L3 Inquiry - Context

Places to find Big Picture Ideas 

If you are keen to solve an issue check out some of these places... 

Examples 

Automation / school use context
Inquiry focus: I am investigating how automated electronic or mechatronic systems could improve efficiency, safety, or convenience in a school environment, and what users would need from such a system.
Why it matters: Automation can solve real problems, but only if the system is reliable, practical, and suited to the people using it. If user needs are not understood properly, the system may create frustration instead of helping. Investigating this will help guide more appropriate design decisions later.

Environmental / sustainability context
Inquiry focus: I am investigating how electronics and mechatronics outcomes can be designed to reduce wasted energy, materials, or resources, and what trade-offs exist between performance, cost, and sustainability.
Why it matters: Many modern systems rely on electronics and automation, but they also consume power and materials. Poor design can increase waste and reduce efficiency. Understanding these issues will help me make more informed and responsible design choices later.

Safety / monitoring context
Inquiry focus: I am investigating how electronic sensing and feedback systems can be used to improve safety, awareness, or monitoring in a real-world context, and what makes these systems useful and trustworthy for users.
Why it matters: Sensing and monitoring systems are common in homes, schools, workplaces, and transport. If they are unreliable, unclear, or difficult to interpret, people may ignore them or use them incorrectly. Investigating this will help ensure later design decisions are practical and justified.

Assistive / wellbeing context
Inquiry focus: I am investigating how an electronic or mechatronic outcome could support wellbeing, independence, or daily life for a particular group of users, and what design features would make it genuinely helpful.
Why it matters: Technology can make everyday tasks easier and more accessible, but only when it responds to real needs rather than assumed ones. Poorly targeted solutions can be inconvenient or unused. Understanding the users and their needs will help me design something more meaningful later.

You now have a focus area. Next, write one “big question” that you will investigate and try to respond to through your project.

Your Big Question should be:

• clear and researchable

• focused on the need/issue/opportunity and the people involved

• written without describing the specific solution yet (no “I will build an app…”)

Tip: A strong Big Question helps you gather evidence across:

• Part A: users and needs

• Part B: technical/practical feasibility and conventions

• Part C: wider implications and responsibilities 

Strong Big Question starters (choose one)

• How might… (user group) … (achieve/experience) … (need/goal) … (in context), while considering (key constraint/implication)?

• What makes… (a digital experience/outcome) effective and inclusive for… (user group) when… (context/constraints)?

• Why do… (users) struggle with… (issue), and what factors most influence successful outcomes?

• What information or support do… (audience) need to… (make a decision/participate safely), and what makes that information trustworthy and easy to understand?

• How can… (topic/representation/experience) be designed or communicated in a way that is (accurate/respectful/accessibile) for… (audience)?

Examples 

Games

• What makes a co-operative game engaging and accessible for teenage players with different skill levels and needs, and what design choices most influence that experience?
  
  

Animation / drawing

• How do visual style and motion choices in 2D animation affect teenage viewers’ understanding and emotional response, and what makes an animation clear and accessible?
  
  

Helping an older person

• What barriers do older adults face when completing (task) using digital tools, and what makes support simple, accessible, and confidence-building?
  
  

School/community organisation

• What information and features do (group) need to communicate and organise effectively, and what makes a digital experience easy to use and trustworthy for them?
  
  

Mental health awareness

• How can mental health information be communicated to teenagers in a way that is supportive, accurate, and safe, and what makes it more likely to be understood and acted on?
  
  

Identity & representation in media

• What does respectful trans representation in fictional media look like from different perspectives, and what choices help avoid harm while supporting understanding and belonging?
  
  

Generic templates

• How might we help (user group) complete (task) more easily and confidently, and what constraints (accessibility/privacy/time) must be considered?

• What does (audience) need to know to make better choices about (topic) , and what makes that information easy to understand and trust?

Break it down by asking more questions

You have your Big Question — now you need a set of smaller questions to help you investigate it properly.

Your goal is to gather evidence, not just opinions, so that you can:

• refine your inquiry focus if needed

• propose a strong digital technologies outcome

• explain risks and how you will manage them

• justify your decisions using research

As you create your questions, think about:

• What do I already know, and what don’t I know yet? (Where are my gaps?)

• What assumptions might I be making?

• What would I need to find out to make good design decisions later?

At Level 3, you don’t just collect “facts”. You build a critical inquiry

You will explore:

• Evidence & perspectives = What do different people/experts say, and why might they disagree?

• Critical evaluation = How trustworthy are the sources and claims? What bias, limits, or gaps might exist?

• Implications for design = What does this mean for what your outcome should prioritise, avoid, or handle carefully?

An easy way to make sure you get a wide lense is to split your research into 3 parts...

Part A - User & Human Perspective

Purpose: Understand the people who will use, be affected by, or interact with what you propose. 

Evidence & perspectives: Who are the users/stakeholders? (include majority + extreme users). What do they need, value, or find difficult?. What similar outcomes already exist, and how do people experience them?

Compare & contrast (Merit): Where do different user/stakeholder perspectives agree or disagree? What trade-offs show up?

Critical evaluation (Excellence): How trustworthy is the information you’re using about users (and why)?

UX methodologies (design link): Investigate relevant user experience (UX) methods you could use during design and development, for example: interviews, surveys, observation, personas and user journeys, usability testing, heuristic evaluation, accessibility checks. Explain which methods would suit your users and context, what evidence they would give you, and what you would need to do to keep the results fair and useful (e.g., sample choice, avoiding leading questions).

Implications for design: What should your outcome prioritise to be usable, accessible, and appropriate for your audience?

Part B - Technical & Practical Perspective

Purpose: Investigate tools, methods, conventions, and feasibility of creating your proposed outcome. 

Evidence & perspectives: How are outcomes like this usually made? What tools/workflows are used? What works well, what doesn’t, and why? What constraints affect feasibility (time, cost, skill, performance, platform)?

Compare & contrast (Merit): Compare approaches/tools/workflows. Which is most suitable for your context and why?

Conventions: What “rules of the craft” apply in your area (e.g., usability heuristics, accessibility standards, naming conventions, asset pipelines, file formats, testing methods)?

Critical evaluation (Excellence): Is the technical information evidence-based and current, or opinion/marketing?

Implications for design: What technical constraints and quality standards will shape your decisions?

Part C - Wider Implications & Perspectives

Purpose: Understand responsibilities and impacts beyond just the user. 

Evidence & perspectives: What wider issues connect to your focus (social, cultural, ethical, legal, environmental)? What do experts, policies, or debates say?

Compare & contrast (Merit): Where do viewpoints conflict (e.g., convenience vs privacy, innovation vs harm)? What risks or responsibilities emerge?

Critical evaluation (Excellence): How accurate, relevant, reliable, and significant are the claims you’re using?

Implications for design: What must you address or mitigate (privacy, IP, fairness/bias, accessibility, safety, sustainability, future-proofing)?

*** Will we ever see something like this again? ***