Client Profiles & Needs

Overview

This 60-minute lesson, the 20th in the 25-lesson series "Innovations in Product Design," is designed for Year 10 students within the Technology curriculum. Students will develop skills to create detailed client profiles based on user research, aligning fully with the Curriculum for Wales framework. This lesson promotes key competencies such as critical thinking, communication, and digital literacy while fostering empathy and user-centred design thinking.

Curriculum Alignment

Curriculum for Wales (Tech Area: Design & Technology)

Statements of What Matters Addressed:

Cwricwlwm Cymru D&T (Design and Technology)
- SM3: "Design and develop meaningful, fit-for-purpose products by applying user-focused research and evaluation"
AO1: Understand the purpose of products through research, considering the needs of users and stakeholders.
AO2: Apply investigative skills to gather relevant user data and translate into user profiles.

Cross-curricular skills and dispositions:

Literacy: Precision in communication and note-taking.
Digital Competence: Using digital tools for research and profile creation.
Personal & Social Education: Developing empathy and collaboration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

LO1: Define what a client profile is and explain its relevance in product design (AO1).
LO2: Conduct user research, gathering meaningful data about client needs and preferences (AO1, AO2).
LO3: Construct detailed, multi-dimensional client profiles incorporating demographic, psychographic, and behavioural data (AO2).
LO4: Reflect on how client profiles influence design decisions, ensuring inclusivity and empathy.

Resources Needed

Projector/Interactive whiteboard
Laptops/tablets for research
Client Profile Template handouts (structured with headings for demographics, needs, behaviours, preferences, environment)
Example user research extracts (video/audio/text)
Sticky notes and flip chart paper
Access to online/software design tools (optional, eg. Canva, Google Docs)

Lesson Breakdown (60 minutes)

1. Starter Activity – “Why Do We Care About Clients?” (10 minutes)

Activity: Show a short video clip or narrative illustrating a failed product due to poor understanding of client needs (2-3 minutes).
Discussion: In pairs, students discuss how understanding clients can prevent failure.
Share: Collect key points on the board; highlight role of client profiles in successful design.
Learning Link: Emphasise LO1, defining client profiles.

2. Exploration & Research – “Investigating Our User” (15 minutes)

Introduce: Brief presentation on methods of user research (interviews, surveys, observation). Use simplified examples relevant to student interests.
Group Activity: Divide class into small groups (3 students). Give each a different user research extract (video/audio/text).
Task: Extract relevant data - demographics, needs, behaviours. They annotate or take notes digitally/on paper.
Teacher Role: Circulate; scaffold understanding of data categories and relevance (LO2).

3. Creation – “Building the Client Profile” (20 minutes)

Instruction: Hand out structured Client Profile Templates.
Task: Using their research, groups complete a detailed client profile. Encourage use of digital tools where possible to create visually engaging profiles (e.g., Canva or Google Slides).
Focus: Ensure profiles represent both functional and emotional needs; consider accessibility and inclusivity (LO3).
Extension: Maybe incorporate persona naming and visual representation (age, occupation, interests).

4. Reflection and Sharing (10 minutes)

Group Presentations: Each group presents their client profile briefly (2 minutes max).
Class Discussion: Reflect on how these profiles can influence design choices; what challenges or surprises emerged. Link to LO4.
Teacher-led Synthesis: Summarise the importance of user-centred design and empathic research.

5. Plenary: “Profile Impact” – Quick Quiz & Think-Pair-Share (5 minutes)

Quick quiz: Using coloured cards or digital quiz (e.g., Kahoot), test key understanding, e.g.:
- What is one key element of a client profile?
- Why is user research important?
- Name one way client profiles impact product design.
Think-Pair-Share: Students finalise one action they will take in next design stage based on client insights.

Assessment & Evaluation

Formative: Observation during group discussions and presentations; questioning to probe understanding of client profile components and purpose.
Summative: Completed client profile templates assessed against a rubric for detail, accuracy, relevance to user research, and empathetic insight.
Provide feedback focusing on depth of research, understanding of client needs, and clarity of profile communication.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Provide scaffolded templates for students needing additional support.
Challenge advanced students to include cultural, technological or environmental factors affecting clients.
Use mixed-ability groups to promote peer learning.
Include varied media for user research to engage multiple learning styles.

Teacher’s Notes / Tips

Encourage students to 'think like designers' by visualising real people behind client profiles, fostering empathy and creativity.
Use examples within student culture or familiar contexts to boost engagement.
Highlight digital literacy by allowing students to creatively present profiles (not just text).
Emphasise the iterative nature of design and user research – client profiles are living documents.

With this lesson, students will closely engage with the Curriculum for Wales’s emphasis on user-centred design and meaningful product development, developing critical 21st century skills and preparing for their upcoming design challenges.

Teaching Instructions