Criterion A: Inquiring and Analyzing Key Concepts Developmentis the act or process of growth, progress or evolution, sometimes through iterative improvements.
Systems are sets of interacting or interdependent components. Systems provide structure and order in human, natural and built environments. Systems can be static or dynamic, simple or complex.
Related Concepts
Function, Innovation, Invention
Systems are essential for innovations and inventions.
Global Context & Explorations
Scientific and technical innovation
Explorations to develop
Digital life, virtual environments and the Information Age
Products, processes and solutions
Systems, models, methods
"Systems and Development are essential for innovations and invention"
Inquiry Questions
Factual
Digital Design
What makes coding languages different?
Conceptual
Digital Design
How do software developments and innovations impact our lives?
Conceptual
Digital Design
Can software products be sustainable?
Debatable
Digital Design
Who should be held responsible for software failures?
Debatable
Digital Design
Software piracy/hacking is justified in many instances.
AKA Strand;
Ethics; If we are to code software to solve problems, what are some of the ethical considerations that leaders will need to consider?
Criterion A: Inquiring and Analyzing
Challenge
Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it is important for learners to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them. Software development is essential for solving current problems and future challenges. The computer programming is a prerequisite of the software development job. Building something from scratch and integrate changes into existing software requires some programming / coding knowledge and skills.
For this unit you will identify a client with a problem that can be solved by coding software fully or partially. The problem faced by the client should be clearly described and the client's current way of managing the situation.The problem description should include the current limitations the client is facing and detailed explanation of why you think an IT solution will be the best.
It is expected that your will develop the following skills while programming / coding; Empathy, Communication,Teamwork, Patience, open-mindedness, Problem solving and Accountability.
Breaking the requirements for each strand; i.Explain and justify the need for a solution to a problem for a specified client/target audience: (Maximum of 3 pages)
Introduce the unit by highlighting; Global Context, Key Concept, AK strand/s and Learner profile. Ensure that the introduction is link to the unit.
Explain the background of the problem facing the client/target audience, discuss this problem and how long it has persisted, show how it has affected the client and community, show how the client is in dire needfor solution. Give examples of social challenges arising from this problem, show how an IT solution will be better placed to solve this problem and share the benefits to the client if the problem is solved.
iii.Analyse a range of existing products that inspire a solution to the problem: (maximum of 5 Pages)
(have a clear analysis of exiting products IT tools and finished products which can solve the same problem)
Discuss different IT tools and products; in each type show examples and how they work plus their images; ( software; websites, animations, games, apps,...) you intend to use, in each categories show examples and how they work plus their images, advantages and disadvantages.
iv.Develop a detailed design brief, which summarizes the analysis of relevant research. (maximum of 2 Pages) ( produce a design brief that summarizes their research and then links it to the client/target audience)
- Write a detailed design brief that outlines, the client/target audience opinion, the experts opinion, and your personal opinion. Discuss the IT tools you will use, discuss the key features of the tool, specifications and its benefits to the client based on your research.
Criterion D: Evaluating. Your challenge is to design detailed and relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution. Critically evaluate the success of the solution against the design specification. Explain how the solution could be improved in future and explain the impact of the solution on the client/target audience.
Example.
Criterion D: Evaluating
(i) Design detailed and relevant testing methods that generate data to measure the success of the solution.
By the end of year 4 you should be able to
Design a wide range of effective tests to evaluate the solution against the requirements of the design specification (including expert appraisal, user trials, field testing and user observation)
Testing methods
An effective and authentic measure of a design solution means that you tested against every aspect of the design specification. These tests can be classified as follows:
User observation (Table above)
The user is presented with the solution and is set a task to achieve with little or no guidance. The user’s interaction with the solution is observed and recorded.
User trials (client / target audience) - Interview.
The user is presented with the solution and guided on how to use it. The user is asked questions as he or she interacts with the solution or is given a survey to complete. User trials may include focus groups.
The design of interview or survey questions needs to be targeted to draw out responses that assess the solution against the specification.
Expert appraisal (Expert) - questionnaire A person considered an expert in the use of similar products is presented with the solution, given time to interact with the solution and then interviewed on aspects of its success. The expert has particular knowledge and skills that allow him or her to make judgments on the success of the solution. The expert may be the client.
Field trial ( client) - Observation
A field trial is a test of the performance of a solution under the conditions and situation in which it will be used. For example, an interactive information point (developed in HTML) for a museum exhibit may be tested by the exhibit visitors in the museum, structured as a user trial or user observation.
Performance testing
The performance of a solution is tested under the conditions in which it would normally be used. Quantitative data is collected through a variety of tests such as:
destructive tests assessing impact strength or flammability
cyclic tests
measurement of physical properties such as weight and size
timed tests for web pages to load
ease of navigation through an interactive story, game or website.
