iNPD course

Example projects
from iNPD class

research
projects

integrated New Product Development course

The iNPD course has evolved over more than a decade into one of the foremost courses on new product development. The course is co-taught by faculty from the School of Design, Engineering, and the Business School (GSIA). Teams of senior level and graduate students from all three disciplines create new consumer products that connect to user lifestyles.

The goal of the class is two fold:
 teams must develop new products
 they must learn to use a process, a series of ideas and methods
that foster interdisciplinary invention and refinement.

The course is divided into four phases. In a fifteen week period of time the teams identify opportunities for new consumer products by identifying experiences that can be improved by a new product concept (Phase I), then research the experience and gain an in-depth understanding of the behavioral dynamics stated as "actionable insights" (Phase II). These insights are then used as a basis for developing concepts that are then tested by consumers and experts (Phase III). The best identified product attributes are then integrated into a final concept (Phase IV). The final product concept is illustrated through a working prototype with a complete description of components and cost projection for manufacture, a visual prototype with material and manufacturing specifications, and a market plan defining the scope of market, roll out program and cost to profit projection. Throughout the process feedback from users and stakeholders drives the design process. The goal is to create a product that will be perceived as useful, useable, and desirable to the end user.

Many of the products created in the class are patentable with a clear opportunity for success in the marketplace. In a recent course sponsored by Ford Motor Company, 3 of 6 projects were patented by Ford.