The Department of Product Design offers Bachelor and Master degree programmes in product design and undertakes research and development activities in design and education; culture, sustainability and aesthetics. The department represents one of Norway's largest design education programmes.

The academic traditions of The Department of Product Design are characterized by materiality and workshop-based processes that are increasingly associated with sustainable developments. The perceptual experience of products and their materiality plays a fundamental role. Through problem-based learning the department emphasizes the use of design thinking as a tool in every design process from service design to industrial design. The students navigate their projects by implementing Design Thinking as a means of structuring the process. The six phases are utilized both in successive as well as in parallel, repetitive and overlapping order.

• Discover: An important aspect of each project is searching for insight and inspiration.
• Research: Gaining understanding and mapping interesting elements regarding uncovered insights.
• Develop: Exploring potential concepts and performing iterations.
• Test: Observing the project in context, introducing potential users and situations.
• Evaluate: Implement critical view on current solution and challenge potential weakness.
• Finalize: Produce final prototype and consider commercial opportunities.