Task A3 | ​Existing products 

🔎 What? 
 
❗Why? 
 
Analyze a group of similar products that inspire a solution to  You are trying to figure out what makes related products a 
the problem.  success (or not) and you are trying to come up with ideas for 
  your own project.  
 

⚙H
​ ow? 

Inspiration board 
● Choose ​a product idea from this list - ​Choice of Upcycled Product 
● Create​ a Pinterest board of a range of products (at least 25) that are an inspiration to your specific project.  
● Present​ a screenshot of (a large part of) your Pinterest board in your design folder. Include the title and the 
hyperlinked source of your pinterest board. 
● ​ hen creating your inspiration board, choose products that are different from each other. If the 
Consider also​ -​ W
products are very similar, you will gain only limited knowledge and inspiration for your own project, because most 
products will lead to the same conclusions. It is likely that your inspiration will not only come from products that are 
similar to what you have in mind. Quite different products may have features that inspire you as well. 
● Review​ the ​high level example​ and the rubric (below) to ensure you have enough detail. 
● Choose and j​ ustify​ which project plan will be the foundation for your project. You will incorporate elements from other 
projects, but choose 1 that best represents what you want to make. 

Inspiration Board of​: soft toy... Ideas 

Source:​ Chen He “​https://www.pinterest.com/chhe2025/upcycled-soft-toy/​” Pinterest Board. Feb. 2020 

PMI analysis​ | Plus, Minus, Interesting 

The command term a
​ nalyze​ is defined as​:  
 
“Break down in order to bring out the essential elements or structure​.” 
 
 In this task this means conducting a PMI analysis for the products you identified in your inspiration board. 
 
Tips for analysis: 
● Evidence that you looked closely at the site of the pin 
● Identified properties of the products (size, shape, style, functional effectiveness, appropriate for fabric, 
appropriate for your skill level, appropriateness for client) 
● Bullet points but full sentences 
● Explain why it is a strength/challenge/interesting point 
 

Analyze​ strengths (​plus​) of the products. In your analysis clearly identify and explain specific features that 
⊕  make the product successful. 

● They have many different types but they all have lovely looks and perfect size for kids to play with. 
● Some of them are made of cotton or other soft material, they make people feel comfortable. 
● No matter what scary the original things are, when they are made to toy they all become cute toys that people 
like. 
● Most of the soft toys that I pick are middle size, they won't be bigger than our body. They can just hold by one 
hand.  
● Because most of them are made of some material that is very soft and light, it is easy to carry with me.  
● Toys’ cute faces will make people have a picture of imaging they are alive and use their eyes to talk to people. 
● I like a kind of soft toy that is middle size but has big and flat places that I can sleep on. They make me feel 
very safe. 

Analyze​ weaknesses (​minus​) of the products. In your analysis clearly identify and explain specific features 
⊖  that make the product less successful. 

● I like the toy with cute animals looks but its material inside the body is very hard to find and I can’t have any 
clothes to help with that. 
● Some of the toys have a special surface, like a fluffy surfacel with some villis on it. These materials are not easy 
to find and they are hard to make the surface like that. 
● They are also a little bit challenging for me to make a toy like that. I only know a little about sewing. 
● Some of them use a kind of material that feels a little bit harder than other toys, they are usually for the dolls’ 
legs and arms. They always make me crazy, they are uncomfortable for me. 

Outline​ all take-aways (​interesting​) you have gained for your project by analysing the products. 
ℹ  Take-aways are Ideas that are worth remembering for later in the project. 

● They are made of soft and light material so they are easy to play with. 
● Most soft toys are animals, food, and transportation. They become really cute when they are made into toys. 
● The size of the toys can be small and large. The largest can be as big as your whole body.  
● Toys have many different types. Some toys look almost exactly like the things it should like. Some of them 
even can have moments. Some have a human body but with the animal's head.  
●  
 
 
 

Choose and justify a project plan 

 
Select one of the products from your inspiration board and justify the choice for this product to design in the next 
stage of the design cycle.  
 
Your justification must address the following elements: 

Why did you choose this product over the others in your inspiration board? ​Explain how it is appropriate for: 
● your client  
● the fabric you chose 
● your skill level 
… 
I choose this products from my boards because  
 

   
A3 Assessment 
Level  Descriptor  Typical features of student work 

0  The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. 

1-2  The student ​presents​ some  ❏ The analysis of the individual products l​ ists​ specific features as strengths 
existing products that inspire a  or weaknesses. 
solution to the problem.  ❏ The inspiration board is ​not completed​, nor a link to your source. 
❏ The choice of final product demonstrates ​limited​ analysis and thinking 
about client, fabric and skill level. 

3-4  The student ​outlines​ features  ❏ The analysis of the individual products o​ utlines​ specific features as 
of some existing products that  strengths or weaknesses and leads to some further insights regarding the 
inspires a solution to the  project. 
problem.  ❏ There is a l​ imited​ number and range of products in your Pinterest Board. 
There should be at least a range of 25 products that are different from 
each other 
❏ The source is included, but ​not in, proper​ MLA format. 
❏ The choice of final product demonstrates ​basic​ analysis and thinking 
about client, fabric and skill level. 

5-6  The student ​describes​ common  ❏ The analysis of each individual product or system d ​ escribes​ specific 
features of similar products  features as strengths and weaknesses and leads to meaningful insights 
that inspire a solution to the  regarding the project. 
problem.  ❏ There is a s​ ufficient​ number and range of products in your Pinterest 
Board. 
❏ The source is cited in p ​ roper​ MLA format. 
❏ The choice of final product demonstrates ​sufficient​ analysis and thinking 
about client, fabric and skill level.  

7-8  The student ​analyses​ a group  ❏ The analysis of each individual product or system e
​ xplains​ specific 
of similar products that inspire  features as strengths and weaknesses and leads to impactful further 
a solution to the problem.  insights regarding the project. 
❏ There is an e
​ xtensive​ number and range of products in your Pinterest 
Board. 
❏ The source is cited in p
​ roper​ MLA format. 
❏ The choice of final product demonstrates ​sophisticated​ analysis and 
thinking about client, fabric and skill level.