Collecting data: Both types of data collected through testing are considered primary sources of data.
Qualitative data deals with quality and is data gathered as descriptions. This data tends to be subjective and can be converted to a numerical value, eg “I like the overall shape of the solution, it fits my hand well, I would give it a 9 out of 10 for comfort” or “The layout of the web page looks intuitive, it looks easy to navigate and the use of negative space makes it clear. I would rate the clarity of the page as 8 out of 10.” Tests that can be used to obtain qualitative data include:
using a questionnaire to find out if the target audience likes the look of a product
surveying students to find out which parts of a video game they found too easy and which were too difficult
interviewing an expert after he or she has interacted with a solution
performing a user trial by giving a toy to children to play with and observing reactions.
Quantitative data deals with quantity and is gathered as definite values, typically a numerical value. This data is objective and can be measured, eg “All information in the database has to be a maximum of 3 clicks away” or “The overall cost of the materials can be no more than €45.” Tests that can be used to obtain quantitative data include:
timing users who are tasked with finding a particular piece of information on a website
measuring a product to ensure it is the correct size and within weight limits
beta-testing interactive media to find bugs
running performance tests to determine the strength of a product
checking the capacity of a storage device
counting the number of hits on a website over a set period of time.
carry out a wide range of effective tests to generate qualitative and quantitative data
explain the accuracy of the data gathered throughout testing
present the analysis of the data in a clear and concise way
evaluate the success of the solution against the requirements of the design specification
explain weaknesses and limitations of the solution based on the analysis of data collected throughout objective and subjective testing against the requirements of the design specification
When critically evaluating the success of a solution, you must objectively judge the solution against the specifications. This objective evaluation comes from analysing the data gathered by carrying out the tests designed.
You must analyse this data and make conclusions that identify strengths and weaknesses of the solution, along with opportunities for further development.\
Evaluation of the product against the design specifications for an App:
The first specification was that the application will be named “Basketball Dribble and Shoot” because I am trying to solve my client’s problem in basketball and specifically in dribbling and shooting. The product (app) passed the first specification because the name of the app was the same as intended just that I added a hyphen after the word Basketball to make it sound clearer.
The second specification was that my app will have a logo on the home page of the app and the logo will be a basketball. The product (app) passed the second specification. I chose to have a basketball as the logo on the home page simply because I was making an app regarding basketball as a sport and so, I thought that having a basketball as the logo on the home page will be good. Also, I downloaded a good quality (HD) image of the basketball so that it looks clear and not blurry.
The third specification was that all the information on each of the pages of the app will be in Arial but different sizes of the font due to the headings and sub-headings. The product (app) passed the third specification because as intended, all the information on the application is in font style Arial but the headings are in capital and in different sizes.
The fourth specification was that my app will have 4 pages in total; the home page, a page titled “dribbling”, a page titled “shooting” and the about page. The product (app) passed the fourth specification because my application has 4 pages in total and each of the pages are named as intended. Also, the names of the 4 pages of the app appear at the bottom of every page and the user can go to any of the 4 pages when the user clicks on the icon at the bottom.
The fifth specification was that my client (the user) will be able to use the app on the Appy Pie market place without downloading it. The product (app) passed the fifth specification because the app can be used online on the Appy Pie Market place without downloading the app. Also, the app can be downloaded easily and the app is compatible with Apple as well as Android. I chose to make my app to be compatible with Apple and Android because my client (Carlos D’Sa) has an iPhone and he also has an Android phone.
The sixth specification was that in my app, there will be detailed explanations on the two main pages (dribbling page and shooting page) so that the client understands how to perform the respective moves. The product (app) passed the sixth specification as the two main pages that are the dribbling and shooting page are the pages that have most of the information. The information on these 2 pages is detailed so that the client (user) understands how to perform the move. Also, the information is not too complex so that the client can easily read, understand and interpret the information.
The seventh specification was that my app will have videos that will help explain how to dribble and shoot on their respective pages. Unfortunately, my app didn’t have any videos showing how to dribble or shoot on their respective pages but however, the information in my app is derived from professional basketball coaches and also, the information in my app is extracted from some of the videos that I watched myself while I was going through the journey of creating the app.
The eighth specification was regarding the color. The specification was that the home page of my app will have a light blue background, the dribbling page of my app will have a red background, the shooting page of my app will have a light green background and the about page of my app will have an orange background. Although, the app builder software (Appy Pie) didn’t allow me to have a different background image for every page and instead, the software (Appy Pie) only allowed me to have 1 permanent background image for all the pages on the app. Therefore, I chose a background image that had all the four colors that the client asked for (blue, red, orange and green) and set it as the background image for all the pages on the app.
