Yingying Sun
Professor of Industrial Design
Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
Yingying Sun is a professor of industrial design at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University in China. Her students have been recognized by international design competitions such as IDSA’s International Design Excellence Awards; RedDot; and iF. Sun has been successful in working with several Chinese companies to introduce products such as home appliances and kitchen utensils to the Chinese and international markets.
Product Portfolio Strategies in Industrial Design Education
Product Portfolio Strategies proposes the integration of a product portfolio framework—a common marketing and business planning tool—in an industrial design curriculum. Design educators often plan studio projects focused on a single product. Businesses, however, tend to build upon product portfolios and evaluate the market comprehensively and strategically. A good designer is expected to look at an entire ecosystem rather than at isolated problems or opportunities.
Tsai Lu Liu, North Carolina State University ID professor—and Yingying Sun, ID professor at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University in China—recommend design courses to incorporate macro (product portfolio strategies) and micro (single product) aspects.