Moving target: what are the key elements that are conducive to a creative environment for industrial / product design study today?

This paper outlines research undertaken for the development of the new product design undergraduate programmes at the University of Derby in 2010. The pedagogic approaches to the delivery of the different aspects of industrial product design are examined as well as the varying emphasis given to the industrial product design skill set across programmes such as drawing, computer aided design, interaction design and sustainability and the impact this has on students grasp of the discipline as a whole as well as their employability after graduation. The research found that there was a degree of ambiguity in the official benchmarking documentation and that this interpretation of the standards leads to variation between programmes at different institutions. The paper concludes that the different emphasis given to design skill sets at different institutions has a direct impact on student employability and that regular revalidation of design programmes is essential to maintain employer confidence.