Product, service, UI/UX

There are a few ways to approach a project design project. To participate in a real-world project, you will need to locate a client — a company, event, organization, group, etc. — that has a specific challenge. You can then work with the client to design a solution that meets a need or opportunity. Whether you are working with web and information technology, or 3D printing physical prototypes, many aspects of the design process will be similar.

Types of product or service projects

• Functional mobile or web app
• High fidelity interactive mockups (UI)
• Speculative or discursive design projects
• Comprehensive user experience (UX) research
• Digital fabrication products or prototypes (handheld objects, furniture, wearables, clothes, toys, etc.)
• Physical computing and IoT device

Note about design projects requiring fabrication equipment: If you are interested in using PSU Main Campus fabrication equipment including laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC Routers, water-jet cutters, etc., you must coordinate a time to visit, complete requisite safety training in advance, and schedule a time on the required machines. Contact your professor for more information. Depending on your location, it is often less expensive to pay for an object to be fabricated using an online service or local company rather than paying for travel and lodging to come to Penn State Main Campus.

Production requirements

1. Research, design thinking, and ideation
   • IDEO Design Kit
   • Stanford D.School
   • Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
   • Example methods include
     • Scenarios and personas
     • Charts, diagrams, and concept maps
     • Interviews
     • Themes and insights
     • Prototyping
     • Other design thinking and design research methods that inform the design
2. Prototyping and production
   • CAD modeling
     • Rhino3D (recommended)
     • SolidWorks(free access to PSU students)
     • AutoCad (free education license available)
   • Polygonal/Nurbs modeling
     • Blender, Autodesk Maya, Maxon C4D, Foundry Modo
   • Digital fabrication
     • 3D printing — Shapeways will print designs and mail them to you.
     • Laser cutting
     • Advanced fabrication: CNC Routing, turning, and milling, water-jet cutting (using fabrication equipment requires proximity to PSU Main Campus and coordination with facility operators in advance)
     • Device programming: Arduino
   • User Experience design
     • LinkedIn Learning UX Learning Pathway
     • Wireframe software: Use Photoshop, Figma, or Sketch to design wireframes for
     • Interactive prototyping: Figma, Adobe xD, InvisionApp for interactive high fidelity UI prototypes
   • Web design and development
     • Website dev tools and technology: VS Code, Github, Git Pages Tutorial 1, Git Pages Tutorial 2
     • "App" tools and technology: VS Code, Github, CodeSandbox.io
     • Webflow: powerful visual development app (like Wix and other drag-and-drop tools but much closer to professional dev capabilities).
     • Everything list: Extensive list of web tools and technology
   • App Development
     • Xcode — Apple's developement suite for iOS; generally easier than developing for Android as it has a visual editor in addition to coding. Still a ton of work to program anything complex. Stick to something simple if you're new to this.
3. Testing and analysis
   • User testing
   • Performance testing

Proof of concept

The goal of a proof is to demonstrate that you have a strong grasp of relevant research, design, fabrication, and/or development principles.

Produce a basic example of a project in your web technology or digital fabrication technology of choice that demonstrates you are capable of producing digital assets and code.