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Judy Ngao

Name: Rony Chan Hoi-nap

Age: 23

Major: Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Design in Industrial and Product Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Year of study: graduated in June this year

Duration of the programme: Three years

YP: Is there a high degree of flexibility in the way you can choose subjects and courses?

R: Yes. There are compulsory subjects, called Design Study subjects, each year. You have to pass those  or you will need  an extra year to finish your degree.

But there are many short courses  you can take. They are  technical courses that teach you useful business skills, for example, marketing and how to position your product.

You can also choose electives that include summer industrial placements and overseas study visits. There is also a student exchange programme with  overseas institutions. We worked on collaborative projects with overseas design schools, usually in Japan or Korea.

YP: What did you like best about the course?

R: We were introduced to what  it would be like to work as a designer after we graduate. Although we learned a lot of concepts, we were also taught to deal with clients and mass production.

But the main focus was on how to design something, and how to implement a concept and create a design with it.

My favourite subject was the co-operative workshop. With other subjects, you only deal with lecturers and students in mock projects.

With the  workshop, we had to deal with a  client with real needs and demands. We were much more serious about our work because it  was a real-life scenario.

YP: How are students assessed?

R: The  course involves a lot of projects and presentations. We have to present our ideas and designs convincingly.

The language subjects - Cantonese, English and Putonghua -  are compulsory  and are assessed through exams. But otherwise, the School of Design does not have tests or exams.

For our final-year project, we had 14 weeks to work on a design. We had to come up with an issue ourselves and design a solution by applying all that we had learned.

Then we made a model to showcase our design, which was displayed in a  graduation show towards the end of the course. We also had to show the development processes involved in the project, and we were graded on it.

The event is open to the public and potential employers  come  to find new talent. The show is a way to promote the year's graduates.

Admission

Minimum entry requirements: A pass  in the Hong Kong A-Level Exams

Applicants need to take an aptitude test (normally in May or June before the interview), which tests your creativity. Each discipline has its own aptitude test, which  is different every year.

If you  pass the test, you will be called in for an interview and portfolio presentation.

Career prospects

Depending on the discipline, graduates can work in a vast array of design fields. These include: toys, eyeglasses, watches, appliances, lifestyle products and packaging.



Product Design