Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

The aim of the project module is to broaden the scope of design engineering by scoping product development to an entire sector and starting with ill-defined user needs as basis for market development including choice and combination of organizations, supply chain and business modeling needed to be integrated into a focused complex product development process.

Students who complete the module:

Learning objectives

Knowledge

• Must be able to account for, evaluate and reflect on concrete case-based knowledge of problems and possibilities for transforming poorly-defined needs into strategies, concepts and specified product proposals to be produced and distributed in a network business structure
• Must be able to account for and reflect on the scientific validity of the main experiments, tests, proposals and evaluations affecting the decision-making in the design process, with special focus on linking the ill-defined needs to all other aspects
• Must be able to account for the main critical issues in the design proposal related to the business case, product design and construction, supply chain setup, production capability and the appropriate course of action to amend these
• Must be able to account for a go-to-market strategy and a minimum viable product version of the product proposal for initial launch of the product.

Skills

• Must be able to identify, research and specify design opportunities and tasks in relation to a concrete sector including; cultural, demographic, market, technological or environmental themes
• Must be able to translate ill-defined needs into a market description and a business model and plan for a product proposal, including a proposal for most relevant organisational and value chain structure
• Must be able to identify, design in detail and evaluate most relevant production aspect or component construction in order to most effectively support the value proposition of the business case
• Must be able to plan, organise and carry out a rapid design process and integrated product development while maintaining a high degree of awareness on linking user needs to key characteristics for proposed products, business model, plan and market.
• Must be able to communicate the investment proposal for a product concept for the relevant audience and body of decision makers.

Competences

•  Must show ability to combine a diversity of analytical and creative tools and methods in an integrated process leading from the identification of opportunities and needs to designing and specifying a product family or product/service and its aesthetic components to be implemented in a sector-based business structure
• Must be able to clearly describe and communicate a solution that is based on an advanced integration of business, design and engineering
• Must be capable of developing, analysing, reflecting on and discussing the integration of a holistic design approach with a suitable business structure and plan

Type of instruction

See general description of the types of instruction described in the introduction to Chapter 3.

Exam

Exams