If feel i can give my self a Green 3 star rating for this section. Although i felt rather confident with this section coming from a Art and Design back ground where I worked to a brief and spec. all the time, i had done this in a design and technology context and this is different.
Reflecting back over the last year what has it that has changed and how did this change happen?
Reflecting back over the last year what has it that has changed and how did this change happen?
- Established what a DT brief and specification is - I thought i knew what a DT brief and specification was!? I was wrong and feel my past projects suffered as a result of a poor brief and specification as i ended up just making it up as I went along. As a way forward I Looked at templates of existing DT brief and specs which helped me to realise that I was actually missing a lot of details and just how weak my work was. I know feel that i know how to create a good design and technology brief and specification.
Crit sessions- Presenting my brief and specification to the class put extra pressure on me to get them right to ensure that it is understood clearly what I am doing, why I am doing and details of the projects. Crit sessions were also helpful in terms of highlighting mistakes, areas of weakness which I would then amend. - Real clients & being honest - I had to research and and establish a genuine need, something i had no previous knowledge about which forced to focus greatly on getting my brief and specification right. Creating a product for a genuine need meant that i had to get my target audience, facts, figure, material, measurements etc.. Not creating a product for myself has helped me to progress in this area as i could not tailor the brief and specification to my own needs or just make it up.
- Creating a product not a piece of art - I now approach my brief and specification as a designer of a functional product and not as a piece of artwork which look nice but doesn't actual have a function. The specification needs for design and technology has helped me too keep on track and ensure I pay attention to working aspects of my specification and not just the aesthetics.
- Using my brief and specification correctly - In the past the brief and specification is something i would write at the beginning of a project because i was told too and then never seen again. Now i am using my brief and specification at pretty much every stage of the design process and at the end to evaluate whether my product has actually fulfilled its purpose. I feel I have a greater understanding of the importance of the brief and specification and how it can make and break a product.
- There are still some areas I need to include in my brief and specification such as Time restraints, Quality control & Quality assurance (although I have taken these into consideration during manufacturing)
- I have based my brief and specifications on GCSE and A-level briefs templates. It would be beneficial to look at professional briefs and those used in industry to see how they are similar, differ and how to take my own briefs and specifications to the next level.