Jump to content
HomeAbout CreateSections

Industrial Design

Section ofIndustrial Design

The section of Industrial Design researches and teaches design methods, design processes, and design thinking in order to study how design can be a driving force for a sustainable transition. 80% of a product's resource consumption is determined in the design phase. Therefore, design is crucial in the green transition. Our current research focus is on long-lasting products that remain attractive and usable for a long time.

Section ofIndustrial Design

The section of Industrial Design researches and teaches design methods, design processes, and design thinking in order to study how design can be a driving force for a sustainable transition. 80% of a product's resource consumption is determined in the design phase. Therefore, design is crucial in the green transition. Our current research focus is on long-lasting products that remain attractive and usable for a long time.

We research and teach design

Design is shaping, method, process, and reflection at the same time. This is what we know as design expertise:

  • to be able to see a problem from new angles
  • exploratively examine potential solutions through sketches, models, etc., which give shape to a synthesis.

In both research and education, we start with real problems, challenges and opportunities within product and service development. From the initial search phase until there is an overall conceptual design proposal.

We collaborate with companies and external  organizations in both research and teaching. This helps to ensure that our research projects and teaching in design are:

  • relevant
  • connected with reality
  • creates new valid knowledge.

Design  - and developing design - must make sense for users and customers. They perceive and form an opinion about the products and the solutions that are designed, developed and produced. Therefore, customers and users are a natural part of the companies' business strategy and brand. We take this into account in our holistic approach to design, where we use a user- and context-oriented approach in both our research and teaching.

Design for den grønne omstilling

Recycling alone will not do it if we are to deal with the challenges that production methods and consumption create. Sustainable products, circular design, and circular economy already begin in the design process. We research into how we can create the most meaning and value with the resources tare used to make products, and how we can develop designs that are long-lived. Can we, for example, develop products that break down naturally after use? And can we create new products from residual and waste materials without using energy to remelt them?

Portræt af Christian Tollestrup

Christian Tollestrup
Section leader, Industrial Design, Aalborg
cht@create.aau.dk
21142444

Research groups

Industrial Design consists of following research group:

Contact researchers and research groups