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NotesDesign TechnologyTopic 6.1Presenting a solution
Back to Design Technology Topics
6.1.154 min read

Presenting a solution

IB Design Technology • Unit 6

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Contents

  • Three questions an audience has
  • Virtual representations that earn their place
  • Proving it against the specification
  • Exam-style question
The big idea: A presentation answers three questions, in this order: why does this need to exist, what does it do, and how do you know it works.

A page of renders answers a fourth question nobody asked — what it looks like.

The three parts, then the slide that does the most work: the specification with a measurement against every line.

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The statement asks for virtual representations that highlight key usability features. A render on a white background does not highlight anything — the image has to make a point that a sentence could not make as quickly.

A render that says nothing

  • The product alone, on a white background
  • No user, no context, no scale
  • Shows the finish, which nobody is asking about
  • Could be any bedside table

A representation that makes a point

  • The arm swung over a bed with a patient reaching the far corner
  • A ghosted view showing the counterbalance inside the column
  • A before-and-after pair at the same camera position
  • A section through the pivot, showing it can be cleaned
Show the feature in use: Every key feature should appear where it is used, with the hand or the body that uses it.

A handle floating on a white background is a shape. A handle being gripped from a seated position is an argument.

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CriterionWhat you measuredResult
Stable with 5 kg at 50 mm from the working edgeLoaded on a 1-in-50 ramp; no wheel liftedMet
Reachable without twisting from a seated position12 of 12 patients reached the far corner unaidedMet
Moved and parked with one hand in under 5 secondsMean 6.2 s across 10 nursesNot met — brake lever enlarged, retest pending
Base clearable in one mop movement6 cleaners, mean 11 s against 19 s for the current tableMet
Show the criterion you did not meet: Naming it, with what you would do next, reads as control of the project.

Quietly dropping it reads as not having tested — and an examiner who compares your specification with your evaluation will notice the missing line.
Design intentions, not just features: Finish by returning to the problem statement: bed-bound patients who feed unaided can now reach food and drink without twisting or asking for help.

That sentence is what the whole project was for, and it is the last thing an audience should hear.

How this is tested — presenting a solution against its design intentions and specification. It comes up two ways:

Paper 1 — multiple choice

  • Identify what a presentation is missing.
  • Pick the representation that highlights a usability feature.

Paper 2 — analysing a product

  • Explain how a named solution would be presented to a client.
  • Justify what evidence a presentation must include.
The trap: Presenting the product and not the problem. An audience who does not know why it exists cannot judge whether it succeeds, and every feature then sounds like a preference.
IB-style questionPresent[6 marks]

Present the redesigned hospital bedside table to the hospital's purchasing team, communicating the need, the key features and the evidence.

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IB Exam Questions on Presenting a solution

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How Presenting a solution Appears in IB Exams

Examiners use specific command terms when asking about this topic. Here's what to expect:

Define

Give the precise meaning of key terms related to Presenting a solution.

AO1
Describe

Give a detailed account of processes or features in Presenting a solution.

AO2
Explain

Give reasons WHY — cause and effect within Presenting a solution.

AO3
Evaluate

Weigh strengths AND limitations of approaches in Presenting a solution.

AO3
Discuss

Present arguments FOR and AGAINST with a balanced conclusion.

AO3

See the full IB Command Terms guide →

Related Design Technology Topics

Continue learning with these related topics from the same unit:

6.1.1The five stages
6.1.2Research as an activity
6.1.3Primary research
6.1.4Secondary research
View all Design Technology topics

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