Can two students have similar IB Design Technology IA topics?

Yes, and it’s more common than people admit. In IB Design Technology, marks come from the quality of your process: the research choices you make, the way you define requirements, and the way you test and iterate. Two students can start with a similar problem and still produce very different design specifications and prototypes. What matters is whether your evidence is real and your decisions are justified. If you’re worried your idea is “too common,” focus on narrowing the user and constraints until it becomes uniquely testable. Similar topic, different user context, different performance criteria, different outcome.

Is it bad to pick a “small” or ordinary problem in IB Design Technology?

No. Ordinary problems are often the best problems because they show up repeatedly and can be observed and tested without drama. In IB Design Technology, a small, frequent frustration can produce better data than a big, rare challenge. The rubric rewards clarity: a focused problem statement, requirements tied to evidence, and evaluation that doesn’t rely on hype. Small problems also create space for iteration, which is where many projects quietly gain marks. If you can test it three times and improve it twice, it’s usually a strong choice.

Can I change my IB Design Technology IA topic after starting?

You can, but the cost is usually higher than students expect. A topic change in IB Design Technology often means your research no longer supports your requirements, and your requirements no longer match your tests. That can turn into rushed rewriting, which weakens justification and reflection. If you must change, try to “pivot” rather than restart: keep the same user and the same core problem, and adjust the solution direction. The earlier you make the decision, the cleaner your documentation will be.

How do I know if my topic will help with exams too?

The best IB Design Technology IA topics naturally connect to syllabus ideas like user-centred design, materials selection, modelling, prototyping, and evaluation. If your project forces you to use correct terminology and explain trade-offs, it will feed your exam performance. Use Study Notes and Flashcards to build the language you’ll need to describe decisions under time pressure. Then use Questionbank to practice explaining similar design thinking in exam-style responses. When your IA and exam revision share the same concepts, your workload feels lighter.

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IB Design Technology: Choosing a Strong IA Topic

IB Design Technology

• 19 Jul 2026•8

The moment your IA gets decided (before you build anything)

There’s a quiet moment in every IB Design Technology class where the room splits in two. One group starts sketching something impressive: a “smart” device, an ambitious mechanism, a product that looks like it belongs in a Kickstarter video. The other group does something less exciting but far more powerful: they write down a real person’s problem and how they’ll prove they solved it.

That second choice is where high scores usually begin in IB Design Technology. Not because examiners love “simple” projects, but because a good IA topic creates evidence. Evidence is what the rubric can reward.

If you’re trying to choose an IA topic while also preparing for exams, your best strategy is to pick a topic that is clear, testable, and realistic. Then you can keep revision moving using the IB Design Technology hub and tools like Questionbank, Study Notes, Flashcards, AI Chat, and Mock Exams.

For your central home base, start here: IB Design Technology Resources.

IB Design Technology IA topic checklist (quick and ruthless)

Before you commit, run your idea through this fast checklist:

A specific user you can actually access
A single, ongoing problem (not five problems in a trench coat)
Evidence you can collect (observations, measurements, feedback)
Clear tests tied to measurable design requirements
Time and tools you genuinely have
Iteration you can show without faking it

If you want a bigger picture of what top work looks like in IB Design Technology, compare your plan with: IB Design Technology IA Examples: What Top Projects Look Like.

Start with the user problem, not the product

The most common trap in IB Design Technology is starting with a product you feel like making.

“Desk organiser.” “Smart bottle.” “Phone stand but cooler.”

Those are objects, not design opportunities.

A stronger start sounds like this:

“My user is a left-handed student who smears ink when writing quickly. Current solutions don’t fit their desk setup. I can test smudge reduction and comfort.”
“My user has limited grip strength. Existing jar openers require twisting force they can’t apply. I can measure torque needed before and after.”

Notice what’s happening: the topic is already writing your evaluation section for you. That’s the hidden advantage in IB Design Technology: when the problem is well framed, your research, requirements, testing, and reflection become easier to justify.

Need a reminder of what examiners actually reward? Read: How Is the IB Design Technology IA Graded?.

Choose a user you can reach (and who will tell the truth)

A “good user” in IB Design Technology is specific and available. Ideally, you can meet them multiple times, ask follow-up questions, and run real testing sessions.

Good user options:

A family member with a repetitive daily task
A teacher with a classroom routine problem
A sports teammate with equipment frustration
A specific group with shared constraints (one club, one class, one workplace)

Avoid vague users like “students” or “people who like fitness.” Vague users lead to vague requirements, and vague requirements lead to weak testing.

If you want user-centred design ideas that connect cleanly to the syllabus, explore the newer DT map here: IB Design Technology (First Exam 2027) Resources.

The best IB Design Technology topics are easy to test

In IB Design Technology, “testable” beats “cool” almost every time.

When you pick a topic, ask:

What would success look like in numbers?
What can I compare against (existing product, baseline measurement, before/after)?
Can my user repeat the test more than once?

Examples of testable evidence:

Time to complete a task (seconds)
Force/tension/torque required (simple spring scale setups can work)
Accuracy (misalignment, spillage rate, error counts)
Comfort ratings with a consistent scale plus short interviews

A topic that forces you into “It feels better” without structure is risky in IB Design Technology. You can still include user feelings, but anchor them to measurable design requirements.

If you want to avoid the most common traps, keep this open while brainstorming: Most Common IB Design Technology IA Mistakes.

Simplicity is not boring, it’s scalable

A simple project gives you room to do the real work: iteration, testing, and honest evaluation. A complex project often steals that time.

Think of IB Design Technology like this: the prototype is not the point. The decision-making is.

If your topic requires advanced electronics or coding you don’t understand, your documentation becomes a story of guesswork. If your materials are hard to source, your timeline collapses. A “manageable” IA is usually the one that lets you show repeatable evidence.

For planning and keeping the IA moving alongside exam revision, this guide helps: How to Use RevisionDojo for IB Design Technology Success.

Use existing products as benchmarks, not templates

You’re allowed to use existing products in IB Design Technology. In fact, it can strengthen your justification because you can show what already exists and why it fails your user.

A strong approach:

Identify a specific weakness in the current solution
Link it to user data (quotes, observations, measurements)
Improve function or performance, not just appearance

This also makes testing easier, because you can compare your solution against the benchmark product.

A final way to choose: pick the topic that generates proof

A good IB Design Technology IA topic doesn’t need to be flashy. It needs to be defendable. Choose a real user, define one clear problem, and build a solution you can test honestly.

If you want an unfair advantage, use RevisionDojo as your workflow: start with the IB Design Technology Resources hub, pull in Study Notes, convert key terms into Flashcards, pressure-test your reasoning with AI Chat, and keep your writing aligned to the rubric using the grader tools like the Design Technology HL IA Grader. For finishing cleanly (without last-minute panic), bookmark: How to Finalise and Submit the IB Design Technology IA.