Isil OygurSelen Devrim Ülkebaş2025-10-06202215731804, 095775720957-75721573-180410.1007/s10798-021-09684-4https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85108639792&doi=10.1007%2Fs10798-021-09684-4&partnerID=40&md5=85cc9011ada3de02643dca4987358100https://gcris.yasar.edu.tr/handle/123456789/8669Product design expertise has mostly been studied in relation to problem-solving and the act of designing. In this paper we approach the topic from another perspective and explore the differences in product perception of students from different education levels. We conceptualize product perception as a representation of critical thinking towards designed objects and professional assessment/understanding of artifacts. Our aim is to evaluate how students’ product perception change over the years of undergraduate product design education. Data was collected through students’ written product evaluations of a ball-point pen. 41 first-year 29 second-year 33 third-year and 26 fourth-year undergraduate product design students participated in the study. We analyzed students’ product evaluations through initial and focused coding. Our findings indicate a shift from ordinary to professional sense-making between the second- and third-year students. There are three main points that define the professional sense-making of students: a dependence on subjectivity the significance attributed to users and better synthetic capabilities that are built around form material manufacturing and detailing relationships. © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.EnglishCritical Thinking, Design Expertise, Product Design, Product Perception, Product Design, Professional Aspects, Critical Thinking, Cross Sectional Analysis, Design Expertise, First Year, Product Design Educations, Product Evaluation, Product Perception, Sense Making, StudentsProduct design, Professional aspects, Critical thinking, Cross sectional analysis, Design expertise, First year, Product design educations, Product evaluation, Product perception, Sense making, StudentsArticle