Design Project (BA) (H7135)
Design Project (BA)
Module H7135
Module details for 2025/26.
60 credits
FHEQ Level 6
Module Outline
The BA 'Design Project' is a 60 credit final year module that allows students to apply their accumulated knowledge and design skills to a self-initiated and negotiated design brief.
Their projects will include research and viability studies to establish the appropriate design objectives.
Students will explore and develop a number of design concepts before designing a fully-specified final design, presented as a 3D prototype and 2D presentation.
The work must be completed by an agreed deadline, and then presented to an audience not necessarily familiar with their work. This project is designed to expose Students to areas of project management, resourcing, planning, scheduling, marketing, documentation and communication.
This will involve students managing the process of design as a whole, which will involve activities such as: observation, user research and specification, sketching/sketch modelling, concept development, prototyping, product refinement, user interaction and producing the relevant presentation material.
A good project will demand creative thinking, analysis and implementation. The project will involve students working at least two-days-per-week on a particular area of activity relevant to their Design Projects.
There will be two interim presentations for critique each term and at the end of the second term, Students will produce a Technical Report and a Portfolio and give a 20-minute presentation.
A single member of faculty will supervise your project; a second (minor) supervisor is also assigned to provide occasional guidance and to give an independent assessment of the completed report and portfolio.
Module learning outcomes
Plan, conduct and report on the design implementation of a product, system, component and process to meet a need.
Analyse problems of a creative nature through generating a wide range of design ideas, concepts from a variety of researched sources and integrate and interrogate the data to inform the design process to provide appropriate solutions.
Apply a holistic approach in solving problems and designing systems, applying professional judgements to balance risks, costs, benefits, safety, reliability, aesthetics and environmental impact.
Research, select, evaluate, manipulate and manage information relevant to the analysis to select, test and exploit materials and manufacturing processes and cost drivers for the products.
Apply Human-centred and design thinking methods in an iterative process to evaluate, analyse and make evidence-based improvements to products.
Use a number of research methods and various forms of data to analyse user requirements to inform the technical requirements such as materials selection and manufacturing processes.
Employ appropriate materials, media, techniques, methods, technologies and tools with skill and imagination whilst observing good working practices.
| Type | Timing | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Semester 2 Assessment Week 1 Tue 16:00 | 50.00% |
| Presentation | Spring Semester Week 11 Wed 16:00 | 30.00% |
| Coursework | 20.00% | |
| Coursework components. Weighted as shown below. | ||
| Presentation | MYI Week 1 | 25.00% |
| Presentation | T1 Week 8 | 25.00% |
| Presentation | T2 Week 9 | 50.00% |
Timing
Submission deadlines may vary for different types of assignment/groups of students.
Weighting
Coursework components (if listed) total 100% of the overall coursework weighting value.
| Term | Method | Duration | Week pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Semester | Project | 8 hours | 11111111110 |
| Autumn Semester | Project | 8 hours | 11111111111 |
How to read the week pattern
The numbers indicate the weeks of the term and how many events take place each week.
Please note that the University will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver courses and modules in accordance with the descriptions set out here. However, the University keeps its courses and modules under review with the aim of enhancing quality. Some changes may therefore be made to the form or content of courses or modules shown as part of the normal process of curriculum management.
The University reserves the right to make changes to the contents or methods of delivery of, or to discontinue, merge or combine modules, if such action is reasonably considered necessary by the University. If there are not sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the University reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the University withdraws or discontinues a module, it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative module.