Master of Science Strategic Product Design

Master of Science Strategic Product Design

Strategic product designers help companies to initiate, create and introduce strategically sound and commercially successful products and services for clients and customers who live and act in an international competitive environment. The SPD master emphasizes the fuzzy front end of the new product development (NPD) process.

At this stage, students will learn how to choose a strategic product direction based on insights from the external environment (market analysis, consumer and behaviour research, trends and future scenarios, governmental policies, and new technologies and materials) and the wishes and possibilities of the company (product strategy, brand identity, mission/vision, resources). The translation of the chosen strategic product direction into proposals for product concepts (including engineering and design guidelines) will also be of central concern.

In courses as Product Strategy & Brand Management, Context & Conceptualisation, New Product Commercialisation, Internationalisation, Consumer Research, Creative Facilitation, New Product Economics, and in two Master Projects, students learn how to collect and synthesise information on the internal and external environment, conceptualise and visualise strategic product directions, develop product concepts for the chosen strategic product direction, build the business case for different product concepts, assess the fit of the product concept with the brand identity, and forecast the market feasibility of the concepts.

Students with a Master in SPD are great candidates for jobs as strategic designer, product/brand manager, NPD project leader, innovation consultant and design/brand consultant.