Product Design BA (Hons)

In this module, you will explore some of the most important emerging design issues and practices that are shaping contemporary design and design research. As designers, we are in a perpetual state of evolution, responding to a world that is constantly in flux, where new challenges and opportunities arise on an almost daily basis.



This module occurs at a critical and timely stage in your design education, where you will delve into the heart of design's developing practice opportunities or most compelling dilemmas. You will learn to identify, analyse, and propose innovative opportunities to these dynamic and often complex situations. You will also learn to react to these challenges by working with others, leveraging your collective skills and knowledge to develop more nuanced design outcomes.



Emerging issues and practices may include a diverse range of topics, from sustainability, responsibility, inclusivity and diversity to technology and innovation, which may in turn have implications for cross-cultural design and global design trends.

This module will build on the skills and knowledge you have acquired during your first year and apply it to a more demanding product design brief. The module will introduce a design workflow, based on industry practice that will provide a basic method for all future design projects. You will be given a stimulating brief to design a product that responds to contemporary trends and addresses user needs and behaviours. Through a rigorous process of iteration, you will present a resolved product concept. The project will build on your developing making skills, build your confidence in operating in the workshops and instil a process of hands-on learning through the creation of mock-ups, models and prototypes. 

 

To build on your basic product design skills you will be given additional classes and learning resources on CAD, rendering and model making / prototyping skills. You will be expected to further develop skills as part of creating the project deliverables. 

 

The project briefs will require you to address the following aspects;  

 

How products respond to emerging user needs and behaviours; 

Practical and functional requirements of product; 

Materials and manufacturing; 

Sustainability; 

How products support and enhance user-experiences. 

 

 

 

 

In addition, you will be required to produce a portfolio of your design work to date. A portfolio is vital to seeking a placement or applying for study abroad options. By the end of the module, you should feel confident and ready to seek out such opportunities, should you wish. 

Designers are increasingly faced with complex issues that require an understanding of human, social, economic, environmental and technological factors. Before embarking on creating solutions, designers must properly understand the issues they are tackling. In the design process, this is known as the ‘front end’ – a phase of design projects where designers are focused on developing understanding, finding insights and identifying opportunities.

 

Through a series of short projects and activities, you will be introduced to a range of design-led research methods and approaches. These may include: 

 

User-observation; 

Customer journeys; 

Comparative Product Analysis; 

Cultural probes; 

Co-creation methods; 

Service-mapping; 

 

The activities will often address a current theme or issue, to help you understand how different methods can be applied in real-world contexts. You will also learn how to present design research in an imaginative and engaging way. Communicating design research is a skill in its own right and can be a critical point in a design process.  

 

Deliverables will be based around each activity, generating a portfolio of work which identifies the methods used and the creative outputs generated from them. These will be a valuable addition to your portfolio, illustrating your diverse skillset and a strategic mindset. 

 



All designers need some understanding of front-end design, and the skills will be vital for use in future projects, including your Final Major Project. The skills you learn during this module are also highly transferable and are sought-after in related fields of design, enabling you to pursue careers in UX-design in addition to more conventional product design pathways. 

In this module, you will use design to address the complex environmental, social and technological issues we face. This module is less concerned with coming up with ‘right’ answers; instead, it is focused on exploring the right questions and coming up with propositions that offer a possible way forward. 

 

You will be set one or more briefs to address complex emerging issues, guided to research topics, identify insights and address the needs of specific users or stakeholders. You will be asked to generate design concepts that propose possible solutions that are imaginative and credible. Tutors will set themes, sometimes in collaboration with experts to ensure projects are underpinned by the latest research or design practice or emerging issues. You will be given introductory knowledge of emerging global issues and guidance to deepen your understanding through self-directed research. Topics may include circular design principles, ‘More than human’ design (i.e. how we design for the needs of the environment and wider nature beyond the needs of humans); critical and speculative design, and behaviour change through design. 

 

You will be expected to refine ideas through iteration, testing and collaboration with relevant experts and stakeholders. Concepts may be a combination of tangible and intangible outcomes (e.g, you may produce physical products, services, digital experiences or any combination of these elements). You will learn tools to help prototype and communicate user-experience and service-experiences.



 

 



Additionally, you will produce an illustrated process journal that documents your journey and decision-making, emphasising social, environmental and ethical considerations that underpin your project; a critical evaluation of how you have addressed these issues by reference to existing theories and best practice. 

This module will give you an understanding of the importance of user-experience in design and how to enhance use-experience in relation to products. Even simple products can be enhanced through consideration of usability and user-experience; while many products now support complex interactions through embedded technologies and or connection to cloud-based platforms and services. Understanding the principles and methods that underpin product interactions is a vital part of being a designer.  

  

You will learn the principles, tools and techniques of designing interactions, through projects that link theory and practice in the creation of interactive product concepts with tangible and embodied interactions. The module celebrates the ongoing need and value of physical and embodied interactions as a vital counterpart to screen-based digital interactions.  

  

Building on your knowledge of human factors in design, the module will introduce usability principles and relevant theories including the aesthetics of experience (drawing on the field of contemporary aesthetics); critical and speculative approaches; embodiment; and slow and ambient-interactions. Current and emerging technologies will also be explored through the module, this might for example include; AI, Internet of Things, Big Data and Physical-Digital technologies. 

 

The module will introduce core competences such as: 

 

Storyboarding; 

Experience prototyping;

Using creative technology in products; 

Using data and connectivity; 

Lo-fi and hi-fi prototyping; 

 

By the end of this module, you will have developed a broad range of interaction tools, methods and principles that can be deployed in future design propositions. The module will give you the skills and confidence to add meaningful interactions to products that can support or enhance product experience and link the use of products to wider services

This module gives you the opportunity to tackle a live brief set by an external company or organisation. The project will allow you to showcase your developing design skills in relation to a real-world challenge, offering you an experience that closely mirrors how design is applied in professional practice.



The project will be set in collaboration with an external partner; design consultancy, brand or not-for-profit organisation, giving you the chance to work on a topical and complex challenge to develop design concepts that could have real-world impact. You will learn to work collaboratively, engaging with industry as if they are a client or co-creators and learn to present your ideas to a professional audience. This module will boost your employability by bringing you closer to how design operates in professional practice. It is a perfect springboard for students who choose to undertake the year-long placement opportunity but will also provide a valuable, authentic experience for all students.



As an alternative to a live brief, you may be given the opportunity to respond to a recognised design competition. This will address a complex and current challenge and be judged by a professional jury. Product Design at Northumbria has a very strong record in international competitions, with numerous wins and shortlistings over the years.



You will be given the opportunity to engage and deliver in professional design presentations, developing your verbal and visual communication skills to tutors, peers and, where possible, stakeholders. You will also further develop your design communication and visual thinking skills in the production of a creative process journal, capturing a range of design development work produced during your projects.

Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.

The topics you will cover on the module include:

• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.