← Years 7–8 Creating Digital Solutions

Comparing alternative designs with a criteria table

A table that lists each design option against the same criteria, rates each one, and helps you pick the best design and give reasons for your choice.

Part of: 7-8 Digital Technologies: Designing user interfaces and experiences — Module 18, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — User Experiences and Interfaces — Module 41, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3 — Interactions Between Users, Data and Digital Systems — Module 155

Understanding Comparing alternative designs with a criteria table in Years 7–8 Creating Digital Solutions

What it does: A justification names the chosen design and uses the ratings from the table as evidence. The header row has one column per design, and the rows below list the same criteria for each one. Criteria are qualities of the design you can check, such as readability. Who drew it is not a quality of the design. Rating each criterion gives a score for each one, so you can compare designs clearly. A vague comment does not do this. Justifying the choice means giving reasons that link back to the ratings in the table. The table helps you give reasons. When scores are close, think about which criteria matter most for your users.

Common mistakes: Both columns are named Idea A, so you cannot tell the designs apart. The second column should be Idea B. The rating scale is 1 to 5, so a rating of 8 is not allowed. It should be a number from 1 to 5, such as 5.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 50–125) and word search (Modules 3–125).

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Learning
Duo
A student has three app designs. Which setup is a correct criteria table?
List every design in rows and judge each one against the same criteria in columnsUse different criteria for each design so each one looks good
Matches
Design A rated on ease of use, Design B rated on colour only
↓
The designs were rated on different criteria, so the comparison is not fair. Every design must be rated on the same criteria.
Applying
Meanings
Term
criteria table
Meaning
A table that lists each design option against the same criteria, rates each one, and helps you pick the best design and give reasons for your choice.
Practice
Criteria | Design A | Design B
Testing
Gaps
Total: A=, B=5
Check Answer
Spots
1Criteria | Idea A | Idea A
2Easy to read | 4 | 2

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Quick Questions

1. A student has three app designs. Which setup is a correct criteria table?
A. List every design in rows and judge each one against the same criteria in columns ✓
B. Use different criteria for each design so each one looks good
A criteria table is fair because every design is judged against the same criteria.
2. Which is a good criterion for comparing two quiz app interfaces?
A. My friend drew it, so it must be best
B. Easy to read: is the text clear and large enough? ✓
Criteria are qualities of the design you can check, such as readability. Who drew it is not a quality of the design.
3. Which shows rating each criterion properly?
A. Design A: Easy to read 4/5, Easy to navigate 2/5, Looks good 3/5 ✓
B. Design A: pretty good overall
Rating each criterion gives a score for each one, so you can compare designs clearly. A vague comment does not do this.
4. Design A scores 12 in total and Design B scores 9 in total. What should you do next?
A. Choose Design A and say nothing about why
B. Choose Design A and explain which criteria it did well on ✓
Justifying the choice means giving reasons that link back to the ratings in the table.
5. Which is a well-justified choice?
A. I chose Design B because it scored 5/5 for easy navigation, which matters most for young users. ✓
B. I chose Design B because I just like it.
A good justification uses the criteria and ratings from the table, not just personal opinion.

Match the Pairs

criteria table → A table that lists each design option against the same criteria so they can be rated and compared fairly
Ease of use: Design A = 4/5, Design B = 2/5 → Rating each criterion: giving every design a score for one criterion so they can be compared
Justifying the choice: use the ratings to give a reason for picking the best design → I chose Design A because it scored 14/15, with the top rating for ease of use.
A criteria table uses the same criteria for every design so the comparison is fair → | Criteria | Design A | Design B | Design C |
Design A rated on ease of use, Design B rated on colour only → The designs were rated on different criteria, so the comparison is not fair. Every design must be rated on the same criteria.
Total: A = 11, B = 9. I pick Design B. → The choice does not match the ratings, and no reason is given. The design with the higher total (A) should be picked and justified with the scores.

Key Term

criteria table
A table that lists each design option against the same criteria, rates each one, and helps you pick the best design and give reasons for your choice.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Easy to read: A=4, B=2 Easy to tap: A=3, B=3 Total: A=7, B=5
Hint: Type Design A's total by adding its two ratings.
2. Criteria: read, tap Design A: read=4, tap=3 Design B: read=2, tap=3
Hint: Type the criterion name that Design B must also be rated on, so both designs use the same criteria.
3. Total: A=7, B=5 Choice: Design A Reason: highest total score
Hint: Type the letter of the design with the higher total.
4. Total: A=6, B=9 Choice: Design B Reason: B has the highest total score
Hint: Type the word that describes why this design was chosen when it has the biggest total.
5. Easy to read: A=5, B=2 Choice: Design A Reason: chose A because it is easy to read
Hint: Type the linking word that introduces the reason for your choice.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A Criteria | Idea A | Idea A
B Easy to read | 4 | 2
C Easy to tap | 3 | 4
D Total | 7 | 6
E Best choice: Idea A
Line A — Both columns are named Idea A, so you cannot tell the designs apart. The second column should be Idea B.
Question 2
A Rate each criterion 1 to 5
B Clear colours | 8 | 3
C Easy to find | 3 | 4
D Total | 8 | 7
E Best choice: Idea A
Line B — The rating scale is 1 to 5, so a rating of 8 is not allowed. It should be a number from 1 to 5, such as 5.
Question 3
A Criteria | Idea A | Idea B
B Easy to read | 3 | 5
C Easy to tap | 4
D Total | 7 | 8
E Best choice: Idea B
Line C — Every design must be rated on every criterion. Idea B has no rating for 'Easy to tap'. It should be 'Easy to tap | 4 | 3'.
Question 4
A Criteria | Menu A | Menu B
B Easy to use | 4 | good
C Looks clear | 3 | 5
D Total | 7 | 8
Line B — Ratings must use the same scale for every design. 'good' is a word, not a number, so it cannot be added to the total. It should be a number like 3.
Question 5
A Totals: Idea A 7, Idea B 9
B Best choice: Idea A
C Reason: it scored highest
D It was easiest to read
Line B — The best design is the one with the highest total. Idea B scored 9 and Idea A scored 7, so the choice should be Idea B.

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