Unit 1 Outcome 1 | assessment task | Published: June 1, 2025 | Revised: June 1, 2025






Reframing Design Problems.
How do designers find and reframe Human-Centred design problems?
VCD UNIT 1 AOS 1
This one
is for us.
In this Assessment Task, students will demonstrate their understanding of the knowledge and skills they have learnt in the Learning Page. Students will explain the concept of Good Design as it is formed in different time periods: the past, present, and even the future. They will explain how notions of Good Design can be personal, contextual and political. Building on these ideas of Good Design, students will identify a Human-Centred Design Problem drawn from the areas of students’ study, lifestyles or well-being. They'll investigate the context for their Design Problem and conduct research using ethical methods to gather insights. Following this research, students will reframe the problem they're addressing and present their findings. Students will then write a comprehensive brief that reflects the refined problem based on their research. This process will empower students to not only appreciate Good Design in historical and contemporary contexts but also to apply their insights to real-world design problems with a Human-Centred focus.
outcome

What students need to do
ON COMPLETION OF THIS UNIT THE STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO
-
use human-centred research methods to reframe a design problem and identify a communication need.
(VCE VCD Study Design 2024 – 28 p.22. )
Model answer
Students will explain conceptions of Good Design, investigate and frame a Design Problem and write a Brief. This is achieved in several tasks.
Here are two sample responses.

Here is a sample response for Task 1.1. There would be many ways to set out a response to this task. It was really enlightening to evaluate designs using each of Rams' 10 Principles of Good Design. These are pictures Target Learning shot on holiday. I consider them 'good design' but look how each one rates when using Rams' criteria. I think the slate (bottom left) is the winner. Who would have thought?
A sample brief for this assessment task.
Brief
Client
‘Appy’, is an Australian company that develops smartphone apps for students, parents and teachers in Australian Schools.
Design Problem
(What is the problem?) Students are repeatedly saying that they don’t understand what they are missing or doing wrong when they do tests and exams.
(Why?) Students want some help in identifying gaps in their study knowledge so they can use their time more effectively to improve their results
(Goals and results) An improvement in student results and an increase in student confidence that they can manage their own study better.
Communication need
An app design in the field of Interactive Experience design that helps students keep track of different parts of their knowledge and enables them to review their learning and seek feedback from teachers.
Target Audience
Middle and Senior High School students attending Australian government, Catholic and Independent schools.
Purpose
The purpose of the presentation is for the client to experience using the app through users’ eyes.
Context
The final presentation will be shown in the client’s office at the conclusion of the Design Process.
Constraints and expectations
The following considerations must be taken into consideration when preparing a design solution. The app must;
- conform to iPhone and Android operating systems and conventions
- be simple, intuitive and easy to use
- be accessible to a wide range of users with vision impairments
- look fun and attractive for the target audience
- appeal to boys, girls and LGBTQI+ users
- contain sounds and animations to extend engagement
- work with existing college learning management and email systems
- keep student data private and secure
- enable parent supervision
Presentation format or deliverables
A functioning prototype app design using the prototyping software Adobe XD.
Jump to
Good Design
Students have explored and investigated conceptions of Good Design in detail in the Learning tasks. It’s now time to demonstrate their understanding of this area of the Outcome. In this task, they will revisit their learning, consider these notions in both historical, cultural and social contexts and present them in an illustrated report.
key skills

How I will demonstrate skills and knowledge
key Skills points for this outcome
- identify and analyse past, present and personal conceptions of good design across various design fields
- formulate ideas about good design in future contexts
(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 22)
Illustrated reports
Students will produce illustrated reports exploring, discussing and analysing conceptions of Good Design in different (past and present) contexts. They will explain how these conceptions can be formed personally and with the influence of contextual and political forces. They will also consider and discuss forces influencing the future of design and propose ways it may progress into the future.
This task will draw on the tasks done in the Learning Page for this Area of Study. Students may need to flick back to that page or the other pages linked below.
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task

