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7b1008 lisa 2026-05-25 11:26:37
SD: add 'C04 to C05 - Choose, then Detail' explainer; link from both homes Cross-criterion explainer (breadth->depth, divergent->convergent) with funnel-fan diagram and CYU. Linked from C04-home and C05-home Key concepts. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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# C04 → C05 — Choose, then Detail
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The Hamilton and Alexandra College · Year 12 · 2026
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C04 and C05 sit back-to-back in the SAT and share the word *design*, so they're easy to blur. The distinction is simple once you see it: **C04 decides *which* idea; C05 specifies that idea precisely enough to build.**
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---
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## The one-sentence rule
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| Criterion | In one sentence | The question it answers |
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|---|---|---|
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| **C04** — Generating Design Ideas & Evaluation Criteria | Explore *several* rough design ideas, then use evaluation criteria to choose one | "Which design should proceed — and why?" |
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| **C05** — Producing Detailed Designs | Take the *chosen* idea and detail it until someone else could build it | "Exactly how is this built — every screen, field and step?" |
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The shift is **breadth → depth**: C04 is *divergent* (many options, then a decision); C05 is *convergent* (one option, fully specified).
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---
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## One picture
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C04 fans *out* into options and funnels *in* to a decision. C05 takes that single decision and fans it back *out* — but this time into detail, not alternatives.
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```mermaid
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flowchart LR
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I1["Idea A"] --> M{{"Evaluation matrix<br/>C04 · choose which"}}
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I2["Idea B"] --> M
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I3["Idea C"] --> M
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M ==>|"the chosen design"| D["Detailed design<br/>C05"]
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D --> T1["Mock-ups"]
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D --> T2["Data dictionary"]
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D --> T3["IPO charts"]
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D --> T4["Pseudocode"]
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D --> T5["Object descriptions"]
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```
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---
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## Side-by-side
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| | **C04** | **C05** |
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|---|---|---|
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| What you produce | Several rough ideas + an evaluation matrix | One detailed design of the chosen idea |
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| Mindset | Explore, then **decide** | Commit, then **detail** |
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| Key tools | Mood board, brainstorm, mind map, annotated sketches | Mock-ups, data dictionary, IPO charts, pseudocode, object descriptions |
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| Output's job | **Justify a choice** | **Be buildable** |
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| Leans on | Your SRS (C03) and design brief | Your C04 decision |
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---
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## The trap
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C05 is **not** "make the C04 sketch look nicer." A rough idea becomes a *detailed design* when another person could build from it **without asking you what you meant** — exact data types in the data dictionary, real logic in the pseudocode, every control annotated on the mock-up. That buildable precision is the whole point of C05.
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> [!TIP]
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> **Architect's analogy:** C04 is sketching three concepts and arguing for one. C05 is drawing the construction blueprints for the concept that won. You can't blueprint what you haven't chosen — so C05 depends on the C04 decision.
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---
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## Check Your Understanding
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1. In one phrase, what does C04 decide that C05 then assumes?
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>| *Which* design idea proceeds. C05 details that already-chosen idea — it doesn't re-open the choice.
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2. Breadth or depth — which word fits C04, and which fits C05?
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>| C04 = **breadth** (several ideas, then choose). C05 = **depth** (one idea, fully specified).
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3. A student repolishes the colours and fonts of their C04 sketch and submits it as their detailed design. What's missing?
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>| Buildable detail — data dictionary, IPO/pseudocode logic, annotated controls. "Looks nicer" is not "detailed enough for someone else to build."
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---
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## See also
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- [Efficiency vs Effectiveness](/sd/C04/Efficiency%20vs%20Effectiveness) — the key distinction *inside* C04's evaluation criteria
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- [Design Principles vs UX Characteristics](/sd/C05/Design%20Principles%20vs%20UX%20Characteristics) — a distinction *inside* C05
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---
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← [C04 Home](/sd/C04/C04-home) · [C05 Home](/sd/C05/C05-home) · [VCE Software Development Hub](/sd/VCE%20Software%20Development%20Hub)