Simon's BSc (Hons) Product Design and Innovation degree helped him to develop both technically and creatively, as well as to build a great portfolio of projects after he graduated.
I chose the University of Portsmouth for lots of reasons. My degree covered technology concepts, hand sketching and prototyping — so the course looked great, but so did the city.
When I came to Portsmouth on an Applicant Experience Day I had the chance to explore the area. I visited Old Portsmouth, the Hot Walls Studios and the beach — so I knew I would have places to visit and enjoy outside of studying at uni.
Portsmouth is a fantastic place to live, explore and study.
After moving from the Midlands, I found everyone very welcoming. We had a great team in my accommodation who looked out for everyone and made you feel at home.
I made a close-knit group of friends and was a member of the Swimming Society for two years of my degree. Having trained as a competitive swimmer before uni, this meant I could continue my swim training while I studied and I even represented the university at BUCS in Sheffield and at Varsity.
The best thing about my degree was the variety of different design projects we had. Most modules had different design briefs based around different products and industries.
We worked to design briefs in modules across my degree. These briefs allowed us to apply the knowledge we learnt during the rest of our course and gave me a great portfolio of projects after I graduated.
Some of these projects really stood out for me. In my first year we created technical drawings of a glider and a launcher as part of a team project. The designs were produced in the workshop and tested in one of the university sports halls.
For our final year project we chose what we wanted to investigate and design. I investigated the performance and environmental impact of bicycle frames for racing.
My project included researching my target demographic, bicycle frame ergonomics and different suitable materials. For each material I considered its mechanical and environmental performance and compared their results before choosing a material. I completed the conceptual development stage of the project and modelled a final concept in 3D CAD. I prototyped some elements of the design with stereolithography printing, too.
I received the Best Final Year Project on my course by the Institution of Engineering Designers (iED), which was an amazing honour that recognised all of the hard work I put in.
Studying BSc (Hons) Product Design and Innovation gave me a brilliant blend of technology knowledge and creativity, which set me up for my career in product design.
The careers support services in the Faculty of Technology as well as the Careers and Employability team helped me create a strong CV and write tailored cover letters as I applied for jobs. Having this support during and after graduation helped me get started in the industry.
Since graduating I’ve secured a role in the product design industry that I greatly enjoy. My work allows me to continue developing the skills I learnt at university and apply my knowledge to products that will be sold to consumers.