NextFab Product Development
Product Design Intern
During this internship, I gained practical experience in design and development through a variety of client projects, with key responsibilities in concept development, prototyping, 3D modeling, and user testing.
I interned at the Product Development team of NextFab in Philadelphia, USA (recently rebranded to Solid Product Design), during the first half of 2024. Projects I contributed to included a hoof-mounted device for monitoring horse health, a toilet-mounted sensor for measuring urine flow in home settings (with data intended for hospital analysis), and a wearable bracelet designed to detect early signs of stroke. Throughout these projects, I worked with materials such as wood, metal, silicone, and utilized various techniques to bring designs to life.
Alongside this day-to-day work, I improved the user experience design practices of the product development team. Generating methodologies that could be used to focus on an early-stage experience design focus that would improve general product output. This entailed the introduction of a variety of methods, such as user scenarios, to be able to better understand user perspective and user needs. This internship gave me great insight into the practical aspects of a product development team and product development cycles.
About Nextfab
The Product Development team is part of a larger organization called NextFab. NextFab is a collaborative makerspace for professional makers. NextFab offers access to advanced tools, equipment, and training in areas such as woodworking, metalworking, electronics, 3D printing, and digital fabrication. It serves as both a creative hub and a resource center for entrepreneurs, artists, engineers, and hobbyists to develop and refine their ideas.
The Product Development Team emerged from a need to create hardware products for clients who required more specialized support than the typical makerspace environment could provide. It bridges the gap between concept and manufacturable product by offering professional design, engineering, and prototyping services tailored to each project’s unique needs. The Product Development Team works closely together with NextFab Ventures, an investment branch of NextFab that provides seed capital for hardware startups.
