Design education is a crucial topic these days as the boundaries of product design shift to encompass an increasing set of skills and experiences. As we’ve discussed extensively (See examples from Manchester, Chicago and even a global consortium weighing in on the topic, preparing students for the future challenges and complexities of designing products for the real world often takes a village and, in the case of Jordan Goldstein's recent product design course for University of Pennsylvania, involves industry.
In the fall of 2014, students from Goldstein’s class were challenged by the Italian design manufacturer Alessi to consider a straight-forward design brief: What would a next-generation standing desk or workstation look like when manufactured by an innovative manufacturer like Alessi? As principal and managing director of international design firm Gensler’s Washington D.C. office, Goldstein created a “skunk works”-like setting for product ideas and innovation by leading his students through a four-phase design process: strategy, ideation, evaluation and to-market planning. As Goldstein explained:
During the strategy phase, the students dive into a fast-paced market analysis to see what products are out there in the competitive marketplace. The goal of this due diligence effort is to find the “blue ocean” areas that offer opportunities to create innovative product concepts. The evaluation phase teaches students how to step back and look at their work critically and evolve ideas based on feedback. During the last phase, we explore the power of brand and the necessary ingredients that go into a product launch.
With a trip to Italy as reward to the top performing team, the students went to work over the course of the semester engaging with key stakeholders in the process including a trip to Alessi's New York City retail space and interactions with the head of Alessi's PR firm, a Harvard-educated IP-lawyer, Gensler designers and lead figures within Alessi's leadership. As one student from the program, Tom MacDonald noted, "Our explorations in identifying market opportunities, establishing strong working partnerships and storytelling have been invaluable...[and] the course's teachings will translate into any aspect of my career as a designer."
At the end of the semester the three students behind the winning “Kabu” concept travelled to Italy to tour the Alessi factory and present their product idea to Alessi CEO Alberto Alessi. "Working with students has always been an important component in the design process at Alessi," says Paolo Cravedi, Managing Director of Alessi USA. Recently, Alessi has organized workshops with students at schools and universities across the world including ECAL in Switzerland and Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan.
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