Product design is changing. A designer today may work on a physical product, a digital interface, a connected device, a service, a strategic solution or even a combination of several of these.
This is why modern design education increasingly crosses traditional boundaries. Students may need to understand design thinking, technology, business, human behaviour, sustainability and entrepreneurship alongside visual and making skills.
Somaiya School of Design (SSD), supported by riidl, has built its Bachelor of Design programme around this broader understanding of product design. The school describes itself as an “institution without boundaries” and offers a four-year, full-time undergraduate B.Des. in Product Design. Students work across physical, digital and strategic solutions, with the opportunity to specialise from the third year in areas including UI/UX Design, Visual Communication Design and Design for Tangible Products.
For students considering design education in 2026, Somaiya School of Design presents an academic environment where creativity is connected with technology, entrepreneurship, fabrication, research and real-world problem-solving.
Ready to take the next step?
- Product Design With More Than One Dimension
- Four Years Built Around Exploration and Deeper Specialisation
- The Curriculum Connects Design With Technology and Business
- A Block Plan Designed for Deeper Learning
- Technology Becomes a Tool for Creating and Testing Ideas
- Specialising Without Losing the Bigger Picture
- The riidl Ecosystem Adds an Innovation Dimension
- Learning From Industry, Internships and Real Projects
- Parallel Skills, International Exposure and the Making of a Changemaker
- Final Thoughts
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Product Design With More Than One Dimension
Product design is often associated with physical objects such as furniture, appliances or consumer products. However, the boundaries of the discipline have become much wider.
At Somaiya School of Design, students are encouraged to explore products as physical, digital or strategic solutions, or combinations of these. The programme is designed around the idea of creating solutions that can improve people’s lives or address challenges affecting people and the planet.
This approach allows a student to think beyond a single output.
A product could be a physical object supported by an app. A digital experience could be connected to a physical device. A service could require both a user interface and a carefully designed strategy.
Such possibilities make Product Design relevant to students who want to work across disciplines rather than remain restricted to one conventional design category.
2. Four Years Built Around Exploration and Deeper Specialisation
Somaiya School of Design structures its B.Des. journey in four broad stages: Foundation, Exploration, Deep Dive and Leap. Each stage represents a different level of engagement with design practice.
The structure gives students time to first understand fundamental design concepts and then gradually develop more specialised capabilities.
By the final year, students are expected to move closer to professional practice through an internship or exchange experience and a capstone project.
This progression can be useful for students who want to discover their interests before committing deeply to one area.
3. The Curriculum Connects Design With Technology and Business
One of the distinctive aspects of Somaiya School of Design’s curriculum is that it does not treat design as an isolated creative discipline.
The school describes its curriculum as combining Design, Technology, Business and Humanities, with students building solutions across physical products, digital or graphical experiences and strategic or service-oriented solutions.
During the first year, students encounter subjects such as design thinking, society and culture, material exploration, social innovation, product sketching, creative coding, storytelling and portfolio development.
The second year introduces a stronger technology and professional component, including 3D modelling, rapid prototyping, digital graphics, physical computing, UI/UX, user testing, brand identity and business studies.
This combination can help students understand that a successful product requires more than creativity. It also needs technological feasibility, user understanding and an awareness of how the solution fits into a larger business or social context.
Ready to take the next step?
4. A Block Plan Designed for Deeper Learning
Traditional university timetables often divide learning into many separate subjects running simultaneously.
Somaiya School of Design uses a Block Plan as part of its academic model. The school’s website highlights the block plan as a unique model intended to facilitate deeper learning engagement.
The idea is particularly relevant to design education because design projects often require sustained attention.
A student working on a design problem may need time to research, sketch, experiment, build, test and revise an idea. Moving between too many unrelated subjects in short periods can make it difficult to develop that depth.
A block-based approach can instead allow students to spend more concentrated time engaging with a particular area or project.
Combined with the programme’s emphasis on experimentation and real-world problems, this creates a learning structure where students can spend time developing an idea rather than simply completing an assignment.
5. Technology Becomes a Tool for Creating and Testing Ideas
Technology is not only changing the products designers create; it is also changing how those products are developed.
Somaiya’s second-year curriculum includes Fusion 360, Blender, digital fabrication, laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC, Figma, Unity, Arduino and manufacturing processes. Students also explore physical computing and digital interaction.
In the third year, students can move into areas such as AR/VR, Internet of Things and emerging technologies alongside their selected skill-based specialisations.
The school’s laboratories further support this technology-oriented learning. Its facilities include a Digital Fabrication Laboratory, Bioriidl, SMAC Lab and XR riidl, along with a Parallel Skills Lab.
For a design student, this means an idea can potentially move through several stages—from sketch to digital model, from digital model to prototype, and from prototype to an interactive or technologically enabled experience.
6. Specialising Without Losing the Bigger Picture
Specialisation is important, but modern design problems are rarely limited to one discipline.
From the third year, Somaiya School of Design students can develop skills in areas including Visual Communication, User Interaction & Experience Design and Design for Tangible Products. The curriculum also encourages transdisciplinary electives and collaboration across focus areas.
