Novices to the design process often struggle at first to understand the various stages of design. Learning to design is a process not easily mastered, and therefore requires multiple levels of exposure to the design process. It is helpful if teachers are able to implement various entry-level design assignments such as reverse-engineering activities. Students will likely develop the ability to tackle larger design and problem-solving projects the more they are exposed to small, design-based activities that require them to learn how to engage in just a few stages of the design process. This article features a design assessment-based activity requiring students to assess an existing technology using a "Consumer Reports"-style approach. The activity presented in this article will allow students to hone their skills in identifying design constraints and criteria, learn through study of existing designs, and experience engineering design techniques for optimization (decision matrix). These are all essential skills for building their capacity to tackle larger design activities. (Contains 1 table.)