Masters Showcase 2026 Student Showcase: Burcu Erdem
Student Spotlight featuring MA Design: Products and Furniture student, Burcu Erdem, and her project.
By Jon Duckworth | Published on 1 September 2026
Categories: Student Showcase; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment;
The project
The work of MA Design: Products and Furniture student Burcu Erdem, Nourish is a food preparation and portioning system designed to support healthier eating within busy daily routines.
"Through my research," Burcu explains, "I found that Gen Z users in particular may skip meals because of their fast-paced and active lifestyles, rely more on snacks throughout the day, and want more control over the nutritional value of what they eat."
To respond to these consumer needs, Burcu's project focuses on creating small, portioned "bites" that can be easily consumed throughout the day. The user adds their chosen ingredients to the product, which processes them into a purée. The mixture is then individually packaged using a seaweed-based edible film. The result is a portable, pre-portioned food format that can be easily carried and eaten as a snack throughout the day.
"The project went beyond designing the device itself," says Burcu. "The food format, portioning and packaging system, user experience and digital interface were all developed together. The aim was to create a new way of preparing and consuming food that better fits increasingly busy lifestyles."
Nourish is a way of preparing and consuming food to fit increasingly busy lifestyles. Image by Burcu Erdem.
The inspiration behind the project
"At the beginning of the project, I kept my research area quite broad," says Burcu. "To ask the right questions, I first focused on understanding the root of the problems I was exploring and looked at food as a complete experience rather than from one specific angle. To explore the design question from different perspectives, I researched a wide range of topics. These included eating and diet patterns, user habits and behaviours, different food formats, food preparation and consumption, packaging and storage systems, food portability, and how eating habits have changed over time.
"This broad research showed me that there were many opportunities beyond the usual solutions and the connections between different areas of research particularly inspired me to explore a new way of preparing, portioning and consuming food rather than simply improving existing methods. From there, the research naturally shaped the direction of the project."
The project experience
Burcu explains that one of her goals during her Master's degree was to experience different areas of design, rather than solely focusing on the product itself.
"Through this project, I was able to work across product design, food design, mechanism design, user experience and interface design. One of the most important parts of the experience was taking the design to a more realistic level. Unlike many of my previous projects, I had the opportunity to move further into physical modelling and production. This introduced many new factors that needed to be considered and designed around. Having to repeatedly adapt the design taught me how much iteration and flexibility is involved in turning an idea into a real product."
The pre-portioned snacks are wrapped in an edible seaweed film for convenience. Image by Burcu Erdem.
Being part of NTU
"My Master’s at NTU has given me the opportunity to focus on developing my design skills while also understanding my own design approach more clearly," says Burcu. "I learned to work more independently and manage my own research and design process. Alongside individual projects, group work also gave me experience in managing the process while working collaboratively with others. Industry collaboration gave me an experience much closer to a professional working environment. Working with a real brief, receiving feedback and considering my design decisions alongside industry expectations gave me valuable practical experience and a clearer understanding of professional design practice. I also developed my ability to move beyond digital design and physically make and test products. Through the facilities at NTU, I gained more experience using workshops, tools and equipment, working with different materials, and developing sketches and prototypes. I also became much more consistent in documenting and reporting my design process."
For Burcu a particular highlight of her time at NTU was seeing her lighting project exhibited.
"It was very rewarding to see my project come to life physically and to observe how people interacted with it," she says. "The experience also showed me that design is not only about the product itself, but how it is presented and introduced to people. I really enjoyed designing the display around the product and seeing how people responded to the way it was presented.
"Alongside this, having industry professionals discuss my projects at different events, receiving direct feedback from them and having the opportunity to meet them have also been some of the most valuable parts of my experience at NTU."
Closing remarks
We asked Burcu to provide some words of wisdom for anyone considering following in her footsteps and studying MSc Design: Products and Technology at NTU.
"Before starting my Master's, I had the chance to visit an exhibition of projects from the previous year," she says. "When I asked one of the students for advice, they told me to 'trust the process', and that sentence stayed with me and I think I would give the same advice. But to trust the process, I think it is also important to understand it. Paying attention to the teaching, understanding how the design process works, and not being afraid to ask questions or ask for help are really important."
She continues:
"One of the most valuable things at NTU is that there are always people willing to support you and help you move forward, so try to make the most of this opportunity. NTU also offers so many opportunities, from workshops and teaching sessions to technical support and events. Try to take advantage of as many of them as possible, experiment with different things and enjoy the whole experience, one year goes by very quickly!"
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