Glossary
Master glossary of terms used throughout the IB Design Technology 2027 course. Use this as a revision resource and quick reference.
A
Accessibility — the extent to which a product can be used by people with disabilities and varying abilities.
Actuator — an electronic component that converts an electrical signal into physical action (motor, solenoid, buzzer).
Additive manufacturing — building a part layer by layer (3D printing).
Aesthetic-usability effect — the tendency for attractive products to be perceived as more usable.
Agent of change — a designer who consciously uses design decisions to shape broader systems.
Anthropometrics — the branch of ergonomics concerned with measuring the human body.
Appearance model — a model finished to show the look of the final product without functioning internals.
B
Backlash — free play between mating mechanical parts.
Batch production — manufacture of identical units in groups.
Beam — a horizontal or transverse structural member resisting bending.
Behavioural design — design addressing pleasure and frustration during use.
Bending — load causing curvature in a structural member.
BOM — Bill of Materials; complete list of components with suppliers.
Buckling — sudden sideways failure of a slender compression member.
C
CAD — Computer-Aided Design.
CAM — Computer-Aided Manufacturing.
Cam — a shaped rotating element that drives a follower.
Capacitor — passive electronic component that stores electrical charge.
Ceramic — hard, brittle, insulating crystalline inorganic material.
Circular economy — economic model where products and materials remain in circulation through reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycling.
Clearance — space provided so that the largest user fits without obstruction, or free space between moving and stationary parts.
CNC — Computer Numerical Control machining.
Column — a vertical structural member resisting compression.
Comparative analysis — evaluation by comparison against existing products.
Composite — material combining two or more constituents with distinct phases.
Compression — force pushing a member together.
Continuous production — uninterrupted production of a single product.
Cradle-to-cradle — LCA boundary from raw extraction through recycling into new products.
Cradle-to-gate — LCA boundary from raw extraction to factory gate.
Cradle-to-grave — LCA boundary from raw extraction to final disposal.
Critical reflection — honest acknowledgement of strengths, weaknesses, and learning.
D
Dark pattern — a design intentionally manipulating users against their interests.
Datasheet — manufacturer document specifying a component's parameters.
Decision matrix — tool for comparing candidate materials numerically against weighted criteria.
Design for disassembly (DfD) — designing products to be taken apart easily at end of life.
Design journal — ongoing documentation of decisions, sketches, tests, and reflection.
Design process — structured approach from design opportunity to tested solution.
Design specification — a measurable requirement a product must meet.
Destructive test — loading a structure to failure to determine true capacity.
DFM — Design for Manufacture; designing to be easily and economically produced.
Diode — electronic component allowing current flow in one direction.
Draft angle — taper on a moulded feature to allow release from the mould.
Dynamic data — anthropometric measurements taken with the body in motion.
E
Efficiency — MA divided by VR, expressed as a percentage; ratio of useful output to input energy.
Elasticity — ability to return to original shape after deformation.
Embodied carbon — total CO₂ emissions associated with producing a material.
EMC — Electromagnetic Compatibility.
Emotional design — design considering users' emotional responses as primary.
Emotional durability — the quality of a product that makes users want to keep it.
Empathize — the design process stage of understanding users through research.
Empathy map — tool categorising research findings into what users say, think, do, feel.
Equitable use — a universal design principle: useful to users with diverse abilities.
Ergonomics — the study of the relationship between people and the products and environments they use.
Evaluation — systematic assessment of whether a design meets its objectives.
Extrusion — forcing material through a die to produce a continuous profile.
F
Fatigue test — repeated cyclic loading to reveal long-term failure modes.
FDM — Fused Deposition Modelling; 3D printing using extruded plastic filament.
FEA — Finite Element Analysis; computational simulation of stress distribution.
Feedback loop — the cycle of build, test, learn, refine.
Firmware — software running on a microcontroller.
Fixed cost — investment independent of units produced.
Follower — mechanical member that moves in response to a cam's profile.
Forming — shaping material without adding or removing it.
Friction — resistive force opposing relative motion between surfaces.
Fulcrum — the pivot point of a lever.
Functional model — model built to demonstrate specific mechanisms or operations.
Functional obsolescence — physical failure engineered into a product.
G
Gear ratio — the ratio of teeth between driven and driver gears.
Gear train — two or more gears meshed to transmit motion.
Greenwashing — misleading sustainability claims unsupported by practice.
GWP — Global Warming Potential; CO₂-equivalent emissions.
H
Hardness — a material's resistance to surface indentation or scratching.
High-fidelity prototype — refined prototype close to final product.
I
IC — integrated circuit; many components on one chip.
Ideate — design process stage of generating multiple potential solutions.
Injection moulding — forcing molten thermoplastic into a closed mould.
Inclusive design — designing products to work for the widest possible range of users.
Input — component converting a physical quantity to an electrical signal.
Integration — combining a mechanism or circuit with the surrounding product systems.
Interview — structured or semi-structured one-to-one conversation with a user.
Iteration — a cycle of building, testing, learning, refining.
Iterative design — refining a design through repeated cycles.
J
JIT — Just-in-Time; components arrive exactly when needed.
L
LCA — Life-cycle Assessment; structured environmental impact analysis.
LCI — Life-cycle Inventory; data collection stage of LCA.
LCIA — Life-cycle Impact Assessment; conversion of inventory to impact categories.
Lean manufacturing — systematic reduction of waste in production processes.
Learnability — how quickly a new user can begin using a product.
LED — light-emitting diode.
Lever — a rigid bar pivoting about a fulcrum.
Life cycle — all stages from raw material extraction through disposal.