Test against design specifications
Specifications
Yes/No
How is it met?
Must have at least 3 sections for putting different types of writing utensils
5/5
There are three sections for putting different types of writing utensils: one big section and two small sections
Must have enough space for storing at least 20 pencils
5/5
One of the small sections of my product can store 40 pencils
Must have 1 drawer for storing erasers that can store at least 3 small erasers
5/5
My drawer can stored 4 erasers
The design theme must be aesthetically pleasing to a female teenager around 14 to 16 years old. The color theme will be plain solid color
3/5
According to the survey results, 6 people said the design is excellent and 5 said it is good. Some say that the product is too plain
The depth of each section must be at least 11 cm drop
5/5
The long section is 11cm deep and the small ones are 14cm deep
Must be made out of wood
5/5
The product is made of plywood
Must be joined well using glues and screws/nails
5/5
The product is joined using latex glue and nails (from nail gun)
Must be completed within the time given (the create part)
5/5
The product is completed within the given time below
Recording the results of tests against the design specifications example
Explain, in detail, how the identified weaknesses and limitations of thesolution could be improved in the product.
How can students identify how the solution could be improved?Through the objective evaluation of your solution, you should have identified weaknesses in your solutions. These weaknesses provide opportunities for further development and allow you to consider how you would refine your solution further.
Students can suggest these improvements in many forms, including:
written text—paragraphs or tables
diagrams and charts
annotated photographs/screenshots of the prototype
sketches
Strengths
Weakeness
Improvements
Tastes of the dishes The taste of both the dishes were excellent according to all of my target audiences. The pasta had a creamy flavour with juicy mushrooms, mock chicken which adds to the texture and soft spinach which balances out the dish. The salad had a wide range of vegetables which when eaten provide a crunchy experience for our tasters, but when combined with the sour of the lemon and thickness of the feta cheese, it tastes very sublime.
Nutrients in the dishesThe nutrients in the dish ranged from protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals to dairy products. Even though the dish was for a vegetarian, it provided a sufficient amount of nutrition which is what an athlete needs in order to perform. Organization and Time-managementWe organized the cooking fairly and equally so that we could be efficient when cooking the dishes as well as have time to clean up as we go. This really benefitted us at the end because we finished just on time, even though we encountered a few problems during the end. When we faced any problems, we immediately fixed them and got on with the cooking to save time and also finish on time.
Appearance and texture of the pasta dish The appearance and texture of the pasta was not that great as we would have liked it to be. The design clearly wanted our pasta to be surrounding the sauce, but a minor mistake made us change the appearance so I am disappointed. The texture, consequently, was also ruined due to our poor quality sauce which was too thick. We were hoping to fix that mistake from the first time, but unfortunately, it did not work out the second time either. Cooking errors We did not identify some things correctly such as when the water was actually boiling because we accidentally put the pasta in non-boiling water so we need to be more focussed to fix that.
If I had a chance to redo this dish, I would definitely have done this twice and used the first time as a learning experience to fix all my mistakes and not repeat them again such as the thickness of the pasta cream sauce. I will also try and practice basic skills such as boiling at home beforehand so I can perform it correctly in school. I think I just need to cook more to get more experience with these sort of things which will lead to a perfect dish. Since pasta is eaten quite often, maybe next I would try and create my own dish that will excite my target audience a bit and give them something different to what they usually have.
explain the impact of the solution on the client or target audience To identify or predict the impact that a solution will have on a client or target audience, you must refer to the original problem, the design brief, the specification and the evaluation. You should use these aspects to draw conclusions about how well the design brief has been met. These conclusions may be presented in written form, as a list or as a table.The following questions may help you to explain the impact of the solution on the client or target audience.
To what extent has the client’s or target audience’s problem been solved?
How does this solution improve the client’s or target audience’s situation?
To what extent has the design brief been met?
Are there any negative effects this solution could have?
Criterion D: Evaluating
0
The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below.
1 — 2
The student designs a testing method, which is used to measure the success of the solution, states the success of the solution.
3 — 4
The student designs a relevant testing method, which generates data, to measure the success of the solution, outlines the success of the solution against the design specification based on relevant product testing, outlines how the solution could be improved, outlines the impact of the solution on the client/target audience.
5 — 6
The student designs relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution, explains the success of the solution against the design specification based on relevant product testing, describes how the solution could be improved, explains the impact of the solution on the client/target audience, with guidance.
7 — 8
The student designs detailed and relevant testing methods, which generate data, to measure the success of the solution, critically evaluates the success of the solution against the design specification based on authentic product testing, explains how the solution could be improved, explains the impact of the product on the client/target audience.
Explorations to develop