• Learn methods to understand a breadth of user needs.
• Gain skills in techniques and applications to create tangible products and product features.
• Hone skills needed to visualize and represent concepts efficiently.
• Generate a range of solutions using early prototyping and testing methods.

This course introduces design principles for product development and also instructs students in techniques and applications for tangible products. During the course, students will learn about the design process and the steps designers take—from understanding user needs to creating a fully considered solution that meets those needs and delights the user. 

Building on the general principles introduced in the course, the course will give students the opportunity to apply their learning in the context of tangible products (research, sketching, model making, user testing, and presentation). Students experience the use of traditional design skills (drawing, mockups, and model making) in the visualization and representation of design concepts and solutions. 

This course not only introduces design innovation, but also provides training in a physical product context so that students can hone skills and techniques needed to visualize and represent product concepts efficiently and accurately.

The relationship between design, product development, and business is explored with class projects, readings, discussions, and the analysis of artifacts and process. Through case histories, lectures, and a variety of hands-on exercises, students are exposed to design thinking and practice.

Pre/Co-requisite: 49-600 - Introduction to Design Innovation

• Learn techniques to design services and experiences, easily distinguishing and shifting between different perspectives on the same design problem space.
• Leverage service and experience innovation frameworks to explain how an offering unfolds for people.
• Design holistic product offerings that span UI/UX, physical products, and human activity.
• Gain fluency to articulate offerings that are made up of systems of products, services and other components.

This course will define and study services, experiences, and related systems. Students will also learn the basics of designing services and experiences. Innovators who focus on these areas create new offerings for businesses that prioritize the quality of human interactions and experiences, often ingrained in the heart of functional and/or tangible products. 

This course will push students to consider holistic "product" offerings that span UI/UX, physical products, and human activity. In this course, students will first study the nature of services and experiences, and then work in small project teams to analyze leading design solutions and create new ones. Service and experience design frameworks will also be used for both analyzing existing offerings and proposing innovative solutions.

The learning will take place via lectures, studio projects, and verbal and written exposition. Classwork will be done individually and in teams.

By the end of this course, students should be able to do the following: Easily distinguish and shift between different perspectives on the same design problem space, leverage service, and experience innovation frameworks to explain how an offering unfolds for people, speak articulately about offerings that are made up of systems of products, services, and other components.