How technology and cultural changes can impact on the work of designers - Social, moral and ethical issues — AQA A-Level Design and Technology: Product Design
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How technology and cultural changes can impact on the work of designers - Social, moral and ethical issues explained
Designers can respond to social problems by developing and manufacturing products that improve people's lives.
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Poverty may be addressed with low-cost, repairable products using local materials and simple manufacture. Health and wellbeing may be supported with affordable medical devices, sanitation or assistive products. Migration may call for portable shelters, water containers or communication aids. Housing may need rapid-build, modular or temporary structures. The designer must consider cost, durability, local manufacture, cultural acceptability and sustainability, because a product that is too expensive or hard to repair will not help the people it targets. Manufacture matters as well as design: choosing appropriate processes and materials keeps products affordable and available.
Your focus
- Identify social problems that product design can address.
- Explain how design and manufacture choices can assist with a named social problem.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of a product response to a social problem.
How technology and cultural changes can impact on the work of designers - Social, moral and ethical issues exam tips
Marking Points
- Identifies at least one named social problem from poverty, health and wellbeing, migration or housing.
- Explains how a designed and manufactured product could assist with that problem.
- Considers cost and affordability so the product reaches the intended users.
- Considers manufacture: appropriate materials, processes, local production or repairability.
- Considers cultural acceptability, durability or sustainability of the product.
- Evaluates whether the product genuinely addresses the social problem rather than only appearing to.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Choose one social problem and develop a specific product response in depth.
- 💡Address both design and manufacture, including cost and repairability.
- 💡Evaluate the product's real benefit to users rather than only describing it.
Common Mistakes
- Naming a social problem without explaining how a specific product assists; correction: link a named product feature to the problem it addresses.
- Ignoring cost and manufacture so the product would be unaffordable or unavailable to users; correction: discuss affordable materials, simple processes or local production.
- Treating all social problems as needing the same solution; correction: match the product to the specific needs of poverty, health, migration or housing.