49-602, Designing for Production and Sustainability
Professor Jimmy Williams
Every other Monday beginning January 23rd, 8 - 9:30pm ET

Course Description:

Technology for Product Management Certificate This course will teach the basic principles and philosophies of engineering design, with emphasis on mechanical engineering due to the broad scope of applications of mechanical engineering which include but are not limited to stress analysis and fracture, heat transfer, kinematics, and systems packaging. Recognizing that design is a first step in a sequence of later decisions and steps (development, manufacture, distribution and life cycle of a product), this course will look at the influence of materials, manufacturing and other downstream decisions/actions on the overall design of a product. Some of the downstream influences that will be explored are decisions and actions that take place prior to the sale of the product: material selection, manufacturing processes, assembly, robustness and quality, platform design, product costing and safety. However, what we design and how we develop it also impacts our environment for years to come, so importantly this course will also cover various aspects of sustainable design from a product life cycle perspective. Thus, students will be exposed to the fundamental concepts of Design for X and specifically the impact that DfM (design for manufacturing) and DfA (design for assembly) have on product development and how they affect design decisions. Students will also be exposed to the fundamental concepts of Sustainable Design (also known as Design for Sustainability - DfS, EcoDesign, Sustainability Engineering, LCA and others) and specifically the impact that DfS has on product development and how it affects design decisions. This class includes lectures and labs activities.

49-603, Cyber-Physical Product Design
Professor Arthur Sugden
Every other Tuesday beginning January 17th, 8 - 9:30pm ET

Course Description:

Technology for Product Management Certificate Driven by the combination of increased access to data, local data storage, computational power, interconnectivity, and improved algorithms, mainstream technologies increasingly incorporate sensing (IoT) and data science (AI) smarts. As examples, thermostats, locks, power sockets, and lights are being imbued with sensors and connectivity. There is great potential to layer in machine learning, natural language and speech processing, expert systems. robotics, and vision. Early applications of these capabilities were designed to operate on their own, on very narrow tasks, based on pre-programmed knowledge. Today, we have the ability to design human-computer systems in which both human and computers act intelligently, adapt to the world and learn from experience, improving their performance over time. The course illustrates both the potential and current limitations of AI, data science, and interactive connected products with examples from a variety of applications. Topics explored will include awareness, real time sensing and communication, embedded intelligence, and designing experiences for the internet of things. We will also spend some time on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of human decision-making and learning, specifically in combination with AI systems that would be resident in product applications. Students will be introduced to technologies and AI algorithms through a series of hands-on exercises, collaborative projects, in depth discussions, and instructor led tutorials. Students will also complete a final project that takes a project from start to finish that incorporates elements of connected products and smart systems. The course is designed such that students can complete this course with only a basic familiarity with statistics, without any knowledge of programming, electronics or systems.

49-604, Innovation Processes & Tools
Professor Francine Gemperle
Every other Wednesday beginning January 18th, 8 - 9:30pm ET

Course Description:

This course covers early stages of a product innovation process: identifying, understanding, and then conceptualizing a product opportunity. The course presents fundamental tools to assess trends, identify opportunities, identify and uncover the value proposition of key stakeholders, articulate the value proposition, define product requirements and conceptualize solutions. Because innovation insights and ideas are new and can be abstract without additional effort, it is important that students learn how to make ideas more concrete via visual communication techniques. As such, communication of work and findings are core to this course. We will cover the following: 1. Industrial Design Sketching, 2. Information visualization dashboards, 3. Graphic User interface design, 4. Executive Summary and Pitch Decks, 5. Visual Brand Language, Templates and Styling 6. Visual Explanations, and 7. Storyboarding and making simple videos. Weekly visual communication assignments will allow students to develop their communication skills throughout the course. The course will revolve around opportunities for product innovation. Students will implement the innovation process that they learn in projects, leading to a final deliverable of a product concept that they communicate with both text and visual techniques.

49-605, User Experience Research for Digital and Physical Products
Professor Francine Gemperle
Every other Thursday beginning January 19th, 8 - 9:30pm ET

Course Description:

This course will teach the basic methods of user research, including one-on-one interviewing and ethnographic techniques. To allow students to master certain skills, the students will dive deeper into one method. Students apply the basic principles of ethnography in a project as a participant observer in both digital settings and in traditional settings. Students will plan the research, collect data, analyze and synthesize what was learned and present a research report that identifies not only what was observed but also interpret its meaning and make indications about opportunities to innovate with new offerings. Although the course will focus on qualitative and primary research, the benefits of quantitative and secondary research will also be addressed. The course includes lectures and discussions, along with readings and research assignments.

Important Dates

• Last day to register: 1/17/2023
• Classes begin: 1/17/2023

Methods & Tools for Product Innovation Certificate

Technology for Product Management Certificate

Important Dates:

• Last day to register: 5/15/2023

• Classes begin: 5/15/2023

New Product Management Certificate

Product Design Innovation Certificate  

Important Dates:

• Registration Opens: 4/17/2023
• Classes begin: 8/28/2023 (Tentative)

Technology for Product Management Certificate

Product Design Innovation Certificate  

Capstone