ID453 ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN DESIGN
| Course Code: | 1250453 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 5.0 |
| Department: | Industrial Design |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Lecturer MEHMET EMİN OKUTAN |
| Offered Semester: | Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
Understand the Intersection of Design and Entrepreneurship: Help students recognize how their design skills and creativity can be applied to startup ventures.
Identify Key Steps in Startup Formation: Familiarize students with the critical phases of creating a startup, from ideation and validation to business planning and execution.
Develop Problem-Solving Skills: Encourage students to use design thinking methodologies to identify and address real-world problems that could lead to innovative startup ideas.
Explore Prototyping and MVP Development: Teach students how to create prototypes and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) to test and refine their startup concepts.
Understand Market Research and Validation: Educate students on the importance of market research and customer validation to ensure there is a viable market for their startup ideas.
Introduce Business Models and Financial Planning: Provide an overview of different business models and teach basic financial concepts relevant to startup planning, including budgeting and forecasting.
Discuss Team Building and Collaboration: Emphasize the significance of assembling diverse teams and fostering collaboration among designers, developers, and business-oriented individuals in startup formation.
Explore Funding and Investment Options: Familiarize students with various funding sources, such as bootstrapping, crowdfunding, angel investors, and venture capital, and help them understand how to secure initial funding.
Highlight Success Stories and Case Studies: Share real-world examples and case studies of successful startups with a strong design component to inspire and provide practical insights.
Encourage Entrepreneurial Mindset: Promote an entrepreneurial mindset among design students, fostering a willingness to take risks, learn from failure, and persist in pursuing their startup goals.
Prepare for Pitching and Presentation Skills: Equip students with the skills needed to pitch their startup ideas convincingly to potential investors, partners, and customers.
Emphasize Ethical and Sustainable Design Practices: Stress the importance of ethical and sustainable design principles in startup development, considering social and environmental impacts.
Course Content
Learning how to build a new business with your design ideas. Choosing and developing a promising idea, forming a team and endeavoring into the world markets and customers to explore needs that can be turned into products and services. Building a business model and integrating different aspects of a business. Preparing a financial plan and fundraising. Creating a convincing presentation for investors. Application oriented course for students interested in taking part in the startup ecosystem.
Course Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate an ability to identify and evaluate the essential skills needed to initiate and operate a business successfully.
Develop the capacity to create and work effectively within a diverse team, applying collaboration and communication skills to achieve common business objectives.
Be proficient in systematically generating and refining business concepts, utilizing frameworks and methodologies for structured idea development.
Exhibit the capability to incorporate customer-centric perspectives and commercial viability into the design and development of new products or services.
Acquire the ability to construct comprehensive and adaptable business models that outline key components such as value proposition, revenue streams, and cost structures for new ventures.
Cultivate effective communication skills to articulate and present innovative business ideas clearly and persuasively to various stakeholders, including investors, customers, and team members.
Attain proficiency in fundamental financial concepts and practices relevant to business, including budgeting, financial forecasting, cash flow management, and financial statement analysis.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Creative problem definition, developing solution-oriented ideas, critical thinking and creating solution proposals by synthesizing the knowledge gained | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Planning, managing and conducting the design process | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Planning and carrying out design-oriented research and transferring the results to the design process | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Thinking with basic design and visual organization elements and principles and being able to apply ideas in two and three dimensions | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Identifying the user's needs, predicting their expectations and integrating them into the design process | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Ability to work individually and to conduct team-work | ✔ | |||
| 7 | Understanding the relationship of the Industrial Design field with different disciplines and being able to carry out interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies | ✔ | |||
| 8 | Ability to communicate in international mediums using a foreign language and follow the professional agenda | ✔ | |||
| 9 | Developing an independent, lifelong learning approach by being aware of the ever-changing contexts of design | ✔ | |||
| 10 | Being aware of the socio-cultural, socio-economic and environmental context in design and considering the benefit of society and the environment | ✔ | |||
| 11 | Ability to interpret the issues related to art and culture affecting the historical development of industrial design on the local and global scale | ✔ | |||
| 12 | Having knowledge about business models, ethical principles, and laws and regulations that should be followed in professional practice | ✔ | |||
| 13 | Knowing the materials and production technology within the scope of Industrial Design and using them in the design process | ✔ | |||
| 14 | Having command of technological developments in the field of industrial design, being able to use the necessary technological tools | ✔ | |||
| 15 | Being able to present design ideas and solutions with relevant communication tools and methods | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution