Market research on colour and mood

Designing a questionnaire that informs product design

Engineers play a key role in our everyday lives, often in ways we may not realise. Take the Watt Nightclub in Rotterdam as an example - engineers have designed a system that turns the energy created by dancing into power for the lighting. Even the colour of the lights was a consideration.

In this activity, students will explore the relationship between colour and mood, and how it might impact the amount of electricity generated on a dance floor.

This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the class teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It has been designed to support the delivery of key topics within maths, science and design and technology (DT).

Activity:
The activity begins with a class discussion on whether colour can scientifically affect mood.
Students will then learn about the role of questionnaires in research, including what makes a good questionnaire and what factors need to be considered when designing one. The class will watch the Dance Power film, which directly relates to this technology, and then split into groups to create their own questionnaires. These will be tested, evaluated, and refined before being conducted as homework.

Students will process and present their findings, considering the reliability and accuracy of their evidence. They’ll discuss their results and the effectiveness of questionnaires as a research tool.

The engineering context
Market research is essential for engineers working in product design, providing valuable insights into consumer needs and preferences, enabling them to create innovative products that meet market demand and improve user satisfaction.

Furthermore, by exploring how engineers can use colour to influence mood and hence energy production, students will gain an insight into the creativity and problem-solving involved in engineering.

Suggested learning outcomes
Through this activity, students will gain an understanding of the scientific method, specifically the design and implementation of a market research questionnaire. The class will develop the ability to generate scientific evidence to prove a hypothesis, in this case, the relationship between colour and mood. They will also consider what constitutes sufficient evidence for scientists to confirm a hypothesis.

Download our activity sheets for free!

The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download (including the video), and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your class’s and your schools’ needs.

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