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​: ... Ideas 

Source:​ O’Rourke, Erin.. “​https://www.pinterest.ca/eorourke2150/easy-textile-plans-g7/​ ” 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 the 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. 

● Figure 1.) this product is very lightweight so it doesn't add any weight to the products in the bag making it 
easy to carry  
● Figure 1.) this product has a very unique design  
● Figure 2.) the colours are very appealing to the eye  
● Figure 2.) it's very bright and colorful 
● Figure 3.) this item is very durable so it won't break easily which makes it good so you can keep it for a longer 
time  
● Figure 3.) The design is very unique and it has a nice colour.  

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

● Figure 1.)This product is not very durable as it states in the reviews it breaks fast because the material is not 
durable. 
● Figure 1.) the heat press transfer is not very secure and falls off really fast and tears when it falls off so you 
can't stick it back on. 
● Figure 1.) the bag is smaller than it says on the site  
● The strings that you use to carry the bag are too long and they hang down to under your butt witch makes it 
uncomfortable to carry   
● Figure 1.) the bag is not as dark as it is in the photos the colors are very faint making the item unpleasant to 
look at.  
 
 
   
● Figure 2.)the pattern could be more creative   
● Figure 2.)the pattern is quite hard to recreate  
 
 
 
● Figure 3.) the strings on the bag doesn't fit the bag they look too long for the bag which makes the bag look 
unappealing  
● Figure 3.) the bag is too big so if you bought it for a kid it would be huge  

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

● I really like the jean design in fig 3 I think might use the criss-cross feature  
● I really love the flowers in the 1 figure  
● I really like the colours in the 2 figure the really pop the pinks reds and greens  
 
 
 

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 (you) 
● the fabric you chose 
● your skill level 
 I choose figure 3 because I really like the flowers and it looks really simple. One of the reasons I chose this is 
because it has a black material and the tee-shirt I have is black and made with cotton and I think they will be 
similar. The fabric I am choosing is cotton. I have a pretty high skill level because i am good with a needle and 
thread but not really good with a sewing machine so i think my skill my skill level is a 6.  
 

   
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 
inspire a solution to the  project. 
problem.  ❏ There are a ​limited​ 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.