Product Design

Product design is the discipline of conceiving, developing and refining objects and systems that meet human needs, combining aesthetic judgement with technical knowledge, manufacturing understanding and a genuine attention to how people interact with the things they use. Good product designers think simultaneously about function, form, materials, sustainability and the experience of the end user, and they work in iterative cycles of prototyping, testing and refinement rather than producing finished ideas from a blank page. At the University of Sussex this four-year programme, which includes a foundation year and an industrial placement, develops that full range of capabilities.

You will learn to generate and develop ideas through sketching, digital modelling and physical prototyping, building a design process that is both creative and systematic. You will study materials science and manufacturing processes, user research methods, sustainability and the commercial context in which designed products exist. The foundation year provides a structured entry point into design thinking and practice for those who benefit from a preparatory stage before the main degree begins.

The industrial placement, embedded within the four-year structure, gives you a significant period of professional experience working within a design or manufacturing organisation, developing the practical understanding of real product development that employers consistently value and that a purely studio-based education cannot fully replicate.

Product design graduates work in consumer goods companies, automotive and transport design, furniture and interiors, medical devices, packaging, electronics and the broader design consultancy sector. The versatility of the training means graduates can move between industries and between roles, from concept design and user research through to technical development and project management. Some go on to postgraduate study or research in product design, interaction design or design engineering, particularly if they want to specialise in a particular material, technology or user group.