Industrial Design

As a business major at the McCombs School of Business, there are certain concepts that are reinstated in every course that I have taken. These concepts revolve around maximizing profit potential for the firm, decreasing expenses and increasing revenue. As supposed future CEO’s and CFO’s, we are trained to analyze how we can yield high earnings for our respective companies. So when Dr. Walls announced that we were going to here from someone who has a background in industrial design, I presumed that the lecture would be based on how one could manipulate a product to make it more appealing to consumers: thus, increasing revenues for a given company. When the first slide appeared on the screen, I paid close attention to all of Jeff’s titles. “Jeff Mulhausen, Designer, Thinker, Researcher, Strategist, Problem-Solver, Entrepreneur, etc.” At first, I was a little confused because I did not see the correlation between each of his titles. Intuitively, I did not see how someone who has a degree in industrial design can be deemed as problem solver. Before Jeff’s presentation, I perceived industrial design, or job’s with similar professional titles, to pertain to people who were strictly concerned with aesthetical features of a product.  I did not understand how selecting the color of a product or making a product look sleeker corresponded into being a problem solver. Furthermore, I could not see how one could solve any real problems while working under any component of design. Before this looming air of doubt began to manifest itself into utter disbelief, Jeff slowly but surely opened my eyes to see how design has a great role in the creation of a product or even the furtherance of a mission. Jeff began his presentation with a definition of industrial design which included a description that industrial design is  about “creating and developing concepts…optimiz[ing] function and value” and that industrial designers help in determining “how well a [product] functions.” I did not know that those who are in the field of industrial design had such key roles in all aspects of the product. In addition, Jeff continued the discussion by explaining three main steps that should be taken in order to design a product that can be useful in society. The process begins with problem seeking in which you look into the world around you and see how you can make a particular process easier or how you can create a product/service that can impact someone’s life. Essentially, you want to evaluate how you can use your capabilities to improve someone’s life. Next, you begin the problem solving phase in which you think about how to logically solve the problem. You start gathering data or background information and see if such a product/service currently exists in the market. Finally, you arrive at the implementation stage in which you turn your idea into a reality. The implementation is your solution to the posed problem. This process seems to be an effective way to create a product/service because it is simple yet equips an entrepreneur or a designer with all the necessary tools to begin their creation. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, I was under the impression that industrial designers were only concerned in making sure that a  product looked pleasing to eye and that the product was jammed pack with numerous, yet often times, seemingly unnecessary bells and whistles. So, when Jeff explained that Dieter Rams, one of the key historical designers mentioned in the presentation, stressed the importance of simplicity, I was pleasantly surprised. Since a “good product should be one that can be used by the majority of people”, simplicity is crucial. Also, I was also pleased to hear that business success is now also translating into social benefit. Products such as the Life Straw and the TOM’s shoes prove that industrial design is not about creating more useless “stuff” rather it is using your capabilities to create a product that can improve someone’s life. Industrial design is not limited to the aesthetics of a product, but instead industrial design is a launching point to satisfy observed needs or even provide a solution for those with limited resources in developing countries.