Lesson 08 · IA Day
IA Day 1
Choose a Redesign Opportunity
Short mini-lesson first. Then the majority of class is protected work time.
80 minutesMini-lesson + work timeSL Design Project
Today’s question
What existing product and intended user create a worthwhile redesign problem?
The goal is to leave class with visible evidence—not just ideas in your head.
What existing product and intended user create a worthwhile redesign problem?01
15–20 min mini-lesson
What the IB Design Project actually asks you to do
Identify
An existing product
Your project is a redesign, not a completely unrelated invention.
Understand
An intended user
You need meaningful access to user evidence, not an imaginary user.
Develop
A physical fidelity model
The project ultimately requires a physical fidelity model for testing and evaluation.
IA goal: redesign an existing product to meet intended-user needs.02
Project scope
Complexity should match DP expectations.
Promising
Several meaningful features can be researched, tested and redesigned.
The product has real interaction, function and user needs to analyse.
VS
Risky
A trivial problem with a huge, over-engineered solution.
The guide warns that excessive solution complexity does not compensate for a weak redesign problem.
Choose a problem with evidence and room for development.03
Before you commit
Your idea should pass five checks.
1
Existing product: I can identify and analyse the current product.
2
Intended user: I can access real user evidence.
3
Task: I can observe a specific task and create a storyboard.
4
Opportunity: There are meaningful weaknesses or unmet needs to redesign.
5
Model: I can realistically create and test a physical fidelity model.
If a check fails, refine the project now—not in Criterion D.04
~50–55 min protected work time
Produce visible evidence today.
1
List 2–3 candidate existing products.
2
Identify a plausible intended user for each.
3
Describe the specific task and observed / known problem.
4
Choose one strongest candidate and write a provisional design opportunity.
5
Draft 3–5 research questions for the next IA day.
WORK
Teacher conference target: explain your user, task, existing product and why the redesign problem is worth investigating.
Today’s deliverable: a viable project direction + research questions.05
5-minute audit
Can you answer these without hand-waving?
1. What existing product are you redesigning?
Your answer should name a specific existing product—not a broad category such as “something for storage.”
2. Who is the intended user and how will you access evidence from them?
You should identify a realistic user or user group and a feasible route to interviews, observation, surveys or other relevant methods.
3. What task can you observe and storyboard?
Name a concrete task with observable steps and opportunities—not just a general product complaint.
Do not leave with only “I have an idea”.06
Exit ticket
Before you leave…
1. State your chosen product + intended user.
2. State the task you will observe.
3. Write the single strongest question your next research needs to answer.
Next lesson
Product Analysis
Keep the evidence chain moving: user → research → decision → test.
Curriculum alignment
IA Design Project · redesign of an existing product · intended user(s) · physical fidelity model · appropriate project complexity · Criterion A preparation.
IA Design Project · redesign of an existing product · intended user(s) · physical fidelity model · appropriate project complexity · Criterion A preparation.
Lesson complete7 slides
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IB Design Technology SL · Lesson 0807