SOCIAL INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION IN PRODUCT DESIGN ENGINEERING

Abstract

Colombia is considered by many experts as an important emerging market. Its economy frequently has an annual growth rate above 4%. However, according to the World Bank, 30% of the population lives on less than USD $1.90 a day [1]. Since 1999, Universidad EAFIT in Medellin, Colombia, has been the only university offering a Product Design Engineering (PDE) undergraduate program in the country. Starting in 2012, the Design Project 6 (DP6) course has focused on understanding relevant aspects of designing for ``bottom of the pyramid'' (BoP) communities in Medellin, allowing students to propose product/service solutions for social needs. In this course, faculty and students have been working with different government organizations and other institutions, such as non-profit foundations, in order to understand real needs in their context. Over the course of the semester, students are guided by a community-based design method using different techniques, including the Human-Centred design and the IDEO Design Kit [13] [14]. An important challenge for students is not only to propose a solution for a contextualized social need, but also to implement ubiquitous technology or use the Internet of Things (IoT) to increase the efficiency of the BoP project and thus contribute to the scalability of their initiatives. This article describes the methodology used in DP6 and PDE student experiences in the course, showing that involving them in design projects with a high degree of social experience is key to ensure more inclusive social development and an integral education.