I compared all of the universities in Glasgow and the surrounding areas to see what each of them had to offer as part of their Product Design courses.
I felt that the Product Design and Innovation course in the Department of Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) was the perfect combination of what I was looking for: engineering and design – the best of both worlds. The course is truly a multidisciplinary one that enables you to gain a variety of skills which include digital and rapid prototyping, CAD, user experience, management, entrepreneurship, marketing, branding, aesthetics and an understanding of engineering theories in practice.
There are also lots of opportunities to work as part of a team, meaning you gain experience of being a team player before joining a product design company in the future, where working together is a critical skill. Here is a photo from our first design critic:
Going into first year, I was really excited to learn and experience as much as possible to become a great designer. I have always had an interest in creative design, aesthetics and I love sketching. I soon found out what my strengths and weaknesses were and what topics and subjects I preferred in comparison to others. The parts of this course I enjoy and do well in are obvious favourites but to become a skilled, multidisciplinary designer I need to excel in other areas as well.
There are a wide variety of materials and equipment provided to students to develop your prototypes into reality, here is an example of a board game design from a prototyping class:
The PDI course enables me to improve and develop myself and provides me with the tools and knowledge to help me turn an idea into reality and eventually into a successful product on the global market.
One of the best things about this course is that it gives students freedom to work on projects that are personal and interesting which they can develop in the university facilities, labs and workshops.
Here is an example of an elliptical trainer I designed as part of the Integrating Studies module:
