← Years 9–10 Creating Digital Solutions

Possible future impact of a solution

How a solution could affect society, the economy and the environment over time, including unintended effects its designer did not plan for.

Part of: 9-10 Digital Technologies: Evaluating solutions, impact and innovation — Module 8, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — Understanding Digital Problems — Module 65, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 1 — Programmed Solutions — Module 127, QCE Digital Solutions Unit 3 — Interactions Between Users, Data and Digital Systems — Module 8

Understanding Possible future impact of a solution in Years 9–10 Creating Digital Solutions

What it does: Changes to jobs, costs and money in a community are economic impacts. Waste, energy use and pollution are environmental impacts a solution can have over time. Future impact looks beyond launch day. Checking that a solution works today is testing, not predicting long-term effects. An unintended consequence is an effect the designer did not plan for. Sending messages is the intended purpose, while lost sleep is a side effect.

Common mistakes: The list is missing its closing square bracket. It should be areas ← ["social","economic"] so the program can loop over each impact area. Job losses are an economic impact, and the IF checks for economic. The message should say "Economic impact: " so it matches the area being tested.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 6–132) and word search (Modules 6–132).

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Learning
Duo
A company launches a ride-sharing app. Which is an example of a possible FUTURE social impact?
Fewer people own cars, and public transport use changesThe app uses a blue logo on its home screen
Matches
future impact <- only what the designer planned
↓
Future impact also includes unintended effects that the designer did not plan, such as a social media app harming sleep or privacy.
Applying
Meanings
Term
future impact
Meaning
How a solution could affect society, the economy and the environment over time, including unintended effects its designer did not plan for.
Practice
solution: self-checkout app
Testing
Gaps
category ← ""
Check Answer
Spots
1areas ← ["social","economic"
2FOR each a IN areas

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Quick Questions

1. A company launches a ride-sharing app. Which is an example of a possible FUTURE social impact?
A. Fewer people own cars, and public transport use changes ✓
B. The app uses a blue logo on its home screen
Future social impact looks at how a solution could change the way people live, work and connect over time. A logo colour is a design choice, not a long-term effect on society.
2. Which statement best describes future impact?
A. Whether the solution works correctly on the day it is launched
B. How a solution could affect society, the economy and the environment over time ✓
Future impact looks beyond launch day. Checking that a solution works today is testing, not predicting long-term effects.
3. A factory introduces robots that do jobs quicker and cheaper. Which is a possible economic impact?
A. The robots are painted yellow so they are easy to see
B. Some workers lose their jobs while new technician roles appear ✓
Economic impact covers jobs, costs, businesses and money. Changes in who gets work are a key economic effect of automation.
4. A data centre for a new cloud service runs 24 hours a day. Which is a possible environmental impact?
A. High electricity use could increase carbon emissions ✓
B. Users can log in with a password
Environmental impact is about energy use, waste and resources. Servers need power and cooling, which can add to emissions if the electricity is not renewable.
5. Which is an unintended consequence of a social media app designed to connect friends?
A. Some teens spend so much time on it that their sleep suffers ✓
B. Friends can send each other messages
An unintended consequence is an effect the designer did not plan for. Sending messages is the intended purpose, while lost sleep is a side effect.

Match the Pairs

social impact → How a solution could change people's lives, such as how they connect, learn, access services or feel about their wellbeing.
unintended consequences → Effects of a solution that its designer did not plan for. They can be harmful or helpful and often show up later.
Self-serve checkouts spread and fewer shop workers are needed, while some new tech support jobs appear. → economic impact
Millions of old phones are thrown away and data centres use more electricity as an app grows. → environmental impact
future impact <- only what the designer planned → Future impact also includes unintended effects that the designer did not plan, such as a social media app harming sleep or privacy.
check impact <- users today only → Future impact looks at how a solution affects society, the economy and the environment over time, not just now or just for current users.

Key Term

future impact
How a solution could affect society, the economy and the environment over time, including unintended effects its designer did not plan for.

Fill in the Blanks

1. // effect: easier access to local services category ← "social"
Hint: Type the impact category that covers effects on people and communities.
2. // effect: new jobs but higher running costs category ← "economic"
Hint: Type the impact category that covers money, jobs and business.
3. // effect: more e-waste and energy use category ← "environmental"
Hint: Type the impact category that covers nature, waste and energy.
4. planned ← ["faster delivery"] IF "job losses" NOT IN planned THEN unintended ← TRUE
Hint: Type the variable name that flags effects the designer did not plan for.
5. span ← 5 impact ← predict(solution, span) DISPLAY impact
Hint: Type the variable that tells predict() how far into the future to look.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A areas ← ["social","economic"
B FOR each a IN areas
C PRINT "Check " + a
D END FOR
Line A — The list is missing its closing square bracket. It should be areas ← ["social","economic"] so the program can loop over each impact area.
Question 2
A risk ← "job losses"
B area ← "economic"
C IF area = "economic" THEN
D PRINT "Social impact: " + risk
E END IF
Line D — Job losses are an economic impact, and the IF checks for economic. The message should say "Economic impact: " so it matches the area being tested.
Question 3
A energyKWh ← 120
B IF energyKWh > 100
C PRINT "High energy impact"
D END IF
Line B — An IF statement needs the keyword THEN after its condition. It should be IF energyKWh > 100 THEN, which checks for a high environmental impact.
Question 4
A planned ← "quicker trips"
B unintended ← "quicker trips"
C PRINT planned
D PRINT unintended
Line B — An unintended consequence is an effect the designer did not plan. It was set to the planned benefit, but it should be a side effect like "more traffic".
Question 5
A before ← 50
B after ← 30
C change ← before - after
D PRINT "Job change: " + change
Line C — The change in jobs is the new value minus the old value. It should be after - before, so a negative result shows jobs were lost.

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