Semester 1

DP 2: Designing Product- Services

by Zoltan Rusak

These days digital technologies are everywhere. Designers need to understand them in order be leaders in creating innovative solutions. This course is about agile design and innovation approaches in the context of digital product-service systems. It’s about looking to the future and creating impact and value in a responsible way. Let’s get digital.

Agile innovation is key in the fast-paced world of digital products and product-service systems. If it takes too long, you are doing it wrong. This project-oriented course prepares designers to engage with digital technologies using lean innovation methods.

As a starting point, take an existing product-service system like a smart device. Use research methods to explore user needs and find new ways of using this technology. Formulate an idea that has the potential to create impact and value for stakeholders. Practice visualisation, envisioning the future context of this product-service system.

Experiment with the new concept by first creating and then validating assumptions about desirability, viability and feasibility. Develop a digital prototype and evaluate it with end users. Then assess the impact it will have on society in order to propose a sustainable business model.

Ultimately, put into practice the knowledge gained in other theoretical courses to produce innovative digital solutions.

“It’s inspiring when students develop a solution that actually hits the market. I hope to see them creating concepts and novel solutions that might be interesting for companies to take further like product-service systems that break away from the current trends and actually introduce some sort of change within society.”

Prototyping with code to shape the behavior of digital products, solo and through pair programming.

Specifying software solutions with a holistic understanding of the requirements.

Digital Product Development

by Jacky Bourgeois

Programming is not just for computer scientists any more. Being a designer in this rapidly evolving digital world doesn’t mean you need to be a software developer. But, learning basic digital knowledge and skills will prepare you to fully and confidently engage with stakeholders throughout the product development process.

This course introduces designers to the digital knowledge and skills needed to effectively and responsibly engage throughout the design process of digital products and services.

It’s about learning new development processes because developing software is quite different from developing a tangible product. Take a high-level look at the internet and networking technologies like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as data and how it drives algorithms. Learn about the important role the designer can play in crafting these algorithms instead of letting them just be crafted by computer scientists.

Learn the basics of programming using Python. Look at business models for digital technologies as well as learn about e-waste. And explore the responsibility designers have in influencing design choices that may impact privacy and security issues related to a product or service.

In a technology-driven world, this course gives designers the knowledge, skills and confidence to be an integral part of a multifaceted design process.

“I think it’s quite exciting to teach digital skills to designers. I want to give them the opportunity and the encouragement to try and fail. There really is no such thing as failure, but being willing to take a little more risk creates plenty of opportunities to learn.”