Chapter 5: CORE Knowledge
Links to useful websites
General
- www.design-technology.org/
- www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/
- www.techitoutuk.com/index.html (D&T online resources for all areas)
- www.bpf.co.uk/ (Excellent on plastic processing)
- www.howstuffworks.com/
- www.designmuseum.org/
- www.technologystudent.com/joints/joindex.htm
- www.plasticsresource.com/s_plasticsresource/index.asp
- www.sdplastics.com/plastics.html
- www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/
- www.ubeaut.com.au/badwood.htm (Health hazards and wood)
- www.woodworking.org/WC/woodsampler.html (Lots about wood)
- www.solidwoodflooring.com/fpgeneralinfo.htm (Great for cutting and pasting wood samples)
- www.azom.com/ (The A–Z of materials. Very comprehensive site)
- www.designinsite.dk/ (Useful – good for smart materials and higher level materials technology)
- www.airpress.uk.com/UK/index2.htm (Innovators and manufacturers of vacuum pressing systems for the woodworking, thermoplastic and composite industries)
- www.interestingtimbers.co.uk/ (Useful site – wood and timber technology)
- www.productionnavigator.com (Production)
- www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/Hardwoodsandsoftwoods.htm
- www.designaddict.com/ (Design classics)
- www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revision/ (Revision)
- www.design-technology.org/ (Excellent range of free materials produced by teachers for teachers)
- www.bsi-global.com/ (British Standards Institution)
- www.ergonomics.org.uk/
- www.seymourpowell.co.uk/
- www.designdirectory.co.uk/
- www.hse.gov.uk/ (The Health and Safety Executive – essential core knowledge for students)
- www.design-council.org.uk/en/ (Very useful site that keeps you in the picture. Particularly good design case studies)
- www.designcouncil.org.uk/ (Inclusive Design. Paper on ‘Living Longer’)
Graphics
- www.howstuffworks.com/
- www.designmuseum.org/
- archive.cardesignnews.com/studio/tutorials/index.php (Useful tutorials for things like spirit marker rendering)
Manufacturing
- manufacturing.stanford.edu/ (How everyday things are made)
- www.ider.herts.ac.uk/ider/concdef.htm (Concurrent engineering)
- www.bpf.co.uk/bpfindustry/process_plastics.cfm
- www.kewell-converters.co.uk/manufacturing_videos.htm
- www.yourtechtv.com/videoList.php?pg=videonew&cid=17
Designers
Revision
- www.design-technology.info/home.htm (D&T on the web)
- www.dtonline.org/apps/menu/app?1&0 (DT Online)
Universal design
- www.cae.org.uk/ (Ethics/value)
- www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/44 (An excellent site full of interesting facts and figures. Gives a strong ethical dimension)
Sustainability
- www.ecofriendlyweb.co.uk/
- www.itdg.org/
- www.sda-uk.org/
- www.designgreen.org/ (Excellent site full of useful information)
- www.d4s-de.org/ (Design for sustainability)
- www.cfsd.org.uk/ (The centre for sustainable design)
- www.pre.nl/ecodesign/ecodesign.htm (10 guidelines for eco-friendly design)
- www.cat.org.uk/index.tmpl?refer=index&init=1 (Centre for alternative energy)
- www.designthatmatters.org/ (A charity organization that develops sustainable technology for developing countries)
- www.worldchanging.com/ (Plenty to think about on this site with regard to climate change and the impact of technology)
Ergonomics / Human Factors
- www.technologystudent.com/designpro/ergo1.htm
- www.ergonomics4schools.co.uk/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics (Link to article on ergonomics that gives good examples of the five aspects of ergonomics, safety, comfort, ease of use, productivity/performance, and aesthetics. Based on these aspects of ergonomics, examples are given of how products or systems could benefit from redesign based on ergonomic principles)
- www.baddesigns.com/ (A scrapbook of illustrated examples of products that are hard to use because they do not follow human factors principles. By Michael J. Darnell)
- www.hfes-europe.org/badergo/ec_bad.htm (In the USA www.baddesigns.com is a site that demonstrates that there are a lot of designs that could do with ergonomic improvement. In German you could call this Ärgernomie, in Dutch Ergernomie. And things are not much better in Europe, as you can see on these pages)
- www.uq.edu.au/eaol/apr97/handle.html (Patkin, M. (1997). A checklist for handle design. Ergonomics Australia On-Line, 11 (2). (www.uq.edu.au/eaol/Apr97/handle.html))
- www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?review=1#url=www.penagain.com/ (This claims to be the world’s most comfortable pen)
- www.visualexpert.com/Resources/humanvsdesignerror.html (Illustrates poor human factors produces errors that are better described as design error than as human errors)
- humanfactors.typepad.com/Design (Research, Ergonomics, Human Factors and Usability – provided by IDSA Human Factors Section)
- www.chrisvanstone.com/DM/images/DCMethodcardsSample.pdf (DMC resource – understanding users)
- www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/About-Design/Design-Techniques/Inclusive-design/Examples/
- www.designcouncil.org.uk/en/Design-Council/Files/System-Files/Download/ (Both the UK and world populations are ageing – this policy paper raises awareness of the resulting issues and sets out how design can respond. Living Longer is written by Roger Coleman, of the Helen Hamlyn Centre)
- allsteeloffice.com/ (Ergonomics and design – a reference guide)
- www.ergonomics.org.uk (The Ergonomics Society – many articles, links, etc)
Food
