Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Product Design and Prototyping

A semester course on designing real products: interviewing users, writing requirements, sketching and choosing ideas, building and testing prototypes, designing for every body, and picking materials, processes and prices. Six modules at your own pace, with a check in every lesson and a certificate at the end.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Design thinking

    Apply design thinking: observe and interview users, write a solution-free problem statement and turn it into measurable, prioritized requirements.

    • What product designers do
    • Empathize and define
    • Requirements and constraints
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Ideas and sketching

    Generate many concepts with brainstorming and SCAMPER, draw scaled orthographic views, and choose concepts with a weighted matrix or Pugh chart.

    • Generating many ideas
    • Sketching to think
    • Choosing an idea
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Prototyping

    Plan prototypes matched to a question and fidelity, work safely with prototyping tools, and estimate 3D print layers, time and clearances.

    • Prototypes and fidelity
    • Materials and tools for prototypes
    • CAD and 3D printing
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Designing for people

    Analyze products for ergonomic fit, usability principles and inclusive design, and interpret usability test results.

    • Ergonomics and body sizes
    • Usability
    • Inclusive and accessible design
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: Materials and manufacturing

    Compare materials and manufacturing processes, compute break-even quantities, and apply design for manufacturing and assembly.

    • Choosing materials
    • How things are made
    • Design for manufacturing and assembly
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: Testing, cost and launch

    Plan tests with pass marks, rank risks with FMEA, build a unit cost and price, and choose sustainable design and intellectual property strategies.

    • Testing and failure analysis
    • Cost and price
    • Sustainability and protecting ideas
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 6 · Testing and failure analysis

Worked example: ranking risks for a bike light

  1. Failure A: the clip snaps in cold weather. S = 7 (light falls off), O = 4, D = 6. RPN = 7 × 4 × 6 = 168.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A semester of product design and one product idea taken from interview to tested prototype: you can turn user research into a problem statement and measurable requirements, generate and choose concepts, draw scaled views, build prototypes matched to a question, plan 3D prints, design for ergonomics, usability and inclusion, compare materials and processes with break-even math, rank risks with FMEA and build a unit cost and price. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who like making things and want to design products people actually use, are previewing a school design or engineering course, or are building a design portfolio; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. Cardboard, tape and a craft knife are enough; free CAD software and a 3D printer are optional.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Product Design & Prototyping title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. Stanford d.school, design thinking resources: dschool.stanford.edu
  2. Nielsen Norman Group, usability testing and design principles articles: nngroup.com
  3. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, patent and trademark basics and free patent search: uspto.gov
  4. NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, manufacturing processes and design for manufacturing: nist.gov/mep
  5. Inclusive Design Research Centre, inclusive design guide: guide.inclusivedesign.ca

Product Design and Prototyping is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester course but does not replace a school course, award credit or substitute for supervised shop work. Craft knives, hot glue, power tools and 3D printers need an adult present and the tool's safety instructions. Intellectual property lessons explain general U.S. principles and are not legal advice. Example costs are labeled as examples. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.