IB MYP Design – Key and related concepts in design Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – the IB holds copyright in its own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available through your school or the IB store.

This practice set covers the key and related concepts of IB MYP Design, anthropometric percentile data, statements of inquiry and inquiry questions. It is aligned to the International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Design, from 2014, and suits MYP years 4 and 5 (there is no SL/HL split). MYP has no prescribed content list; schools design their own units, and this set covers the key concepts and related-concept examples the IB’s brief lists for design.

Each question is labelled with the criterion it trains. Real MYP work is judged against criterion level descriptors (achievement levels 1–8, in four bands), so the [1] points in the answers are a revision aid, not IB marks. Your teacher will share the task-specific clarifications for assessed work. All data and places in the questions are fictional.

Study first with the key and related concepts study guide and revision notes. Also: course hub, checklist, criteria in practice questions.

Questions

1. (Criterion A) State the four key concepts that the MYP design brief names. [2]

2. (Criterion A) Define ergonomics and name the three kinds of factor it covers. [4]

3. (Criterion A) Innovation is one of the related concepts in design.

(a) Distinguish between invention and innovation. [2] (b) Classify each change as incremental or radical innovation: (i) a music app adds a sleep timer; (ii) video streaming replaces renting films on discs. [2]

4. (Criterion A) A fictional school greenhouse has a roof vent that opens automatically when the air gets too warm. Describe the vent as a system by identifying its input, process, output and feedback. [4]

5. (Criterion B) A designer is specifying an adjustable desk for students aged 14–16. Fictional data give seated elbow height as 600 mm at the 5th percentile and 700 mm at the 95th percentile, measured from the floor. The desk surface should sit 20 mm below elbow height.

(a) Calculate the lowest and highest desk heights needed. [2] (b) State how much height adjustment the desk mechanism must provide. [1] (c) Explain why a fixed desk at the 50th-percentile height would be a poor choice. [1]

6. (Criterion B) For each item, state whether you would design to the 5th or the 95th percentile, and name the type of problem (reach or clearance): (i) the height of the top shelf in a classroom cupboard; (ii) the height of the doorway of a garden shed; (iii) the opening inside a mug handle. [3]

7. (Criterion D) Two chair prototypes were tested by the same 8 users, who rated comfort from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

Tester	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Prototype A	4	3	5	4	2	4	3	5
Prototype B	3	3	4	2	3	3	2	4

(a) Calculate the mean rating for each prototype. [2] (b) State how many testers rated Prototype A at 4 or higher. [1] (c) Write a conclusion about comfort, and give one limitation of this test. [2]

8. (Criterion D) A fictional snack company redesigns its packaging. Each pack’s mass falls from 48 g to 30 g, and the company makes 12,000 packs a month.

(a) Calculate the percentage reduction in packaging mass per pack. [2] (b) Calculate the mass of packaging saved each month, in kilograms. [2] (c) Give one sustainability factor that the mass figures do not show. [1]

9. (Criterion A) A class is starting a unit on designing seating for a fictional town square in Norland.

(a) Classify each question as factual, conceptual or debatable: (i) “What is the 95th-percentile hip breadth for adults in Norland?” (ii) “Should public seating be designed to stop people lying down on it?” (iii) “How does the choice of material affect how long a product lasts outdoors?” [3] (b) Write one question of each type for a unit on designing a bicycle-parking rack. [3]

10. (Criterion A) A student writes this statement of inquiry for a unit on a phone app that helps students plan homework: “How can we make a good homework app?”

(a) Identify two weaknesses in this statement of inquiry. [2] (b) Rewrite it as a stronger statement of inquiry, and state the key concept, related concept and global context you have used. [3] (c) Explain why your rewritten statement is transferable to other design units. [2]

11. (Criteria A and D – extended response) A fictional community library in Norland wants a self-service book-returns kiosk. Many users are older residents; some use wheelchairs; a few have low vision. A designer proposes a kiosk with a single slot 1,400 mm above the floor, a touchscreen with small grey text on a white background, and no sound.

Using the key concept of communication and the related concepts of ergonomics and adaptation, analyse the problems with this proposal and evaluate how it could be improved for this community. [10]

Answers

1. Communication and communities [1]; development and systems [1]. [2] Examiner insight: Related concepts such as ergonomics are not key concepts; mixing the two lists in a recall answer earns nothing for the misplaced items.

2. Ergonomics is designing products, tasks and environments to fit the people who use them [1]. Physical or anthropometric factors (body sizes) [1]; physiological factors (strength, comfort, stamina) [1]; psychological factors (perception, feelings, clarity of controls) [1]. [4] Examiner insight: A definition that says only “making things comfortable” misses that ergonomics is about fitting the user and gains no definition credit.

3. (a) Invention is creating a new product or idea, which may never be used [1]; innovation is putting a new idea or new combination into successful use or adoption [1]. (b) (i) Incremental – an added feature to an existing product [1]; (ii) radical – it changed how people access films [1]. Examiner insight: “Innovation is a new invention” repeats the word being defined; the adoption or use point is the part that earns the distinction.

