Showcase 2026 Student Spotlight: Freya Wilcox
Student Spotlight featuring BA (Hons) Product Design student Freya Wilcox and her project 'Lines of Life: LINEA'.
By Jon Duckworth | Published on 8 April 2026
Categories: Student Showcase; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment;
The Project
LINEA is a product designed to organise and manage medical lines, catheters, and monitoring leads in hospital settings. Currently, the NHS faces immense pressure and understaffing, which can unfortunately lead to miscommunication. Without a standardised nationwide system for line management, the physical chaos of tangled lines can cause confusion and, in worst-case scenarios, fatal accidents. LINEA brings order to this complex environment, making it immediately clear what each line is for and where it is attached. Beyond the practical benefits for medical staff, the project also focuses on the patient and family experience. It aims to alleviate the mental toll of feeling tethered to medical equipment, helping to restore a much-needed sense of dignity and independence. It also keeps anxious family members with no medical training in the loop without feeling like a nuisance.
The inspiration behind the project
For Freya, the inspiration for LINEA is deeply personal. She explains: "In January 2024, my dad suffered a sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest and was placed on life support. Visiting the intensive care unit was an incredibly daunting and overwhelming experience. With the constant rotation of nurses and medical staff, I noticed a significant gap in how information was transferred between the medical team, the patient and the family."
Witnessing first-hand the tiring task of untangling the sheer volume of lines attached to patients and how it contributed to the stressful environment, Freya was driven to try and design a tangible and practical solution.
LINEA is designed to organise and manage medical lines, catheters, and monitoring leads in busy hospital settings. Image by Freya Wilcox.
The project experience
Freya says that working on LINEA has been an incredibly rewarding and enlightening journey. "Through all the research, sketches, prototyping, etc., it felt amazing to develop something that could genuinely help people in reality, rather than just in theory. The most crucial part of this experience was learning the absolute necessity of real user and stakeholder feedback. Coming into this with no medical training, I knew it was vital to speak directly with NHS staff who navigate these challenges daily. Having my designs validated by these professionals was invaluable. It reinforced that you cannot successfully design a product without leaning on the expertise of those who will actually use it. This collaborative process brought to light issues I would never have considered otherwise, broadening my horizons as a designer and grounding my work in genuine, urgent human needs."
Being part of NTU
For Freya, one of the strengths of the BA (Hons) Product Design course is the way it has equipped her with a comprehensive set of design skills.
"Over the course of my degree, I have been able to develop everything from foundational techniques, such as design sketching, right through to mastering advanced CAD software and complex physical modelling methods."
A major highlight has been what she describes as the "fantastic studio culture" on the course:
"The studio goes beyond just being a creative workspace, it has become a safe and welcoming environment. Being able to come in, see friends, and have quality time with our tutors to discuss both our design work and our personal lives has made the studio feel like a second home. There will always be someone to help, to laugh and (sometimes) to cry with!"
Closing remarks
"When I was taking my A levels, I actually had no idea that product design was something I could continue to study at university. Once I discovered it was an option, I did not think twice about choosing it. My advice is to embrace the challenge. You will have to work hard, and there is a lot to learn, but you truly reap what you sow. You will learn so much, be taught by some brilliant people, and honestly, you will have the best three or four years of your life."
Study Product Design at NTU
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Visit our Student Showcase
Our Student Showcase is open to the public from 30 May until 5 June 2026 and available to view online. Take a look at the work of our talented architecture and product design students.