5. The core of industrial design can be described as solving problems and
responding to the needs of humans. Traditionally, this response has taken
form in physical products that have evolved over time to meet the needs of
their users. In recent years, however, the role of industrial design has
expanded to not only respond to problems through product design, but also
respond through the design of services, organizations, interventions,
facilitations, and dialogue. Understanding the needs of users through
human-centered design research is the key to generating effective
outcomes, regardless of what forms they take. My role as a designer is to
work alongside clients to discover the needs and opportunities that they may
inherently know or feel, but are not consciously aware of. I synthesize this
data by mapping out observations and identifying patterns, and present
these discoveries to clients in visual and participatory ways that spark
thought and dialogue. In this way, we work together to uncover the
opportunities in which design can respond to the needs of the clients or
users. Armed with the knowledge and understanding acquired through
active research, I can then use various design methods to develop
approaches that address the issues in ways that most people don't typically
imagine. By further refining these concepts through prototyping and iteration,
outcomes are generated in various forms, including strategic goals,
actionable ideas, and comprehensive plans.
By Michael Smith