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Illustrated report
Students complete an illustrated report comprising the tasks shown below.
1.1 Good and Not-So-Good Design: Past and Present
Collect examples of past (pre-1945) and present (Modern and Contemporary) good or not-so-good designs from the same Field of Design. Each pair of designs is from the same field; however, all four Fields of Design are represented in the collection. Don’t forget to add the source of each image beside them.
Arrange the examples of designs on an A3 sheet or digital file. Evaluate each example of design, referring to conceptions of Good Design (proposed by Rams, Good Designs Australia or other competition award criteria).
1.2 How are notions of Good Design formed?
Collect six examples of designs from any Field of Design, to illustrate how personal, contextual and political factors can shape the formation of notions of Good Design. Don’t forget to add the source of each image beside them. Each factor is to be accompanied by two examples of design that illustrate how different personal, contextual and political factors can shape notions of Good Design.
Arrange the examples of designs on an A3 sheet or digital file. Explain how personal, contextual and political factors have influenced the design and individual or public perception of the merit of each design.
1.3 What’s next?
Collect two examples that illustrate two possible future frontiers for design, discussed in the section ‘Tomorrow’s Design’ on the Learning Page.
Arrange the examples of designs on an A4 sheet or digital file. Don’t forget to add the source of each image beside them. Discuss each future direction for design, referring to possible benefits and challenges, for individuals, society or the environment.
Jump to
Identify a Human-Centred
Design Problem
In this section, students will enact their learning about identifying and investigating a Human-Centred Design Problem in one area of students’ study, lifestyles or well-being. They will start the Discover stage of the Double Diamond Design Process, using Divergent Thinking strategies to explore and gather information on a problem or opportunity that is relevant to them, their peers or fellow students. Students will use Human-Centred and ethical research methods throughout the Discover stage to gather insights. Following their process of discovery, students will analyse, summarise, evaluate, select and present their research findings. This information will serve as the foundation for the Brief in the final part of the assessment task.
key skills

How I will demonstrate skills and knowledge
key Skills points for this outcome
- use conceptions of good design to identify human-centred design problems
- collaborate with others to explore and reframe design problems using human-centred and ethical research methods
- apply the Discover and Define stages of the VCD design process
- present human-centred research findings
(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 22)

Discover
Use Divergent Thinking to challenge assumptions and explore design problems and opportunities.

What matters most?
Students will consider and investigate issues that impact high school students in their daily home and school lives. These may be in the areas of study, busy lifestyles balancing study, part-time work, sporting and family commitments, wellbeing or any other relevant facet of teen life. Elaborations on some examples of issues affecting teens are;
Study patterns
Procrastination, creating an effective workspace, balancing time schedules, revising, summarising, preparing for tests, getting useful feedback and identifying gaps in knowledge.
Mental Health Awareness
Awareness about mental health issues among teenagers, reducing stigma, and finding ways to provide support to peers.
Social Justice and Equality
Advocating for social justice causes, such as racial equity, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights, and acting to promote inclusivity.
Bullying and Cyberbullying
Bullying in schools, both in-person and online, and finding ways to create safe and inclusive environments.
Good to know

Thanks for that
Why school topics?
The reason for suggesting that students select a design problem in the teen and school sphere is because in doing the following tasks they will need to act in the roles of audience members, users, stakeholders and designers. Their experiences and associations will enable their effective and authentic participation in Human-Centred-Design scenarios.
Choosing a human-centred design problem
A Human-Centred design problem refers to a challenge or issue framed in a way that places the needs, behaviours, and experiences of the end-users or people at the centre of the design process. It recognises that effective design solutions must start with a deep understanding of the people who will use or be affected by the design.
This can be done as an entire class with each student given a post-note or small square of paper to put onto a class brainstorm of problems or opportunities in the teen-lifestyle sphere. Once completed, the different suggestions offer a great starting point for discussions on how feasible the suggestion is and if it isn’t feasible, how it could be modified to make it a feasible Human-Centred design problem. Students elaborate and document the problem and using conceptions of Good Design that relate to the chosen Field of Design, consider goals for a solution.

