Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Taking on feedback

20 minutes

Find Out: Putting prototypes to the test

25 minutes

Take Action: Time to reflect

5 minutes

Reflection: Positive praise

Learning intentions

Students will:

assess their designed assistive devices against set criteria.

Success criteria

Students can:

review the results of their assistive process, and identify strengths and weaknesses in their design
iterate their design based on feedback from an assistive process.

Tune In: Taking on feedback

Step 1

Outline to the class that this lesson is about testing, assessing and reflecting, which are key components of the design process that allow a designer to think about what worked well with their design, and what didn’t. It allows the designer to consider ways to improve the next iteration of the design.

Step 2

Ask students to reflect on the construction phase of the design process that occurred in Lesson 4: Producing Prototypes. Initiate a class discussion by asking the following questions, allowing enough time in between for students to discuss with the person next to them, and then ask students to share their thoughts verbally:

Questions	Suggested response
What was the problem you were trying to solve, and how did your design help?	Responses will be specific to your students' designs.
What feedback did you receive, and how did it help improve your prototype?	Responses will be specific to your students' designs.
Why do you think empathy is important in the design process?	Empathy helps designers think about who they are designing for, not just what they are making. When you understand a person’s challenges, you can design solutions that actually fix real problems. Understanding the user’s perspective can inspire new and innovative ideas you might not have thought of otherwise. When designers prioritise the user’s experience, they listen carefully and use feedback to make informed improvements.

Step 3

Allow students time to revisit their assessment tool and update it to reflect any feedback or constructive criticism they received in the previous lesson, Lesson 4: Producing Prototypes.

Learning extension: For students who complete the above task early, ask them to predict which areas their prototype will score highest and lowest in, explaining their reasoning.

Find Out: Putting prototypes to the test

Step 1

Inform students that it’s time for the real challenge: putting their assistive devices to the test with real-life tasks. Encourage them to choose tasks that truly match the purpose of their design, such as:

opening their pencil case
writing a short sentence
turning a page
taking off a jumper
opening a bottle
picking up and moving objects

Remind students to use their assessment tool as their guide and record their observations honestly as they go. Encourage them to think like real designers:

What’s working well?
Where is it struggling?
Does it meet the criteria?
What would a user think?

Highlight that transparent testing is how real assistive devices improve; every flaw they record helps designers create a stronger, safer, more effective next version. Students have 15 minutes to put their device through as many tests as possible.

Step 2

Next, turn the room into a mini design lab. Ask students to pair up and swap prototypes. Their job is to try each other’s devices and see whether they actually help with the task they were designed for.

You might prompt them with questions like:

Does this assistive task truly make the task easier?
Is it comfortable and easy to use?
Can you see how it supports someone with a limb difference or limited mobility?

Step 3

After testing, instruct students to give helpful, constructive verbal feedback to their partner about:

what works well
what’s confusing or difficult to use
what could be improved in the next iteration.

Give students 5 minutes to test and discuss the material.

Take Action: Time to reflect

Step 1

Explain to students that designers don’t stop after testing; they dig into the results to understand what really happened. Ask students to open their Student Worksheet and spend 10 focused minutes analysing their prototype’s performance.

Encourage them to be honest and specific as they reflect, and remind them that the more detailed they are, the stronger their next design will be.

Step 2

Turn the room into a reflection hub. Display the following prompts on the whiteboard and give students 2 minutes of quiet thinking time for each:

Which elements of your design worked better than you expected during testing?
Which parts didn’t perform as well as you thought they would? Why?

Instruct students to jot down their thoughts, then pair up to share their insights. Encourage partners to ask each other clarifying questions like:

What made that part work so well?
What might you change next time?

After each question, invite volunteers to share their reflections with the whole class. This helps students learn from each other’s successes and challenges.

Step 3

It’s time for students to apply everything they’ve learned. Ask students to retrieve the original sketch of their prototype from Lesson 3: Designing with Purpose.

Their task is to create an annotated, improved version of their design.
Students should:

revisit which features worked and which didn’t
label changes they would make to improve functionality, comfort, durability, safety, or accessibility
reflect on their material choices (did they choose the right ones? What would they use instead in a second iteration?)
consider whether their tools or construction methods helped or limited their design.

Encourage students to think like real designers: every adjustment they make should bring the device closer to fulfilling the user’s needs.

Reflection

Congratulate your students on ideating, designing, constructing, testing and assessing their own assistive device or tool! Ask the students to reflect on this challenge and pose the following questions:

How has this design challenge impacted how you think about assistive devices and the people who use them?
What is 1 lesson from this challenge that you will take forward into your everyday life?
What was your favourite or least favourite part of the design process?

Testing Your Device

Go to

Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson