MYP Design
The MYP design cycle, explained stage by stage
The design cycle is the heart of MYP Design. It has four stages — inquiring and analysing, developing ideas, creating the solution, and evaluating — and each stage is assessed by one of the four MYP Design criteria on the 0–8 scale. The cycle is iterative: testing regularly sends designers back to an earlier stage, and the process journal is where that thinking is evidenced.
- A
Inquiring and analysing
What is the problem, and who has it?
Criterion A strands
- Explain and justify the need for a solution to a problem for a specified client or target audience.
- Identify and prioritize the primary and secondary research needed to develop a solution.
- Analyse a group of similar existing products that inspire a solution.
- Develop a design brief that summarizes the analysis of the relevant research.
In practice: Grade 7 students investigate how much shade the school courtyard actually provides at midday, interview students who use it, and analyse three existing shade structures before writing a brief.
- B
Developing ideas
Which idea best meets the specification, and how will it be made?
Criterion B strands
- Develop a design specification with success criteria that can be tested.
- Present a range of feasible design ideas that can be correctly interpreted by others.
- Present the chosen design and justify its selection against the specification.
- Develop accurate and detailed planning drawings, diagrams or flowcharts of the chosen solution.
In practice: Three shade designs are sketched and annotated. The chosen one is justified against criteria such as "must shade 4 m² between 11:00 and 14:00", then drawn to scale.
- C
Creating the solution
Can I make it, safely and accurately, and record what I changed?
Criterion C strands
- Construct a logical plan that describes the making, with time and resources.
- Demonstrate excellent technical skills when making the solution.
- Follow the plan to create the solution and justify any changes made to it.
- Present the solution as a whole, in an appropriate format.
In practice: The prototype is built over four lessons. When the fabric sags, the student widens the frame and records the change and the reason in the process journal.
- D
Evaluating
Did it work, how do I know, and what would I improve?
Criterion D strands
- Design detailed and relevant testing methods to measure the success of the solution.
- Explain the success of the solution against the design specification.
- Explain how the solution could be improved.
- Explain the impact of the solution on the client or target audience.
In practice: Shade area is measured at three times of day across two days. Two criteria are met, one is not, and the student explains a wider panel as the improvement.
The process journal
The process journal is not assessed as a separate criterion, but it is where the evidence for all four criteria lives: research notes with sources, product analysis, the design brief, specification, idea sketches, planning drawings, the making plan, photographs of each stage, every change and its justification, and the test results.
Five common mistakes
- Writing a specification that cannot be tested ("it should look nice") — the evaluation then has nothing to check.
- Presenting one idea instead of a range, which removes any real justification in Criterion B.
- Treating the process journal as a diary. It is evidence: research, sources, sketches, plans, changes and test results.
- Evaluating with opinions rather than test data.
- Forgetting the client. Impact on the person who has the problem is an explicit strand of Criterion D.
Use the cycle in real lessons
Every EduLib Design lesson runs the full cycle, from a Grade 6 card model to a Grade 10 smart system, with Criteria A–D mapped and a design-cycle organizer built in.