VISION
Design for a sustainable future, addressing products and systems in the challenging canvas of large and diverse people with various abilities and inabilities for their needs, aspirations and wellbeing.NID envisions this program to create design infiuencers who will bridge the gap between thought and product, between the privileged and the common. In other words, the program bases itself in universal human centric design thinking and approach leading to easily adaptable and viable design directions for a wide and diverse audience.
INTENT
Universal design thinking being an intrinsic part of Product Definition, Design, Process & Development, the program aims to create design professionals with competence in system level design development of products, adaptive for diverse users – across cultures, social factors, trans generational physical and cognitive abilities and inabilities. Professionals who are creative in conceptualizing universal and sustainable solutions, strategic and smart in converting them into value propositions, thus influencing the business and initiating positive future impact.
PROGRAM MODEL
Being a Post Graduate program the curriculum will broadly focus on: Universal design thinking & research, strategic approaches towards meaningful differentiators, contextual innovation methods, smart technologies, social & cultural studies, participative design development process. The first and second semesters will be ‘hands-on’, cover concepts of product design related to trans-generational users and will emphasize on creative ideas, making & testing. Courses on Universal design principles, Form study, Human factors, Semiotics, Materials and Manufacturing technologies will be studio/theory based. The design project will look at everyday objects of purpose. The third semester will focus on the rationale: strategy, value, feasibility & viability related aspects of design development. Inputs being Product-Industry economics, Smart digital technologies, User experience design. The design project will look at products, furniture systems from various consumer and business verticals. The fourth semester opens to a system level thinking approach: social design and innovation, sustainability factors, service design and public policy. The design project will look at intervention in the area of public utilities and areas of national concern. The prospective student is creative with strong aesthetic sensibilities and problem solving abilities, has an open non-judgmental outlook, passionate about positive change, empathetic towards needs and aspirations of people of all cultures and walks of life, keen observer and insightful, in-depth thinker and a doer, group work skills and adaptive, sound domain knowledge of past specialization.