fbpx Industrial Product Design Program | ARAB AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Contact information for Technical Support and Student Assistance ... Click here

Industrial Product Design

Overview

Industrial design is an exciting and rapidly evolving profession. Products can be tangible, three-dimensional manufactured objects like consumer products, furniture, packaging, medical and sports equipment or they can be systems, services and interfaces. Many products are solutions to real-life problems. The Industrial Design major helps you develop key research, critical and creative thinking, design thinking, ideation, and prototyping and communication skills.

Ethical practices, along with environmental and social responsibility underpin all aspects of the Industrial Design program. Employment of industrial designers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2016 to 2026 , about as fast as the average for all occupations. Consumer demand for innovative products and new product styles should sustain the demand for industrial designers.
Employment of industrial designers is likely to continue to grow in areas that require a high degree of technical ability and design sophistication. Products in these areas require detailed user specifications to be incorporated into the design process in order to meet consumer expectations and ensure the efficient and enjoyable use of the product.
 

Goals

  • Teaching students how to design and deliver the right products that solve problems.
  • Develop students' basic skills in product design.
  • Provide students with a practical understanding of the product design life cycle
  • Provide the student with critical and imaginative skills.
  • Provide the student with communication skills and work well under pressure.
  • Enable students to present creative product designs.
  • Enable students to work globally.

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME

  1. The program will teach the students how to design and deliver suitable products that solve problems and generate consumer interest.
  2. The student will also develop key skills in product design such as design, sketching and computer-aided design, fluid flow, power and energy, and materials selection that is ergonomic, functional, appropriate, and appealing.
  3. Students will gain a practical understanding of the product design lifecycle – from idea generation through to prototyping and commercialization.
  4. Industrial designers are problem solvers. They are critical and imaginative, express artistic and practical skills, are able to communicate and work well under pressure, are open to criticism, and can sell an idea to any client.
  5. Graduates will be able to deliver creative product designs while also leveraging their knowledge of related sciences and engineering disciplines, in parallel with practical and commercial business skills.
  6. Combining engineering and science with creative design and business will help students forge a vibrant career with unlimited possibilities, as industrial designers can work across many different industries and sectors. They can work globally in the design departments of large manufacturing companies, product design or engineering consultancies, or have the possibility to be self-employed with their own companies.
  7. Other examples, areas include furniture design, toy design, electronics, packaging design, medical design, consumer goods, digital design, automotive industries, design research, and recreational sports equipment.
  8. Graduates will gain skills in the aesthetic and technical design of products and business skills related to the commercialization of their ideas. These include
    • Creativity
    • Technical design understanding
    • Knowledge of aesthetics, ergonomics, and function
    • Practical understanding of the product design lifecycle — from idea generation to prototyping and commercialization
    • Sketching and computer-aided design (CAD)
    • Critical thinking and application of logic proposed design solutions.

 

Careers of Graduates

  • CAD technician
  • Clothing/textile technologist
  • Color technologist
  • Exhibition designer
  • Furniture designer
  • Interior and spatial designer
  • Product designer

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

  • Advertising art director
  • Automotive engineer
  • Furniture conservator/restorer
  • Graphic designer
  • Materials engineer
  • Procurement manager
  • Product manager
  • Production designer, theatre/television/film
  • Stylist