This past week Flashpoint Development had the privilege to witness industrial designers inventions as a panelist reviewing student projects at MassArt’s School of Industrial Design. We were joined by Staple’s head of design and the department chair of Industrial Design at Mass Art. This Staples co-sponsored event focused on the “worker of the future”.
The first area of design, done by the Sophomores focused on thematic words like aggressive or organic. These produced emotional designs like a spiny teapot and a bulbous tea cup. On a separate assignment these same students were asked to develop new uses for plastic bottles which resulted in LED lamps, radio containers and lots of other solutions.
The juniors took on a brand like John Deere and looked to extend their brand, utilizing their “brand language”, into un-served markets. One of the more powerful concepts was a line of gardening supplies for ‘Jane Deere’ marketed towards females.
The seniors were given a broad opportunity statement, one of which was to use a wearable and portable device to tell time (can’t be a watch). Students developed a Twitter based watch and a graphic based time device (sun rising, moon rising).
A different senior project focused on the “worker of the future” which carefully analyzed how teenagers communicate and feel about technology. Results included mobile offices with kiosks that printed.
Any of these concepts could become the basis for a start-up venture. These designers were taught to examine market needs, usability issues, economics and line extensions. Designers bring a lot to product development team, much more than making devices appealing. Their business, product and design background provides a diverse skill set that can be helpful in any product endeavor.
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