Design students’ practice project work with industrial partners: a case study of the learning experiences and benefits to curriculum development

The value of the learning experiences for staff and students who undertook a high risk commercial design and development project within an academic environment are discussed. This case study traces the development of a product idea through to commercial exploitation and illustrates how these outcomes have been employed as teaching material. The project utilised a small team of staff and students studying product development, within the Department of Consumer Technology, Massey University, New Zealand. The paper is based on a product for depilatory hair removal and describes the methodologies employed, the management style adopted, and the learning outcomes for both parties. The areas reviewed and discussed range from project start-up, to post-consumer analysis, exploring the interfaces between the industrial partners and project team. This is a multi-level investigation revealing insights into how the information has been collated and disseminated as learning tools for course teaching material, the value of such an exercise, and how collaboration with commercial partners can enhance the learning experiences.