The goal of this course is to introduce students to the formal, structural and functional components of product design. Students are encouraged to consider issues of manufacturing and use, such as efficiency, use of materials, effective use of resources. Students employ workshop-scale materials and manufacturing methods, including traditional workshop machinery and rapid prototyping, through model-making and prototype building activities. Basics of user factors in the context of industrial design are integrated in introductory level design projects.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Apply knowledge of structural properties of materials, efficiency in manufacturability and use of resources to designed objects,
- Choose appropriate material and manufacturing methods for the designed products,
- Associate form and function of product with users’ experience with them,
- Communicate the creative process and outputs visually and orally through prototypes, presentations and visual deliverables,
- Generate creative design solutions considering functional, usability and manufacturability constraints.