4. Input: the temperature sensor’s reading of the air [1]. Process: a controller compares the reading with the set temperature [1]. Output: a motor opens the vent [1]. Feedback: as warm air escapes the reading falls, and the vent closes when the set level is reached [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Feedback must close the loop back to the input; “the vent opens” is the output, and repeating it as feedback scores only once.

5. (a) 600 − 20 = 580 mm [1]; 700 − 20 = 680 mm [1]. (b) 680 − 580 = 100 mm of adjustment [1]. (c) A 50th-percentile height fits only mid-size users; smaller and larger students would sit at the wrong height [1]. Examiner insight: A size written without units, or without the percentile it came from, cannot be checked against a specification, so state “mm” and the data used.

6. (i) Reach – 5th percentile [1]; (ii) clearance – 95th percentile [1]; (iii) clearance – 95th percentile finger size [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Each point needs both the percentile and the reason type; “95th because it is bigger” does not show you know it is a clearance problem.

7. (a) A: 30 ÷ 8 = 3.75 [1]; B: 24 ÷ 8 = 3.0 [1]. (b) 5 testers (testers 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8) [1]. (c) Prototype A was rated more comfortable: higher mean (3.75 against 3.0) and more testers giving 4 or 5 [1]. Limitation: only 8 testers and subjective ratings; test more users from the target group [1]. Examiner insight: A conclusion earns credit only when it quotes the data; “A was better” with no figures is an opinion, not an evaluation.

8. (a) (48 − 30) ÷ 48 × 100 [1] = 37.5% [1]. (b) 18 g × 12,000 = 216,000 g [1] = 216 kg [1]. (c) Any one: whether the new material can be recycled; the energy used to make it; transport emissions; whether it still protects the food and prevents waste [1]. Examiner insight: The percentage change divides by the original mass (48 g); dividing by 30 g gives 60% and loses the accuracy point.

9. (a) (i) Factual [1]; (ii) debatable [1]; (iii) conceptual [1]. (b) Any valid example of each, e.g. factual: “What handlebar width do most adult bicycles have?” [1]; conceptual: “How does the layout of a system affect how quickly users can use it?” [1]; debatable: “Should cycle parking take space from car parking in town centres?” [1]. Examiner insight: A debatable question must allow evidence-based answers on both sides; “Is cycling good?” is too vague to be argued either way and scores nothing.

10. (a) It is a question, not a statement [1]; it names one product and contains no concept or global context, so it cannot transfer [1]. (b) Example: “Systems that communicate information clearly help people organise their time and take responsibility for their choices.” [1] Key concept: systems (or communication) [1]; related concept and global context stated, e.g. ergonomics (psychological – clarity for the user) and identities and relationships [1]. (c) It names no product, so it applies to a timetable, planner or transport app [1]; it states a conceptual relationship (clear systems → better decisions) testable in any of them [1]. Examiner insight: Naming the concepts is not enough; the statement itself must contain the idea, or the concept list will not match what was written.

11. Indicative creditworthy points, one each:

• Communication: small grey text on white has low contrast, so users with low vision cannot read the screen [1].
• Communication: no sound means there is no second channel to confirm a book has been returned [1].
• Improvement: large, high-contrast text and an audio confirmation, so information reaches users through two senses [1].
• Ergonomics (reach): a 1,400 mm slot is too high for wheelchair users; reach problems are designed for the small user (5th percentile of the group, including seated users) [1].
• Improvement: add a lower slot, set from seated reach data for older adults [1].
• Ergonomics (physiological): older residents may have less grip strength, so the slot should need little force [1].
• Adaptation: adapt the standard kiosk (lower, upward-tilted screen; larger buttons) for this community [1].
• Adaptation: add a physical button as well as the touchscreen for users who find touchscreens hard [1].
• Evaluation method: test a prototype with older, wheelchair and low-vision users, recording success rates [1].
• Justified judgement: the proposal excludes much of this community; low-cost changes would make it usable by most users [1]. [10] Examiner insight: Naming communication, ergonomics and adaptation without linking each to a feature of this kiosk and this community stays descriptive; end with a justified judgement.

Where marks are usually lost

• Listing related concepts when the question asks for key concepts.
• Defining a concept by repeating its name (“innovation is being innovative”).
• Choosing the 95th percentile for a reach problem, or the 5th for a clearance problem.
• Forgetting the allowance (20 mm, shoes, clothing) before stating a final size.
• Dividing by the new value instead of the original in a percentage-change question.
• Stating a test conclusion with no figures from the data.
• Writing a statement of inquiry as a question, or tying it to one product.
• Naming concepts in an extended response without linking each one to a specific feature and user.

Next steps

• Key and related concepts revision notes
• Key and related concepts study guide
• ePortfolio preparation checklist
• IB MYP Design course hub
• Printable MYP Design checklist
• All free 10-minute diagnostics
• Book a free trial class

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Middle Years Programme Subject Brief – Design, from 2014. The brief names the key concepts and related-concept examples used here and says each criterion has eight achievement levels in four bands; all questions and data are original and fictional.