Product Design
Product design is the discipline through which ideas become objects, and objects become experiences. It addresses the whole process by which useful, desirable, and sustainable products are conceived, developed, and brought into the world, from the initial identification of a need or opportunity through research, sketching, prototyping, and testing to the final design ready for manufacture. Good product design requires both creative imagination and rigorous technical competence, and it is always centred on the people who will use what is designed.
At the University of Dundee, this four-year full-time programme teaches you the complete design process, encompassing research methods, sketching, prototyping, materials, manufacturing, sustainability, 3D modelling, electronics, and programming. You will use people-centred design methods to understand what users actually want and need, and you will design with and for them in ways that reflect that understanding. The programme takes an active interest in existing and emerging digital technologies and how they transform everyday life, giving you the tools to produce resolved, working prototypes that integrate technology and physical design.
A year abroad is included in the degree, providing an international perspective on design education and practice. The typical entry tariff is 184 UCAS points.
Graduates of product design programmes from Dundee work as product designers, UX designers, interaction designers, industrial designers, design researchers, and design consultants across a wide range of industries. Consumer goods, technology, medical devices, transport, furniture, and environmental design are all sectors where product design graduates build careers. Many graduates also pursue entrepreneurial routes, bringing their own products to market or founding design studios.
Postgraduate study in design innovation, sustainable design, or interaction design is a natural direction for those who want to develop their practice or pursue academic research in the discipline.