131 Product / Service Design

AS Edexcel New Specification 2015 Business

By Mrs Hilton for

 From the specification
a) Design mix:
function
aesthetics
cost
b) Changes in the elements of the design mix to
reflect social trends:
concern over resource depletion: designing for waste
minimisation, re-use and recycling
ethical sourcing
Guidance from
Edexcel
 Lesson Objectives
• To be able to discuss the elements of the design
mix

• To be able to identify and assess the changes in

elements of the design mix to reflect social trends.

• To be able to answer exam questions based on the

topic area (taken from 2A legacy papers as there were no suitable samples available at
time of writing)
 Starter
• Tell me what you know about this chap…
 Answer to starter:
• The adverts feature Aleksandr Orlov,
a CGI fictional anthropomorphic Russian meerkat and his family
and friends. Orlov is portrayed as being of aristocratic stock
and the founder of comparethemeerkat.com: the campaign
centres on his frustration over the confusion between his
website and comparethemarket.com, playing on the similarity
between the words market and meerkat. Orlov's catchphrase is
"Simples".
• The campaign, launched in 5 January 2009, was created
by Darren Walsh at Passion Pictures, who designed the
characters and directs the adverts. The adverts proved popular
and became a commercial success for comparethemarket.com,
which became the fourth most visited insurance website in the
UK as a result. A book featuring Orlov was published in 2010,
and other merchandise has been created in tandem with the
ongoing campaign.
 Definition of Design Mix
• product design is meeting the design
mix/identified market needs e.g. function /
aesthetics / economic manufacture

• Aesthetics • Function • Cost

Function
• Will the product or service be fit for
purpose?
• What does the product do? In a
Dyson vacuum cleaner it cleans
without needing a bag inside which
lost suction when it got full…
• How well does it perform? In a car
this may be its mpg or its top speed
or its 0-60
• Ergonomics, usability, safety,
reliability, functionality..
How important is it that these products have function in mind
when designed? (rate 1 Not so much and 10 very)

Function
Aesthetics

Consumers are asked through marketing research

about their feelings towards products. This is the
aesthetic, how it looks, tastes, feels.
How the senses respond to the product.
More stylish and beautiful products tend to sell
better and can have a premium price charged.
What emotional attachment consumers have with
the product
(watch the Budweiser puppy advert)
Do products look more appealing with clever
design?
 Cost ££££££
• Questions the design team might ask the
production department…
• What is the minimum cost that we can make
this product for whilst retaining quality?
• Can this product be made using productive
capacity? Can it be made efficiently?
• Can it be produced for a lower cost than the
competitors?
 Competitive advantage
If a business gets this design
mix right – a balanced product
that looks good, works well
and is a great price – then Aesthetics
they should get competitive
advantage over their
competitors…
Function

Cost

The Design Mix

Changes in the elements of the design mix to
reflect social trends
• concern over resource depletion: designing for
waste minimisation, re-use and recycling

• Watch a video that shows clear plastic bottles

being made into fabric for clothes

• Do aesthetics have to be sacrificed when re-

using?
 What do you think this is?

This is a stool made from

bottle caps:
 What do you think this is?

This is a bed made from

old piano parts
 What do you think this is?

This is a chair
made from old
spray cans
 Ethical sourcing
• Starbucks Ethical sourcing, take a look at the website here

• Watch the short video:

• Ethical sourcing also means 'ensuring that the products being

sourced are created in safe facilities by workers who are
treated well and paid fair wages to work legal hours', and it
also implies 'that the supplier is respecting the environment
during the production and manufacture of the products.'
 Example of an old product given a new twist
• Fries get fancy! London's latest
hipster restaurant serves nothing
but CHIPS... with exotic toppings
including curry, smoky bacon and
Marmite
• Come Fry With Me is London's first
restaurant to serve only chips 
• Customers can enhance their fries
with exotic flavours and toppings 
• Latest single item eatery after
cafes serving cereal, porridge and
toasties 
• Read full article here
 Standard design vs Bespoke

Dyson website

Hoar Cross Hall bespoke

weddings see website
here
Read the article here

New Product Development interactive here

Sample questions
 Sample question 1
4 mark question
Case study on Dyson on next slide

Knowledge = 2
Application = 1
Analysis = 1
Answer question 1
 Sample question 1
• 7 mark question
• Taken from one half of a 14 mark question
• Case study on Toyota on next slide
• Levelled response – needs an evaluation

[7]
 Answer question 2
Knowledge – level 1 < 1 mark>
e.g. product design is meeting the design mix/identified market needs e.g. function
/ aesthetics / economic manufacture
Application (context) level 2 <2-3 marks>
e.g. faster cars/design cheaper to manufacture
e.g. accessories such as sat nav, passenger airbags
Analysis level 3 <4 marks>
There must be a reference to at least one aspect of the product design/design
mix
e.g. There will be a marketing advantage resulting from improved car design in
terms of the product element of the marketing mix such that sales should increase
as customer requirements may be met
Evaluation level 4 <5-7 marks>
e.g. balance between design and quality is required to ensure customer satisfaction
e.g. reduced cost of manufacturing cars to ensure competitive prices may
compromise quality/safety of the Yaris
e.g. advanced product design is essential in the competitive/dynamic car market
but price is important in a period of recession
Revision Video 10 futuristic products
available now
 Glossary
• Function; what the item is used for
• Aesthetics; what the item looks like
• Resource depletion; reduction in the earth’s natural resources such
as precious metals
• Waste minimisation; business way of making sure that there is no
waste in the production process, for example making other goods
from offcuts
• Reuse; when a product is reused for example a bag for life
• Recycled; when a product is turned into something else, a tin can
becomes an airplane part
• Ethical sourcing; buying from sustainable sources, for example trees
from forest suppliers who replant