Reflections on the 'Planning' of my design challenge - week 3

This week was the planning stage of the design challenge. We were shown how to do a decision making matrix using a table taken from Mindtools.com. The website had a video tutorial that showed us how to use the template! It was a great way to learn about why we need to do a design matrix and to think about different factors that will result in our final product. It was also so easy to follow which is a big bonus for younger students. Using online tutorials can be a great addition to any classroom, especially if they are catered for the age group you are teaching.

I came up with three designs (really more like three of the same product but different sizes/shape/cost/colour) and did a matrix on which one would best fit our challenge. It was fantastic to have the decision making process taken of our hands and leaving it down to the facts presented in front of us. It would really help the students to see why a certain way is best.  I also did a document labelled 'design points from decision matrix'. This showed in detail the costings, sizes, advantages and disadvantages of each design. Although the decision matrix is a great tool to use I think that laying it all out there and getting the students to point out why each design is good/bad is a great way to get them involved in the decision making process. It gives them ownership of the final design picked. 

I am starting to understand the design cycle process more and it is becoming clearer as to why we should use it in our classrooms. 

Here is a picture of the final design I have come up with using the design matrix and my design points document.