Glossary (Version 8.4)

In Design and Technologies, distinctive attributes, characteristics, properties and qualities of an object, material, living thing, system or event.

In food and fibre production, plant- or animal-based materials that can be used for clothing or construction. Fibre includes materials from forestry. Animal-based (protein) fibres include wool and silk. Plant-based (cellulosic) fibres include cotton, bamboo, hemp, timber and wood chip.

A set of rules or standards for transmitting files between digital systems on the internet. Also see hypertext transfer protocol.

1. Inherently flame-resistant fibres that have flame resistance built into their chemical structure.

2. Flame-retardant treated (FRT) fabrics that are made flame-resistant by the application of flame-retardant chemicals.

A process of producing food or fibre as natural materials for the design and development of a range of products.

The National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian government departments of health and nutrition publish guides that provide information on food consumption patterns to promote maximum health. These include the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating poster, which visually represents the proportion of the five food groups recommended, in a circular plate format; the Australian Dietary Guidelines(2013 revision), which has five principal recommendations, and the Healthy Living Pyramid, which recommends food from the core food groups and encourages food variety balanced with physical activity.

Application of nutrition principles and knowledge about the characteristics and properties of food to food selection and preparation; and contemporary technology-related food issues.

A process of predicting the future based on current trend analysis. It uses historical data to determine a direction of future trends.

Design of products, services or environments to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet the intended need or market opportunity and identified criteria for success. Criteria for success in relation to functionality are likely to include such things as operation, performance, safety, reliability and quality. That is, does the product, service or environment do what it was meant to do, or provide what it was meant to provide? (For example, does the torch provide light, is it easy to hold, and is it safe to use?)

Strategic thinking that envisages what can be, given existing knowledge, to propose scenarios for probable, possible and preferred futures. For example, making well-informed predictions or extrapolating using current economic, environmental, social and technological trends; using divergent thinking (‘What if …’ explorations) about a given futures scenario; hypothesis; or systems-driven thinking.