A miniature city with a controllable sun that demonstrates geographic locations and solar power. A treasure chest-like lockbox puzzle that aims to demystify how to use common tools. A self-contained “Save the City” flood simulator.
These are just some of the innovative ideas students recently designed for one of the University of Minnesota’s most popular courses, Product Innovation Lab (iLab). It’s an introduction to hands-on, team-based product design, and it’s open to any student who wants a real-world product design experience.
The experiential learning course through the University of Minnesota’s College of Design has students work in small teams, each tasked with turning an idea into a marketplace-ready product in the space of a semester. The final presentation, “PLAYsentations,” is a playful showcase of each team’s results.