The Technological Practice Strand Explanatory Papers Updated May 2010
Outcome Development and Evaluation
Illustrative Examples from Technology
Te Ara is the new official encyclopaedia of New Zealand. The Government's Ministry of Culture and Heritage (MCH) decided to publish the encyclopaedia online – the first time any country has created an official national encyclopaedia in this way.
In order to ensure the online environment met the needs of key stakeholders, current and potential users of the site, exhaustive testing and analysis of feedback was needed at key stages of the development. For examples of some of the different functional models to aid this, see the Techlink case study Engineering Te Ara.
In motor racing, ultimate advantage is gained through understanding the interaction between the technology of a vehicle and the environmental conditions within which it must perform. Once the key design features of a vehicle are decided, prototype testing is often the only way to refine the outcome to optimise performance. Learning from past innovations to create contemporary products, prototype testing, and ongoing modifications were key features of Graeme Addis’s plan to win the New Zealand Sports Sedan Championship. For examples of how he developed and tested his outcome, see the Techlink case study Winged Victory.
