Stage 2: Design 🏗️

Planning the architecture before we build the code!

What is the Design Stage?
In this phase, we use the requirements from the Analysis stage to create a blueprint. We plan the logic, the appearance (UI), and how data will be stored.

Design Tools

📊 Structure Diagrams Showing how a program is decomposed into smaller sub-tasks.

🛤️ Flowcharts Using shapes (diamonds, rectangles) to show the path of the logic.

📝 Pseudocode Writing logic in "English-like" code that any programmer can read.

Pseudocode Examples (IGCSE Style)

In the design stage, we write code that is logically correct but not tied to a specific language like Python.

1. The Selection Logic (IF)

OUTPUT "Enter Temperature:"
INPUT Temp
IF Temp > 30
  THEN
    OUTPUT "It is too hot!"
  ELSE
    OUTPUT "It is fine."
ENDIF

2. The Counting Logic (FOR Loop)

FOR Count ← 1 TO 10
OUTPUT "This is repeat number: ", Count
NEXT Count

💡 Design Tip: Always design your Validation Checks here. Decide if a field needs a Range Check or a Presence Check before you start typing in Python!

Year 9 Computer Science | PDLC Resource Hub