Behaviour mapping
Behaviour mapping exercises often involve a combination of direct observations, surveys, interviews, and data analysis. The goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of how people behave in a specific context, enabling designers to make informed decisions and create more human-centred experiences. We will use a survey and an empathy map to identify and understand the context, audience members or users’ pain points and behaviours. Students will collect quantitative and qualitative data using Ethical Research methods.
Writing a survey
Writing an effective survey that will gather useful information is critical to being able to make informed decisions later on. Below is a model example of a survey that has been broken into components to help you gather and categorise quantitative and qualitative data, which can then be grouped and presented later in infographics such as graphs.
This task will draw on the tasks done in the Learning Page for this Area of Study. Students may need to flick back to that or other pages.
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SAMPLE survey
Survey on Identifying Gaps in Study Knowledge
(The introduction should provide a context for your survey and is an opportunity to communicate to your participants how you plan to conduct it in an ethical manner.)
Thank you for participating in this survey, Identifying Gaps in Study Knowledge. It has been shown that simply working harder is not very effective in raising academic scores. This survey is designed to gauge students’ current attitudes and practices in relation to how identifying gaps in their study knowledge may help them succeed at a higher level.
Your opinions are valuable and will help us better understand public perceptions and attitudes towards this critical issue. Please answer the following questions honestly and to the best of your knowledge. Your responses will remain anonymous and the data you provide will remain confidential.
Section 1: Demographics
(Gathering personal demographic data must be handled carefully and in accordance with the principles of ethical research. It is usually best not to collect personal information unless it relates directly to the study.)
Age: ____________ 1.2. Gender: ____________ 1.3. Location (City/Country): ____________
Section 2: Awareness and Knowledge
2.1. Are you aware that academic performance can be improved by identifying gaps in knowledge?
- Yes
- No
2.2. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being very little and 5 being very knowledgeable, how well-informed do you feel about ways you can identify gaps in study knowledge?
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
Section 3: Perceptions and Concerns
3.1. How concerned are you about identifying gaps in your study knowledge?
- Not concerned at all
- Slightly concerned
- Moderately concerned
- Very concerned
- Extremely concerned
3.2. In your opinion, what are the main causes of identifying gaps in your study knowledge (Select all that apply)
- Not paying attention in class
- Not doing private study
- Not getting feedback from teachers
- Not getting feedback from peers
- Not being prepared for class
- Not doing prior reading
- Other (please specify): ____________
3.3. Do you think enough is being done to address gaps in study knowledge at school?
- Yes, sufficient efforts are being made
- No, more needs to be done
- Not sure
Section 4: Personal Involvement
4.1. Have you personally taken any actions to identify and address gaps in study knowledge at school? (e.g., seeing a teacher at lunchtime, emailing them practice questions)
- Yes
- No
4.2. If yes, please briefly describe the actions you've taken:
(Insert text field for responses)
Section 5: Suggestions and Solutions
5.1. What do you believe can be effective solutions to help you identify and address gaps in study knowledge at school?
(Insert text field for responses)
Section 6: Additional Comments
6.1. Do you have any additional comments, thoughts, or suggestions related to identifying gaps in study knowledge that you'd like to share?
(Insert text field for responses)
(Conclude by thanking the participant for their feedback)
Thank you for completing this survey! Your input is valuable in our efforts to raise awareness and help students identify gaps in study knowledge.
task

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2.1 Brainstorm a potential Design Problem
Teachers will provide the class or groups of students with Post-it notes for this activity. They might run a class discussion to elicit a range of areas or issues concerned with life as a student. For example, balancing study, part-time work, sporting and family commitments, wellbeing or any other relevant facets.
Consider the topics and how they relate to you (students). Identify three aspects of life that present difficulties for you or people they know on separate Post-its. For example, I just can’t get started on my homework or some people just don’t seem to care about LGBTQ+ rights.
Teachers facilitate the gathering and sorting of ideas. These are then aggregated and read back to the class for consideration.
2.2 Identify and elaborate on a Design Problem
2.3 Empathy mapping
Begin by describing your target audience for the design problem you have framed, using audience characteristics to assist you with the details. Once you have described your audience, create an Empathy Map to help you gain a deeper understanding of what their needs are.
On an A3 sheet of paper, divide it up into four quadrants. Label each quadrant as shown below. Then interview a range of students to examine their thoughts and attitudes to the problem you have identified.
- Says: What do the users say? What are their thoughts, opinions, and verbal expressions related to the problem?
- Thinks: What are the users thinking? What are their concerns, fears, or aspirations related to the problem?
- Feels: How do the users feel emotionally? What are their emotional responses and attitudes regarding the problem?
- Does: What actions or behaviours do the users exhibit? What do they in relation to the problem?
In each quadrant use words, drawings, or simple symbols to represent what users say, think, feel, and do. Jump back to the Leaning Page if you need to brush up on Empathy Maps.
2.4 Conduct a survey using Ethical Research methods
Design a survey to enable you to collect quantitative and qualitative data about your audience or users’ knowledge, opinions and behaviour in relation to the Design Problem you have identified. Don’t forget to use Ethical Research methods. Run the survey with a group of students. Collect results.
2.5 Using Conceptions of Good Design
Consider a Field of Design that might be most appropriate for working ideas for a design solution for the Design Problem you identified in Task 2.2. Ask yourself if the problem might be best solved with a device, an experience, an informative graphic, an app or an environment. Once you have identified the Field of Design, describe several ways conceptions of Good Design might be applied to influence a preferred outcome.
Jump to

Define
Use Convergent Thinking to analyse, evaluate and present information for Human-Centred design.

