Question

Shown below is a picture of a wash basin in a primary school. In the space provided in the answer booklet, list down ten various problems related to the possibility of a viral infection like COVID-19 spreading in the school. (5 marks)
Identify three problems that you consider to be the most important and clearly illustrate them.
You will be evaluated for:

Quality and diversity of your observation
Analytical skills
Communication

Hint:

For problem identification, think about the entire process or user journey. What happens before, during, and after the main action? This helps uncover a wider range of issues beyond the most obvious ones. When illustrating, simple diagrams with clear labels are more effective than complex drawings.

Answer 1

Step 1: Walk the sequence of actions.
List the stages a child goes through at the basin: approach, wait, reach for the tap, wet hands, reach for soap, rub, rinse, turn off, dry, leave.

Step 2: Note one problem per stage.
Assign a specific, concrete problem to each stage (crowding while waiting, shared tap handles, missing soap, splashing while rinsing, no clean towel while drying, and so on) until ten problems are listed.

Step 3: Pick three spread-out stages.
Choose the three most serious problems from three different, non-adjacent stages of the sequence, so the illustrations cover a wider slice of the visit.

Step 4: Draw each as a labelled before/after panel.
Sketch each chosen problem as a simple two-panel drawing (the moment as it happens, then a labelled close-up of the issue), keeping the drawing simple and clearly captioned rather than detailed or artistic.

Answer 2

A third way to generate the list of problems is to first picture what a properly safe wash basin would look like during an outbreak, and then treat every difference between that ideal and the basin shown in the picture as one of the ten problems.

Imagine an ideal, safer version of this basin: touch-free or foot-pedal taps, individual soap dispensers at each station, stations spaced well apart, a smooth non-porous surface that is easy to disinfect, a proper drain with no standing water, and a hand-drying option such as paper towels or an air dryer.
Compare this ideal basin, feature by feature, against the basin shown in the image, and write down each specific gap as one problem: manual taps needing hand contact instead of touch-free ones, no individual soap dispenser, stations placed too close together, a rough porous surface instead of a smooth one, standing water in a bucket instead of proper drainage, and no towel or dryer, continuing until ten gaps are listed.
Choose the three gaps that pose the highest infection risk to illustrate, for instance the shared tap handles, the lack of soap, and the crowded spacing.
Illustrate each of these three as a simple side-by-side comparison sketch: the basin as shown on one side, and a small labelled version of the safer feature on the other side, with an arrow or label naming the specific gap between them.

Comparing against a safer reference basin, rather than brainstorming problems freely, makes sure every listed problem is tied to a concrete, fixable gap rather than a vague observation.