BGE Product Design · Level 3–4 project

EarBuddy.

Tangled earphones are a pain. Design and make an ear bud winder that keeps them neat. You will follow the whole design process: write a specification, research, sketch and annotate ideas, test a card prototype, then make your EarBuddy in metal, wood or acrylic, by hand or on the laser cutter.

Design processDesign factorsResearchSpecificationSketchingPrototypingManufacture

Start with the course notes ↓ Back to BGE Product Design

SCALE 1:1

BGEEarBuddy

SubjectProduct Design

LevelBGE · Level 3–4

LicenceFree to copy, adapt, share

Sheet04.3 · BGE · EarBuddy

01Course notes

The EarBuddy booklet.

Eight lessons, one per page. Each page has the knowledge you need and tasks to complete and record as you go. Print to write on, or fill in the Digital version on screen.

EarBuddy Course Notes

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

02Worksheets

Worksheets for every stage.

Ten stand-alone worksheets that follow the design process. Worksheets 1–6 are for everyone. For worksheets 7–10, pick the making route that matches how you will make your EarBuddy.

Worksheet 1 – The design process

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 2 – Design factors

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Worksheet 3 – Research

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 4 – Design specification

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 5 – Sketching and presenting

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 6 – Card prototype

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 7 – Making in metal

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 8 – Making in wood

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 9 – Making in acrylic

Print (PDF) ↓ Digital (PDF) ↓

Worksheet 10 – CAD/CAM and laser cutting

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03What you’ll learn

From brief to finished product.

Real designers do not start by making. They start with a problem and a person to solve it for. EarBuddy takes you through the same steps.

Think like a designer

Read a design brief and use the four design factors, function, aesthetics, safety and performance, to judge any product.

Research and specify

Investigate existing products and the people who will use yours, then turn what you find into a clear design specification.

Sketch, annotate and prototype

Sketch lots of ideas, annotate them to explain your thinking, then build and test a card prototype before you commit.

Plan and make

Choose metal, wood, acrylic or CAD/CAM. Mark out, cut, shape, drill on the pillar drill and finish your EarBuddy to a high standard.

04For teachers

Teacher resources.

PowerPoints for all twelve lessons, each with Learning Intentions and Success Criteria, plus teacher notes covering the booklet and worksheets, three end-of-unit exams with marking instructions. Teacher resources are part of DesignClass teacher membership, which keeps the site free for pupils.