SUMMARISE AND PRESENT
Students will consider and investigate issues that impact high school students in their daily home and school lives. These may be in the areas of study, busy lifestyles balancing study, part-time work, sporting and family commitments, wellbeing or any other relevant facet of teen life. Elaborations on some examples of issues affecting teens are;
Survey results

Survey results analysed, summarised and presented. Jess Briffa.
Survey results

Audience persona

An audience persona. Eve Wells.
task

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3.1 Audience Persona
Using the information you gathered about your target audience or users, create an audience persona to describe with words and images.
3.2 Review, summarise and present
Review, categorise and summarise the information you have collected from your survey. Use charts and graphs to present the information clearly and write a summary. Here are some questions to assist you with your written summary:
- What have you learned?
- Did any patterns emerge?
- Is there anything you heard again and again?
- What feels significant?
- What surprised you?
3.3 ‘How might we…’ insights
An insight is an understanding or realisation gained from information, data, or observations.
Looking at the information you have reviewed and summarised, narrow the problem down further by identifying three insights you have learned and adding ‘How might we…’ before each insight. In doing this it will assist in identifying possible ideas and offer you the chance to approach the problem in different ways.
3.4 Feedback and reflect
In small groups present your initial design problem, share your research findings, and based on your research findings, discuss your reframed problem. Members of the group provide feedback and ask questions so that everyone in the group has taken a turn.
Write a reflection based on your discussion of what your reframed problem is and if there is any further research or information that needs to be considered before writing the brief.
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Bringing it all together
The Brief is written at the conclusion of the Define stage, the end of the left diamond in the Design Process. It is the first point of convergence, midway in the Double Diamond. Students will write a Brief, based on the research they have gathered; identifying a communication need for the design problem they have reframed.
key skills

How I will demonstrate skills and knowledge
key Skills points for this outcome
- compose a brief identifying a communication need
- use appropriate design terminology in research, analysis and evaluation.
(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 22)
Writing the brief
Brief
The brief is a clear and concise document that outlines the objectives, scope, requirements, and expectations of a project. There is no required format that you must use but there is certain information that must be included. Below is a suggestion for a brief outline.
Client
Who is hiring you? (Students can use a fictitious or known business)
Design Problem
In discussing the design problem, be sure to cover the following questions:
- What is the problem? This needs to come from the research that you have undertaken and should be a narrower problem than the one you began with.
- Why? Provide detail in your discussion of why this problem should be addressed.
- What goals do you have? What results would you like to see?
Communication need
What is needed to address the design problem outlined above? Be sure to identify which design field you will be working in and keep the need open (without describing a solution) to allow for investigation.
Target Audience
This is your end user. Be sure to discuss characteristics and refer to your empathy mapping to assist with discussing your audience.
Purpose
What will be the purpose of your proposed design presentation?
Context
How and where will your final presentation format be seen?
Constraints and expectations
What limitations, requirements and considerations should be placed on the development of a potential solution? (these can be physical or functional limitations or aesthetic expectations)
Presentation format or deliverables
What will the designer be submitting at the end of the Design Process?
Design Evaluation Criteria
task

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4.1 Write brief
Write your Brief of approximately 500 – 600 words in accordance with your teacher’s instructions. Be sure to use a spell check before submitting.
4.2 Design evaluation criteria
Write design evaluation criteria that could be used to evaluate design ideas, concepts and solutions during the Design Process. Choose up to ten most important considerations identified in the Brief and put them into a table form.
4.3 Peer review
Present your design Briefs to a partner or small group. Explain how the Brief describes the project, the design brief's components, constraints and expectations and how the brief would guide the Design Process.
After each presentation, encourage classmates to ask questions and provide constructive feedback on the completeness and clarity of the design brief.
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assessment criteria
Below is a broad indication of the evidence a student should show.
Click here to purchase a complete assessment rubric for this task.
The extent to which the student:
- identifies and analyses past, present and personal conceptions of good design across various design fields
- formulates ideas about good design in future contexts
- uses conceptions of good design to identify human-centred design problems
- collaborates with others to explore and reframe design problems using human-centred and ethical research methods
- applies the Discover and Define stages of the VCD design process
- presents human-centred research findings
- composes a brief identifying a communication need
- uses appropriate design terminology in research, analysis and evaluation.
Please note: To achieve good marks in criteria-based assessment, you must include some work for each part of the task. Spread your time evenly across the tasks.