The programme identifies potential application areas such as healthcare, robotics, mobility, education, entertainment, fintech, gaming, governance, sustainability, biotechnology, agri-tech and food & nutrition.
This means students can begin thinking about design through the context in which a problem exists.
A student interested in healthcare might work on a physical product, digital interface or service experience. Someone interested in mobility might explore transportation, user interaction or connected technologies.
The focus therefore shifts from asking only “What should I design?” to asking “Which problem or sector do I want to understand deeply?”
7. The riidl Ecosystem Adds an Innovation Dimension
Somaiya School of Design is supported by riidl, an innovation ecosystem associated with Somaiya Vidyavihar. This connection adds another dimension to the design learning environment.
The school highlights collaborations, product design activities, innovation communities, grants, internships and access to technology-oriented facilities as part of its broader ecosystem.
The presence of facilities such as Bioriidl and the Digital Fabrication Laboratory can expose students to experimentation beyond conventional design-school activities. Bioriidl, for example, is described by the school as a DIY biology laboratory with a BioIncubator, while the FabLab provides computer-driven fabrication facilities.
This can be particularly useful for students who want to experiment with ideas at the intersection of design, science, technology and entrepreneurship.
A design school connected to an innovation ecosystem can give students opportunities to ask not only how something should be designed, but also whether it can be prototyped, tested, developed and potentially taken further.
Ready to take the next step?
8. Learning From Industry, Internships and Real Projects
Design education becomes more meaningful when students encounter professional expectations before graduation.
Somaiya School of Design’s Partnership & Placement Council works with a network involving corporates, startups, alumni, universities and government organisations. The school says these partnerships support internships, live projects, events, placements and access to current industry knowledge.
The school also highlights internship experiences for students in the first and second years through its wider design and innovation network.
These opportunities can help students understand how design operates outside an academic environment.
Working with an organisation can introduce practical constraints such as timelines, user requirements, communication with stakeholders and the need to explain design decisions clearly.
Such experiences can gradually help students build the professional confidence required to work with clients, teams, startups and larger organisations.
9. Parallel Skills, International Exposure and the Making of a Changemaker
A design student’s development does not have to stop at the formal curriculum.
Somaiya School of Design’s Parallel Skills Lab provides workshops and experiences intended to help students develop supplementary design skills and pursue personal interests.
The school also offers exchange opportunities through Somaiya Vidyavihar University, with exchange programmes available across universities in Europe and the USA.
Alongside academic and international opportunities, the school identifies qualities such as adaptability, accountability and altruism as part of its education value system.
This combination reflects a broader idea of design education: a designer should not only know how to use tools, but should also be capable of adapting to unfamiliar situations, working with others and thinking about the wider consequences of the solutions they create.
10. Final Thoughts
Somaiya School of Design offers a different way of looking at a Bachelor of Design.
Instead of treating Product Design as a narrow discipline focused only on physical objects, the programme connects design thinking, technology, business, humanities, fabrication, interaction, communication and entrepreneurship. Students can explore physical, digital and strategic solutions while gradually developing their own areas of interest.
Its four-year structure moves from Foundation and Exploration to a deeper specialisation stage and finally a professional-oriented Leap involving an internship or exchange programme and a capstone project.
The combination of riidl-supported innovation facilities, specialised laboratories, internships, international exchange opportunities and parallel-skill workshops can give students multiple ways to experiment beyond the standard classroom experience.
For students considering design after Class 12, Somaiya School of Design can therefore be considered by those who want to combine creativity with technology, entrepreneurship and problem-solving.
The important question is not simply whether a student enjoys drawing or design. It is whether they are curious about how things work, why people behave in particular ways, how problems can be solved and how ideas can become useful solutions.
Students looking for university comparisons, career planning and admission guidance can explore CareerGuide.com.
For undergraduate entrance examinations and counselling resources, students can also explore CareerGuide CUET.
11. Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What programme does Somaiya School of Design offer?
Ans: Somaiya School of Design currently offers a four-year, full-time Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Product Design. The programme covers physical, digital and strategic solutions.
Q2. What can students specialise in at Somaiya School of Design?
Ans: From the third year, students can develop skills in areas including UI/UX Design, Visual Communication Design and Design for Tangible Products.
Q3. What subjects are included in the Product Design curriculum?
Ans: The curriculum includes areas such as design thinking, material exploration, product sketching, creative coding, design research, 3D modelling, digital fabrication, UI/UX, physical computing, manufacturing processes, AR/VR, IoT, sustainability and emerging technologies.
Q4. Does Somaiya School of Design teach technology?
Ans: Yes. Students work with technologies and tools including 3D printing, CNC, laser cutting, Fusion 360, Blender, Figma, Unity and Arduino, while later coursework introduces areas such as AR/VR, IoT and emerging technologies.
Q5. What is the four-year structure of the B.Des. programme?
Ans: The four years are described as Foundation, Exploration, Deep Dive and Leap. The final year includes an internship or exchange programme and a capstone project.