Linear economy — traditional take-make-dispose economic model.
Linkage — pivoting bars producing complex motion paths.
Load path — the route applied forces travel through a structure.
Low-fidelity prototype — rough, quick, inexpensive prototype.
M
Mass customisation — mass-production methods producing individualised products.
Mass production — continuous manufacture of identical units at high volume.
Material cascading — using materials through successive lower-value applications.
Material selection — process of choosing a material best meeting design requirements.
MA — Mechanical Advantage; ratio of output force to input force.
Mechanism — assembly of moving parts that transmits or transforms motion.
Metal — crystalline material typically strong, stiff, and conductive.
Microcontroller — programmable IC with processor, memory, and I/O pins.
Mock-up — full-scale non-functional representation of a design.
Model — representation communicating aspects of a design.
Monocoque — shell structure deriving strength from its outer surface.
Multimodal design — design engaging multiple senses simultaneously.
N
Near-net-shape — manufacturing to a shape close to the final part.
Nesting — arranging parts on stock material to minimise waste.
O
Observation — research by watching users in their natural context.
Ohm's Law — V = I × R.
One-off production — manufacture of a single unique unit.
Output — component converting an electrical signal to physical action.
P
PCB — Printed Circuit Board.
Percentile — a value below which a given percentage of the population falls.
Persona — evidence-based fictional user profile representing a segment of real users.
Physiological factor — ergonomic consideration relating to body function over time.
Planned obsolescence — designing products to have a limited useful life.
Poka-yoke — mistake-proofing design preventing incorrect assembly.
Polymer — long-chain molecular material, lightweight and easily shaped.
Primary research — data collected first-hand for a specific project.
Product semantics — the study of meaning communicated through product form.
Product-as-a-service (PaaS) — business model selling function rather than ownership.
Prototype — tangible, testable representation of a design idea.
Psychological factor — ergonomic consideration relating to perception, emotion, cognition.
Q
QA — Quality Assurance; designing processes to prevent defects.
QC — Quality Control; inspecting products to detect defects.
Qualitative evaluation — evaluation using descriptive observations and quotes.
Quantitative evaluation — evaluation using numerical measurements.
R
Rapid prototyping — fast, computer-controlled fabrication methods.
Reach — distance a user must extend to operate a control.
Reciprocating — back-and-forth linear motion.
Reflective design — design addressing meaning users attach to ownership.
Remanufacturing — rebuilding used products to as-new specification.
Resistor — passive electronic component limiting current.
Reverse logistics — infrastructure for returning products to manufacturer.
R-hierarchy — ranking of circular strategies from refuse to recover.
Right to repair — movement advocating legal access to repair parts and documentation.
S
Safety factor — multiplier applied to expected loads to ensure reliability.
Schematic — logical diagram of a circuit using standard symbols.
Secondary research — existing data collected by others for other purposes.
Sensor — component converting a physical quantity into an electrical signal.
Sensory design — design engaging multiple senses intentionally.
Shape memory alloy — metal returning to a pre-set shape when heated.
Shear — force causing layers to slide past each other.
Situational impairment — temporary limitation caused by context rather than condition.
SLA — Stereolithography; 3D printing using laser-cured liquid resin.
Smart material — a material responding to an external stimulus in a controlled way.
Specific strength — strength per unit mass (strength-to-weight ratio).
Specific stiffness — stiffness per unit mass.
Specification check — evaluation by comparing product against each specification point.
SPC — Statistical Process Control.
Static data — anthropometric measurements taken with the body at rest.
Strain — ratio of deformation to original length.
Stress — force per unit cross-sectional area.
Structure — assembly designed to carry loads.
Style obsolescence — aesthetic updates making older products feel outdated.
Subtractive manufacturing — removing material to form a part.
Survey — set of written questions distributed to many users.
Sustainability — meeting present needs without compromising future generations.
System boundary — scope of stages included in an LCA.
T
Take-back scheme — manufacturer retrieval of products at end of life.
Tensile strength — maximum stress a material can withstand while being stretched.
Tension — force pulling a member apart.
Think-aloud protocol — usability testing method where users verbalise thoughts.
Thermoplastic — polymer softening when heated, reshapeable.
Thermoset — polymer curing irreversibly.
Tolerance — permitted variation from a nominal dimension.
Tooling — moulds, dies, jigs, or fixtures required for a manufacturing process.
Topology optimisation — computational method removing low-stress material iteratively.
Torque — rotational force (N·m).
Torsion — twisting force.
Toughness — energy a material absorbs before fracturing.
Triangulation (research) — confirming findings using three or more research methods.
Triple bottom line — evaluation framework considering people, planet, profit.
Truss — triangulated frame where members carry only tension or compression.
U
UCD — User-Centred Design.
Universal design — design approach producing products usable by all without adaptation.
UTS — Ultimate Tensile Strength.
Usability — ease with which a user achieves goals with a product.
User journey map — visual timeline of user actions, thoughts, emotions during a task.
User need — requirement essential for a product to be functional, safe, fit for purpose.
User want — preference enhancing satisfaction but not essential.
V
Variable cost — cost scaling with units produced.
Visceral design — design addressing immediate gut responses to appearance.
VR — Velocity Ratio; ratio of input distance to output distance.
W
Waste hierarchy — ranking of waste-reduction strategies from best (refuse) to worst (dispose).
WCAG — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Weighting — relative importance assigned to each selection criterion.
Working prototype — prototype demonstrating or testing functional behaviour.
Y
Yield point — stress at which permanent deformation begins.
Young's modulus — material property relating stress to strain in the elastic region.