Product Futures Studio

This is an IPD design studio.

Designing the future of product design

Product Futures is an advanced design studio that explores emerging practices and future trends in product design by conducting design research projects. This studio challenges students to envision, experiment and realise the products, materials and technologies of the future, innovating toward novel product experiences, and sustainable ways of designing, making and living.

Students select and tackle a design research project from among three themes:

• Design for Sustainability: Projects in this theme focus on advanced design methods and strategies for sustainable design to develop innovative products and services.

• Digital Design and AI: Projects in this theme focus on advanced digital technologies and emerging design and development approaches for next-generation intelligent products and services.

• Materialising Futures: Projects in this theme focus on the analysis, fabrication, and use of novel materials and/or computational design and fabrication technologies.

Building on research at the forefront of the chosen theme and working hands-on with emerging technologies, students develop, evaluate and present inspiring design research artefacts and prototypes. Throughout the course, students closely collaborate with researchers and experts from each theme to experiment and discover their own approach at the intersection of technology, design and research.

The study goals of this course will be assessed by an individual assignment (pass/fail with repair/fail, 100%)

2 formative and 1 summative assessment as follows:

Formative assessment 1

• (Proposal): Abstract, Design Research Plan, Written submission outline and Initial design research artefact/s.

Formative assessment 2

• Part A: (Midterm presentation): Presentation, Design research artefact/s,

• Part B: (Draft): Written submission (pictorial format), Peer review.

Summative assessment

• Part A: Written submission (pictorial format).

• Part B: Exhibit with design research artefact/s, Presentation, and self-assessment.