Final year student Reuben Riddiough tells us all about his passion for product design and what it’s been like to study BA (Hons) Product Design at Leeds Beckett University. Due to graduate in 2023, Reuben has plans to pursue a master’s degree in industrial design.

Course: BA (Hons) Product Design

Tell us a bit about yourself, why you chose to study your course and what interests you the most about the subject area?

I have always been drawn to and spent a lot of time playing video games and creating models with LEGO. I was instinctively passionate about the idea of bringing my imagination to life. Initially I thought this is what the life of an engineer would do. So, taking up my A-levels and BTECs in the courses of Engineering, Applied Science and Product Design is where my journey began.

When it came to choosing what to study at university, I spent many hours looking at courses on university websites and explored options like engineering and even theoretical physics. I worked through my skills and thought about what I enjoyed in my A-levels, making a pros and cons list and got help from family, friends, and teachers to evaluate where I truly wanted my future to steer.

When the time came to make a decision, I decided to focus on product design as one of my potential routes. Attending Open Days was the best way for me to do this and is where I got the feeling the course was right for me. Product design was my open door, my choice was clear. Sketching, creating models and bringing my ideas to life was and is my way of enjoyment and my way to influence the future.

What have been your highlights of the course so far? 

Starting university during the strange year of 2020 made having that university experience a last priority for many including myself. Through the uncertainty of the pandemic, my first and second year at university included many challenges. However, these came with the opportunity to develop certain skills further, including the Adobe suite software.

Another positive was to design a product to tackle plastic waste issues the pandemic brought. This was my first design project where I could interview people outside of my small bubble. Allowing me to uncover human centred issues and discuss solutions with my user group of healthcare professionals was a great experience. Doctors, nurses, and anaesthetists were the types of people I got the pleasure to speak to and understand their world to solve their problems through design. That year pushed me outside of my comfort zone, opening opportunities for me to develop many skills.

Can you tell us about any opportunities you've had on the course? 

In my final year, my major project brief was centred around rethinking the way we save our memories at events. From working as an LBU ambassador I had access to a range of small and large-scale events. I also worked as a volunteer at LEEDS 2023, so I was able to go to some even larger events including the Awakening concert in early 2023. There, I noticed the use of phones in the crowd to record moments of the event. From there, I got in touch with the team at LEEDS 2023 to find out more about crowd management and pitch my design ideas to the creative technology team at their offices. I then adapted my design by sketching and using the 3D workshop in the Broadcasting Place building to make new models. After some further design ideation and several email communications with LEEDS 2023 I came to a working design.

The design is a ‘Keep Band’; an event wristband designed so you can collect QR code memory charms of LEEDS 2023. Each QR code memory is collected from LEEDS 2023 signature events, with a selection of colour charms to collect, one from each season. This design was taken forward for a pilot workshop for people to design and make their own keep band style, while learning a little of the design process. The pilot was successful and as a result, my final major project received a first-class grade. Furthermore, I went on to do 3 more workshops at the LEEDS 2023 offices and a range of people and ages came along.

What are your plans for when you complete the course? 

My plan after I graduate BA (Hons) Product Design is to do a master’s degree in Industrial Design. From there I am going to apply for junior designer positions at design consultancies in the UK.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about studying the course? 

If I was to give one piece of advice for anyone thinking of studying Product Design or any course, it would be to take as many opportunities as possible. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to take on a range of challenges builds your skills and opens new doors.