advantageous to society. 

Good impact writing

The implementation of the (insert design example) has led to a drastic increase in employment. As a result, this has also simultaneously led to an increase in tax revenue thus providing the government with access to a greater budget which may be spent on benefiting the country and, thus, also society. For example, last year Turnbull announced a 1 billion dollar investment into promoting research and development, further creating occupational opportunities, more efficiency and a heightened standard of living for members of society through innovation. Moreover, this increase in employment results in an influx of income, benefiting people on an individual level as it advocates greater spending capabilities, proving to be advantageous as it allows for a greater standard of living (i.e spent on entertainment, or technology/ household appliances) or alternatively, it creates financial stability.

Note: all these arguments (effects) stemmed from ONE cause: an increase in employment.

I will also list a few generic advantages/ disadvantages for impacts of design (especially regarding innovation). Some of these points work on both sides (disadvantage and advantage such as job creation in certain areas but also job loss as some jobs, especially blue collared, become redundant). They are just to show you some examples of potential impacts of design that are adaptable to most extended response questions they can throw at you.

Advantages

• Creation of job opportunity --> increased employment (especially white collard jobs and in areas of design/ innovation)
   ◦Increase in employment --> results in an increase of tax revenue --> government has increased budget to spend on benefiting the country i.e allows investment into areas such as infrastructure or further innovation
   ◦Increase in employment --> influx of income on an individual level --> allows more spending and financial stability --> increased standard of living
• Creation of luxury items, entertainment, technology --> increased standard of living --> more efficient lifestyle --> less stress on individuals
• Sustainable design practice --> innovative designs which are more environmentally friendly or may be recyclable raises awareness of contemporary issues such as global warming --> decrease in landfill --> reduction of carbon footprint --> reduction of personal guilt

Disadvantages

• Loss of jobs (i.e in terms of innovative designs, blue collard work/ manual labour becomes obsolete with the introduction of machinery, AI, drones, etc which are more efficient)
• Often innovative designs create issues of egalitarianism --> expensive, luxurious products that are not accessible to individuals of differing economical status --> poses ethical issues: is it fair?
• Creation of technology --> promotes anti-social behaviours --> increased time spent indoors --> generation/exponential increase of health issues such as social anxiety and obesity

[heids]

Thanks so much for this, FallonXay, it's awesome! Stickied

[brenden]

 :O amazing

[Joseph41]

Incredible!

Gosh, I love seeing resources like this pop up. Kudos!

[rh1A]

HEY thanks sooo much...this is srsly helpful for me!!!