Product Design

Product design is the discipline of creating physical objects that are both useful and well made, balancing the needs of users with the constraints of manufacturing, materials, sustainability and commercial viability. It sits at the junction of engineering thinking and aesthetic judgement, requiring designers to understand how things are made and how they will be used, while also giving them beauty and meaning. Products designed by graduates of this discipline include medical devices, household goods, consumer electronics, furniture, toys and transportation components, a range that reflects how central designed objects are to everyday life.

At Coventry University you will follow this three-year full-time programme with a sandwich year, a year abroad and embedded work placements, giving the degree an unusually strong connection to professional practice. Coventry's description of the course emphasises a user-centred approach to design, which means you will begin by understanding the people who will use the products you design, researching their needs, habits and contexts before generating solutions. You will develop skills in sketching, computer-aided design, model-making and prototyping, as well as knowledge of materials, manufacturing processes, ergonomics and sustainable design principles.

The sandwich year and placements place you in design environments where you will work on real briefs, build professional relationships and develop the contextual understanding of industry that is difficult to replicate in a studio alone.

Sustainability runs through the programme: designing for volume production responsibly, reducing waste and considering the full lifecycle of objects are increasingly central concerns in the profession, and the course reflects that orientation.

Graduates work as product designers, industrial designers, UX designers, design researchers and design engineers in manufacturing companies, design consultancies, consumer goods businesses, healthcare organisations and technology firms. Many develop specialist expertise in areas such as medical devices, sustainable design or design for manufacture. Postgraduate study in design, human-computer interaction or sustainable design is also a common route for those who want to deepen their practice.