Product Design - Student Profiles

Chris McNicholl

 Product Design at Dundee is still a relatively young course, and for this reason it is incredibly exciting to be a part off. Whilst holding strong principles and objectives, the content is constantly shifting and moulding to match today’s every-changing design industry.

During my time in Dundee, I learnt and developed a broad range of the fundamental skills of a product designer, from research and sketching to electronics and prototyping. But where the course stands out from others is in the emphasis on ‘design thinking’. Whilst giving me necessary practical skills, enabling me to think like a designer and therefore approach tasks creatively is by far the most valuable asset I attained from the course and its staff.

The Product Design programme at DJCAD is at the forefront of design, and it offers its students a variety of highly valuable opportunities. In my time on the course I was part of a team of students who represented the university and UK at Microsoft’s headquarters in Seattle (USA), I took part in and won the Scottish Universities Design Competition, earned an internship as a designer with global corporation NCR and as a result of one of my projects established a connection with design company, Suck UK, who now produce and retail one of my designs.

I have since returned home to Northern Ireland and I am now working as a product designer with James Leckey Design, one of the world leaders in the design and production of products for children with special needs. I also intend to continue utilising the broad range of skills I developed at DJCAD through individual projects and freelance work.  

Chris McNicholl
Product Designer, James Leckey Design
www.chrismcnicholl.com