Course: Product Design for the Developing World
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Challenge
Teach students from Caltech, Pasadena Art Center, and IIT Gandhinagar to design products focused on improving the quality of life of people living on less than $2 per day
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Outcome
Ten student teams developed products ranging from mobile physical therapy, portable shelter, to a portable crane
Process
As a college junior, taking this course opened my eyes to the world of human-centered design. As a college senior, I was lucky to work as a teaching assistant with Dr. Ken Pickar and Dr. Bhaskar Bhatt to lead the course.
Immersion and Inspiration
Students spent 2 weeks participating in direct observation, interviews, and needs finding in Gujarat, India. They immersed themselves in a range of environments including personal homes, construction sites, factories, hospitals, and salt mines.
Applying the philosophy that necessity breeds invention, we created a design constraint, or if you shift your mindset, design opportunity: products needed to be viable for the user group of people living on less than $2 per day.
Learning by Doing
The teams collaborated across the 12.5 hour time difference from Gandhinagar to Los Angeles. This was before Zoom, so meetings were conducted on Skype!
Over two semesters, students learn about product design with guest lectures while developing their own cost-effective prototypes to address the identified unmet need. I provided mentorship and coordinated assignments.
The course concluded with a working prototype, final report, and presentations.