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IB Design Technology
SL · Lesson 57 · Product Analysis and Design Evaluation Synthesis
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Lesson 57 · Unit 7

Product Analysis &
Design Evaluation

Use products as evidence: test, disassemble, compare, question and turn weaknesses into redesign opportunities.

80 minutesC3.1 · B1.1 · B2.1
Guiding question: How do designers move from “I do not like this product” to evidence-based constructive discontent?01
Today’s destination

By the end of class, you should be able to…

01

Define the purpose

Explain why product analysis supports development.

02

Gather evidence

Use testing, stakeholders and reverse engineering.

03

Structure findings

Use SWOT across function, performance, usability, features and materials.

04

Create opportunities

Compare products and turn weakness into constructive discontent.

Success check: Use accurate terminology, then apply it to unfamiliar design contexts.
SYNTHESIS · Product analysis02

Purpose: understand performance, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

The goal is not a product review. The goal is evidence that informs future design development.

C3.1.1 / 3.1.7 · why analyse products?03

Users

Experience, usability, task success, pain points, satisfaction.

Manufacturers

Assembly, material/process constraints, cost, quality and feasibility insight.

Engineers / technical stakeholders

Performance, failure modes, structural/material/system evidence.

Range matters: product analysis is stronger when evidence is not limited to the designer’s personal opinion.
C3.1.2 · stakeholders04

Internal

StrengthsWeaknesses

Current product characteristics/performance.

External

OpportunitiesThreats

Future possibilities or external risks/competition/context.

Evidence lenses

functionperformanceusabilityfeaturesmaterials
C3.1.3 · SWOT with design evidence05

Relevant testing

Generate performance/usability data against meaningful tasks or requirements: time, load, errors, leakage, fit, force, etc.

Reverse engineering

Examine/disassemble a product to understand components, materials, interfaces, construction and why it behaves as it does.

Safety first: do not disassemble hazardous, powered or unfamiliar products without appropriate supervision/protocols.
C3.1.4 · evidence from how the product works06
LensQuestionEvidence example
FunctionWhat is the product intended to do?Required task / mechanism / outcome.
PerformanceHow well does it do it?Speed, force, leakage, durability, stability, output.
UsabilityHow effectively can users operate it?Learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, satisfaction.
C3.1 + B1.1 · separate the lenses07

Competing product

Targets the same/similar user need in the market; useful for benchmarking features, performance and value.

Similar / analogous product

May solve a related problem or use a useful mechanism/material/interaction that can inspire improvement.

Comparison reveals patterns: repeated weakness = opportunity; distinctive strength = benchmark.
C3.1.5 · compare to improve08

Notice

A product does not meet a user need.

Evidence

Testing / user data show where and how.

Frame

State the problem without jumping to a solution.

Opportunity

Identify what future development could improve.

C3.1.6 · constructive discontent09
Weak

“The lid is bad.”

Opinion; no user, test or mechanism.

Stronger

“4 of 5 users required two hands…”

“…because the latch force exceeded comfortable one-hand operation; the latch geometry is a redesign opportunity.”

Evidence → cause → opportunity10

Observed issues

Users sometimes spill contents, forget which side opens first, and struggle to clean the hinge. A competing product has a removable gasket.

Build one SWOT point and one constructive-discontent statement.
Example direction: Weakness—hinge geometry traps food residue during cleaning (supported by observation). Opportunity—redesign hinge/gasket for disassembly and cleaning. Constructive discontent should identify unmet user need and evidence before proposing the redesign direction.
C3.1 · evidence-based analysis11
Which stakeholder is most likely to provide direct evidence about assembly constraints and repeatable production quality?
C3.1.2 · stakeholder roles12
A new right-to-repair law could make a permanently sealed product less competitive. In SWOT, this is most plausibly a…
C3.1.3 · external threat13

Analyse how product testing and reverse engineering could identify improvements to a folding umbrella.

What should the answer contain?
Break the task into evidence sources: test opening force, leakage/water shedding, wind stability, pinch points and user errors; reverse engineer joints, ribs, materials and mechanisms; connect results to specific improvement opportunities. “Test it and make it better” is too vague.
AO3 · analyse product evidence14
1

Define purpose

What do you need to learn?

2

Gather evidence

Stakeholders, tests, teardown/reverse engineering.

3

Structure findings

SWOT + function/performance/usability/features/materials.

4

Compare + improve

Benchmark products and frame opportunities.

C3.1 · full analysis cycle15
Exit ticket

Before you leave…

1. Name three stakeholder groups who can improve product analysis evidence.
2. Explain why SWOT without testing can be weak.
3. Write one constructive-discontent statement about a familiar product.
Next lesson

Paper 1 — Mixed Mini-Mock & Corrections

Keep the retrieval loop moving: recall → apply → check → correct → revisit.

Curriculum alignment
C3.1 Product analysis and evaluation 3.1.1–3.1.7, reinforced with B1.1 usability objectives and B2.1 product-analysis/design-process links: purpose, stakeholders, SWOT, testing, reverse engineering, competing/similar products, constructive discontent and improvement opportunities.
Lesson complete16 slides
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IB Design Technology SL · Lesson 5716