Heriot-Watt Design Management – Design is currently one of the most in-demand careers as user experience becomes vital to industry survival. Not only is it behind the applications and websites we use, but it is embedded in the design of the cars we drive and even our grocery shopping experience. Like many fields, design has been revolutionized by technology and witnessed an addition of new job titles. The increased demand for well-roundedness and transferable skills is a trend that encompasses almost all fields of work.
This is fortunate as students are often reluctant to pursue fields that may limit their career choices. With the advent of new job titles and the overlapping of design with other fields, more students are encouraged to pursue their passion for design and creativity. This means, however, that students are faced with many choices and combined with the pace by which the industry is developing, the choice is undoubtedly not simple.
Inevitably, education must reflect current industry trends. With the growing importance of technical and soft skills, students must be given the opportunity to have hands-on experiences that can help them decide their preferred field of study. Rajinder Sharma, Associate Professor and Head of the Degree Entry Programmes (DEP) at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, outlines how Degree Entry Programmes (DEP) at the University can provide students with a foundation pathway into undergraduate studies within Design.
The University’s Degree Entry Programme in Design is a thoughtfully developed foundation programme that provides students with design skills, opportunities to develop creative projects, take part in industry collaboration initiatives and competitions as well as prepare design exhibitions. The programme also focuses on helping students develop a firm foundation in IT, research and writing skills, as well as assessment and examination techniques. Since soft skills such as problem solving, planning and communication comprise some of the top demanded skills in the job market, the programme focuses on helping students build those skills as they develop end-to-end projects. In the past year only, there has been a 200% jump in the rate of student enrolment in the University’s DEP programme in Design.
The programme aims to give students the opportunity to embark on a variety of experiences in design and fully develop projects from ideas to final products. For example, one of the projects that students worked on included developing a model that showcased a comfortable and safe work environment, inspired by Bauhaus furniture – a school of design and architecture that focuses on using materials in their most natural, honest form. Students worked on a series of images, sketches, final drawings and models of their design idea. Giving students the opportunity to do hands-on projects and engage in an end-to-end project execution is a core focus of our programme to enhance their work-force readiness.
Another core focus in our Degree Entry Programme is familiarising students with contemporary designers to enrich their knowledge and inspire their creativity. For example, drawing inspiration from two contemporary designers, Takashi Murakami and Kasama, students drew the artists’ abstract design on shoes and setup an exhibition showcasing their designs. This project enabled students to understand the overall process of commercial designing from conceptualisation to prototyping and presentation.
Giving students the ground to experiment and innovate is an essential feature of our DEP programmes. Overall, Heriot-Watt University Dubai proactively works to leverage current market trends into the University’s degrees and programmes to ensure students are not only well-prepared for the job market but can stand out and produce original ideas.
