Product Design Academy
Wharton’s Product Design Academy is a three-week deep dive into design thinking and product development. Through this studio-based program, students will identify customer needs, generate product concepts, prototype, and design a physical product for showcase.
Overview
This three-week, hands-on program introduces students to the full design thinking process, from user research to product development. Working in teams, students will identify real-world problems, generate original ideas, and bring them to life through iterative prototyping. Along the way, they’ll gain technical skills using digital and analog tools in Penn’s Studios@Venture Labs and explore entrepreneurial strategies for turning their product into a viable business. No prior idea is required — students will discover opportunities through research and collaboration.Each summer, Product Design students:
All participants who complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
Each summer, Product Design Academy students:
- Learn how to approach problem-solving with empathy, creativity, and experimentation
- Conduct user research to uncover real-world needs and opportunities for innovation.
- Challenge assumptions and reframe problems to discover new possibilities.
- Collaborate in small groups to brainstorm, refine, and advance “new-to-the-world” product ideas.
- Apply the full design thinking process to evolve ideas into testable prototypes.
- Develop a keystone project that showcases a team’s innovation journey.
- Gain hands-on experience in Penn’s Studios@Venture Labs, using state-of-the-art digital and analog design tools.
- Build technical skills through exercises and mini-projects that teach computer-aided design (CAD), laser cutting, and 3D printing.
- Create physical prototypes that can be tested, validated, and improved.
- Explore entrepreneurial concepts like value proposition, product-market fit, and go-to-market strategy.
- Learn how to build a business around a product idea.
- Design with the end-user in mind to create solutions that are functional, practical, and impactful.
- Practice iterative testing to ensure your product meets user needs.
- Experience college life on Penn’s Ivy League campus while engaging in a rigorous, creative academic program.
- Explore historic Philadelphia, a city with a rich tradition of innovation and design.
Instructional Team
Program Leader: Taylor Caputo
Taylor Caputo is a product designer, artist, and academic with a background in the fine arts, crafts, and 3D modeling. An alum of the Integrated Product Design Program at the School of Engineering, she is now the Director of the Studios @ Venture Lab, a Fabrication Lab open to the entire UPenn community. Taylor created and teaches the interdisciplinary How to Make Things and Design of Connected Objects & Experiences courses. She offered design consulting to various companies such as Away Travel, Puma, and BioMeme, and has exhibited her work internationally, notably at the 2016 Vienna Design Week and 2018 Milan Design Week. A proud Philadelphian, Taylor also enjoys indulging in the city’s vegetarian delights and is an avid weaver and potter when not teaching.
Teaching Assistants
Teaching Assistants consist of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania. TAs facilitate small-group discussions, lead small-group lab work, ensure student understanding, assist with final project development, and hold office hours to answer student questions.
"I love that I got to build tangible things and bring my ideas to life. It was a special opportunity to use the Makerspace. For the first few days, I would leave class thinking, 'I’m new to this field, but if this was my job, I would be so happy.' The teachers also supported my ideas and encouraged me to explore them further.” - Sonia B., New Jersey, USA