{"id":537,"date":"2022-04-20T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/?p=537"},"modified":"2022-08-30T15:35:15","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T22:35:15","slug":"welcome-to-the-product-design-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/2022\/04\/20\/welcome-to-the-product-design-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Product Design Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:100\">The Product Design program is where bold ideas are transformed into marketable products. In our Bachelor\u2019s degree, our students use design thinking to identify problems and explore sustainable, ethical solutions. With a breadth of technical skills, they use prototyping to test their ingenuity, and apply their marketing and business expertise to consider how their designs fit into contemporary markets. Here\u2019s a snapshot of what we\u2019re all about:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Product Design - Program Overview\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/465948071?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"616\" height=\"347\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Program<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Product design is for the builder, the maker, the lover of hands-on creation and tangible problem-solving. The program is structured with a rich, in-depth theory course running parallel to and supplementing an exciting studio course where students have the opportunity to apply their learning to innovative product design solutions with the guidance of industry members and experienced faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our students, for example, might be&nbsp;challenged to design a new line of shoes for Native Shoes, focusing on a niche within either the Nike, Adidas, or Reebok brands, exploring the future of the brand and developing a deep understanding of where the brand is going. Other projects that the product design students have worked on include designing biodegradable disposable gloves with Watson Gloves and redesigning a multi bit tool with Picquic tools to reach unexplored areas of the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Making a Difference<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Project Burrito<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Product Design program gives students the opportunity to use their skills and education to make a difference. Mustang Survival came to the 3rd year product design students with a real world design challenge-to design a hypothermia blanket for post-water rescue victims, which then went on to&nbsp;win the Core77 Student Runner Up Commercial Equipment Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The students dove into the research, consulting with industry experts on thermal physiology and testing their theories. They researched available materials and developed user profiles for the product. They analyzed every feature to ensure everything worked together to achieve the goal of mitigating hypothermia in polar conditions. Everything about the final product is designed for optimal usability, including storage and transportation solutions, velcro closure system in use to reduce air volume inside during use, and a three-way zipper for easy access during emergency situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prototype has been tested during a snorkel safari off the coast of British Columbia and it has been sent to the Canadian Arctic for further testing and user feedback. Opportunities for further development are still being explored but the potential applications for this product could be life-changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Project Burrito\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/276526443?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"616\" height=\"347\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Designed by Chelsea McCullough, Justin Havard, Sage Bishop, Elaine Leung, Matthew Hill and Torstein Bakke. Instructor: Sue Fairburn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>NetGain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instructor Dr. Victor Martinez and a team of students have been working on a project called NetGain that looks to recover fishing nets and turning them into filaments that can be used for 3D printing. This gives companies economic incentive to retrieve these nets instead of sending them to landfills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Third-year Product Design students worked for 9 weeks on the creation of a personal and portable hyperbaric chamber for use in high altitude climbing to simulate bringing a climber with altitude sickness back down to a safer level. The students went beyond their classroom and workshops by talking to industry members which included Elizabeth \u201cLiz\u201d Rose, the youngest Canadian to climb the Seven Summits who shared her experience with the students and gave them feedback during their project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hyperbaric Chamber - Product Design Student Project\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/533739930?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"616\" height=\"347\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>NetGain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instructor Dr. Victor Martinez and a team of students have been working on a project called NetGain that looks to recover fishing nets and turning them into filaments that can be used for 3D printing. This gives companies economic incentive to retrieve these nets instead of sending them to landfills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NetGain Project\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/533741723?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"616\" height=\"347\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning from Experts<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The program offers countless avenues to learn from experts in the field of product design, and that starts with our faculty. Our amazing product design instructors all have a different set of skills and expertise that offer our students an invaluable breadth of knowledge that pushes them to think outside the box. We have teachers who come from backgrounds of industrial design, car design, systems design, soft product design, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 80-hour practicum opportunity for 3rd year students is another way they gain valuable experience and guidance from industry experts. Approximately 50% of students gain contracts directly from their practicums at places like Arc\u2019teryx, Science World, and Maker\u2019s Making Change, with an overall average of 75-90% of our students filling positions in the product design industry after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o-816x544.jpeg 816w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522068177_2175455c8a_o.jpeg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Product Design is for Everyone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world of product design and industrial design is historically,&nbsp;male-dominated. It\u2019s an industry where women have felt excluded and overlooked. 81% of industrial designers in the US are male, and we recognize that a world of products designed by men creates a world of products designed for men. Seat belts are tested on the average male, meaning seat belt-wearing women are 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a head-on collision than a male in the same situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These realities result from a systemic issue that will take time and effort to change, but we believe it starts with equal education. The product design program aims for a more equal balance\u00a0of male and female students and includes several non-binary students as well because product designers design the world we live in and the way we interact with it&#8211;and that world should be designed by everyone, for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o-816x544.jpeg 816w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49522066902_6ed1ca0cc1_o.jpeg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Interested in the Product Design Program?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpu.ca\/design\/product-design\">Product Design page<\/a>\u00a0or contact our Future Students&#8217; Office at\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:study@kpu.ca\" target=\"_blank\">study@kpu.ca<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"tel:6045993030\" target=\"_blank\">604-599-3030<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o-816x544.jpeg 816w, https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/files\/2022\/08\/49521331883_4ed5a35e31_o.jpeg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Product Design program is where bold ideas are transformed into marketable products. In our Bachelor\u2019s degree, our students use design thinking to identify problems and explore sustainable, ethical solutions. With a breadth of technical skills, they use prototyping to test their ingenuity, and apply their marketing and business expertise to consider how their designs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1300,"featured_media":538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":21,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12],"class_list":["post-537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wilson-school-of-design-blog","tag-product-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1300"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":542,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537\/revisions\/542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.kpu.ca\/wilsondesignloop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}