Product Design and Technology

Product design and technology occupies the space where creativity and engineering meet, asking not just what a product might look like but how it will work, how it will be made, and how it will serve the people who use it. The discipline has expanded enormously in recent decades, moving from the physical design of objects to encompass user experience, sustainability, digital interfaces, and the systems within which products exist. Good product design is always both functional and meaningful, and the skills it demands span artistic intuition, technical knowledge, and a genuine understanding of human needs.

At Loughborough University this four-year programme takes a trans-disciplinary approach, educating you in both the creative and the technical dimensions of product design. You will develop skills in concept development, computer-aided design, prototyping, materials science, manufacturing processes, and product evaluation, alongside the human-centred research methods that reveal what users actually need. You will learn to think across the entire product lifecycle, from initial brief to finished object, considering aesthetics, usability, sustainability, and commercial viability.

The programme includes a year abroad, broadening your design perspective through experience of how product design is taught and practised in different international contexts.

Graduates from product design and technology programmes work as product designers, industrial designers, UX designers, design engineers, and creative directors across manufacturing, consumer electronics, medical devices, transportation, furniture, and many other sectors. Some move into design consultancy or work independently, while others join in-house design teams in large companies. Roles in innovation, design management, and sustainable design are growing areas of employment.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in design, engineering, or a specialist field such as healthcare design or sustainable product development.