Curious directions for product designers: how technology is affecting medical design practice

Medical product design practice has changed over the last five years as advances in technology, both digital and practical, have opened up new opportunities to address patient needs in innovative ways. This paper identifies examples of new practice, considers how the role of the medical product designer has responded to the web of advanced technologies impacting communication and production, and suggests directions for product design education to build collaboration and project work to provide students with the transdisciplinary understanding, skills and knowledge they need to meet these specialised industry demands.