Introduction
Welcome to IB Design Technology 2027. This textbook is written for you — the student — to help you make sense of the course, prepare for exams, and approach the Internal Assessment with confidence.
How to use this book
Each chapter covers one syllabus topic. Every chapter follows the same structure so you always know where to find things:
- Key concepts — the core content. Read this first to build understanding.
- Case studies — real products that illustrate the concepts. These are gold for exam answers — examiners reward specific examples.
- Glossary — technical vocabulary. You are expected to use these terms accurately in exam answers and in your IA.
- Check your understanding — practice questions with model answers. Attempt the question first, then compare your answer to the model.
Do not try to memorise every word. Instead, aim for understanding: if you know why something works, you can answer any question on it — even one you have never seen before.
Course overview
Design Technology 2027 is organised into three strands:
| Strand | Title | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| A | Human nature, creativity and design | How we understand users and materials |
| B | Design thinking and the design process | How we turn understanding into products |
| C | Design as a global technology | The wider impact of design on society and planet |
Each strand has SL core topics that everyone studies, plus HL extension topics that Higher Level students study additionally.
Assessment structure
| Component | SL weighting | HL weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | 30% | 20% |
| Paper 2 (short and extended response) | 30% | 40% |
| Internal Assessment (design project) | 40% | 40% |
The exams test your knowledge of concepts, terminology, and ability to apply ideas to unfamiliar situations. The IA tests your ability to do design — research a real user problem, develop a solution through iteration, and evaluate the outcome.
The Internal Assessment
The IA is worth 40% of your final grade and is marked out of 33 against five criteria:
- Criterion A — Analysing the design opportunity
- Criterion B — Developing design specifications
- Criterion C — Developing ideas
- Criterion D — Presenting the solution
- Criterion E — Evaluating the solution
The IA is not a single piece of work done at the end of the course. It is a project you develop across multiple months, documenting each stage of the design process. Start thinking about user problems you care about now.
How design works
The course is built around a simple but powerful idea: good design starts with understanding real users, not with inventing clever solutions.
You will learn to: - Research users systematically - Translate their needs into measurable specifications - Generate multiple ideas before committing to one - Build prototypes that test specific questions - Evaluate honestly against evidence, not opinion
These habits apply to every design problem, from ergonomic tools to sustainable packaging to electronic systems. Master them early and every topic becomes easier.
A note on examples
Throughout this book you will see real products referenced — OXO Good Grips, Dyson vacuums, Nike Flyknit, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's circular economy work. These are not random. Examiners reward students who can point to specific, well-understood examples rather than vague claims.
Build your own bank of examples as you study. For every concept you learn, find one real product that illustrates it. When you walk past something in a shop, a kitchen, or a school corridor, ask yourself: what design decisions went into this, and why?
That curiosity is what the course is really about.