Why is this handle uncomfortable?
Begin by noticingNotice who uses it and what is difficult.
In DP, investigate and explainInvestigate users’ needs, compare measurements and justify a design change.
Human factorsA1.1 / B1.1YOUR DESIGN TECHNOLOGY JOURNEY
Discover DT.
Find your way to learn.
Understand people. Explore how things work. Make and test better ideas. IBDP means the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Explore what comes next or find your way through your current learning.
Which describes you today?
You can switch whenever you like. Age does not lock you into a path.
New to DT? Start with these three steps
- Read the Ergonomics introduction
Begin with Ergonomics: how a product fits the person using it. Read its overview before trying the lab.
- Try the Ergonomics lab
Follow its instructions. Change one condition, notice what happens and try explaining what you saw.
- Explore what comes next
Use the map and future-learning examples to see the different ways you could learn. Ask your teacher about DP or contact us about protected access.
YOUR WEBSITE MAP
Different places. Different jobs.
Select a place to see what it does and where to go. The raised tiles are navigation symbols, not a physical campus or a required learning order.
EXPLORE YOUR FUTURE LEARNING
From everyday questions to design decisions
Design Technology is about solving problems for people. DP develops this through design in theory, design in practice and design in context. Middle-school exploration can start with noticing, sketching and trying things. DP asks you to investigate more carefully and justify decisions with evidence. These are possible connections, not a compulsory middle-school programme.
Why does this shelf bend?
Begin by noticingLook at its supports, material and load.
In DP, investigate and explainUse controlled comparisons and calculations to explain how a structure responds.
Structural systems · higher level (HL)A3.2 / B3.2How could I improve this product?
Begin by noticingSketch an idea and try a simple model.
In DP, investigate and explainChoose what a prototype must test, compare evidence and refine your design.
Design & prototypingA2.2 / B2.1 / B2.2What would you actually do in DP?
Investigate people’s needs, use technical ideas and calculations, sketch and model, test and evaluate, and explain decisions with evidence. In the design project, redesign an existing product for an intended user and develop a physical model for testing.
Standard level (SL) and higher level (HL) share core learning. HL includes additional areas, such as Structural systems. This website supports learning; practical work and teacher guidance still matter. Exploring here does not enrol you in DP. Ask your school about subject choices and entry requirements.
Read the IB’s overview of the course for first assessment 2027 ↗A small first stepSee how a product fits the person using it.Read the Ergonomics overview Try the Ergonomics lab
ONE QUESTION, FOUR CONNECTED PLACES
One example: investigating a shelf
A structure carries a load. Here, the shelf is the structure and the book is the load. The supports are the parts holding the shelf up. This familiar setup shows what you would do on the website, before opening any protected activity.
Your starting question
Does moving the same book change how much load each support carries?
First notice what changes and what stays the same. Then use the linked activities to test your prediction and explain the evidence.
The book touches the shelf. Each support touches the underside of the shelf.
Dashed outline: where the book started. Arrow: the book’s move, not a force arrow.
Original public orientation drawing · not a simulation or measured result. It shows the setup and the change to investigate; it does not show calculated forces, bending or a safe load limit.
The explanation above is publicly accessible. The activities below require login.
Opening any of these four links requires login. The full lesson, investigation tasks, adjustable model, calculations and worked guidance stay inside the protected website. This guide does not unlock these activities.
For current students: this example belongs to the higher-level (HL) Structural course, in its Forces, supports and reactions chapter. Begin with your teacher’s assigned course and follow its stages; these cards explain the connections rather than replacing the chapter’s instructions.
- 1
Course · find the investigation
Open the Forces, supports and reactions chapter. Read its starting question and earlier stages so you know what you are investigating and what you need first.
Keep for your explanation: Your prediction, before opening worked guidance.
Open the chapter — login requiredLogin required - 2
Lab · organise your evidence
In the Force diagrams lab (B3.2.4), follow the supplied investigation. Identify the load and supports, record the conditions you compare, and build an explanation using the evidence.
Keep for your explanation: The conditions, a diagram with your own labels, and what you saw in the diagram and readings.
Open the linked lab — login requiredLogin required - 3
Studio · change and compare
Open “Shelf · move the load”. Change the load position while keeping the other conditions fixed. Compare the main diagram and readings before and after, then check them against your prediction.
Keep for your explanation: A before-and-after comparison: what changed, what stayed fixed and what the model showed.
Open the shelf studio — login requiredLogin required - 4
Course · explain what you found
Return to the same chapter. Use your comparison to explain the cause and effect in your own words. Follow the chapter’s retest and next-question stages if your explanation needs improvement.
Keep for your explanation: Your evidence-based explanation and any question the model cannot answer.
Return to the course — login requiredLogin required
What connects the four places? The course gives you a path; the lab helps you organise an investigation; the studio lets you change the model; back in the course, you explain what your evidence supports. A model result alone does not prove a real shelf is safe.
Keep your place
Use the activity’s course or lesson return link. If you get lost, choose Start here in the website menu. Linked activities do not automatically transfer your notes. Saving varies by activity: check its saving notice before leaving, and keep any required evidence.
Before you open an activity
A few useful checks for visitors and current students.
What happens when a link requires login?
If you are not logged in, a protected page asks you to log in. Use your authorised email address. Only authorised email addresses can log in. This guide and the existing Ergonomics introduction and A1.1.1 lab are publicly accessible; contact us if you need access help.
Do I need to do every activity?
Follow your teacher’s assigned course and its prerequisites. Standard level (SL) and higher level (HL) share core learning; some areas are HL only. The shelf example here is HL. The map shows the available places, not a compulsory order or a requirement to complete everything.
How do I keep my place and my work?
Public previews do not save answers, settings or progress. Refreshing or leaving clears them. Open the learning studio and log in before work you want to keep; preview work is not transferred.
Need help getting started?
Publicly accessible content can be viewed without login. Pages marked “Login required” only open if your email has been authorised. If you are choosing subjects, ask your teacher which route is appropriate.
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