Foundational Knowledge

• The history of industrial design, including the influence of various works and ideas on the evolution of design study and practice over time and across cultures.
• User experience, human factors, applied ergonomics, contextual inquiry, user preference studies, and usability assessments.
• How the products and systems you design are developed, realized, and distributed; what makes them valuable; and how they’re related to environmental and societal issues and responsible design.
• Professional design practices and processes, including ethical behaviors and intellectual property issues such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
• Basic business practices and their relationship to industrial design as well as the ability to investigate and reconcile needs related to entrepreneurship, marketing, engineering, manufacturing, servicing, and ecological and social responsibility in the process associated with specific design projects.

Key Skills

• Designing products and experiences that perform specific tasks and solve predetermined problems.
• Using technologies and tools associated with multi-dimensional design representation, development, dissemination, and application.
• Researching, defining, and communicating about problems, variables, and requirements in the design process; conceptualizing and evaluating alternatives; and testing and refining solutions, including the ability to synthesize user needs in terms of value, aesthetics, and safety.
• Communicating concepts and specifications in verbal, written, and multiple media at levels ranging from abstraction and sketches to detailed multi-dimensional, functional, and visual representations.Collaborating and working effectively in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary teams.

Experiential Learning

• Field research and experience
• Internships
• Collaborative programs with professional and industry groups
• International experiences