From the first sketch to the final product, the role of industrial designers is crucial in shaping user experience. Designers blend aesthetics with functionality to ensure the product isn’t just usable, but desirable. But how do designers strike that perfect balance? And what happens when you factor in cost, efficiency, and feasibility? Whether launching a new product or refining an existing one, industrial design is key to creating something that stands out in the market and delivers long-term value.
What is Industrial Design?
Industrial design is the part of product design that focuses on functionality and appearance. A strong industrial design team is vital to ensuring a product is usable, comfortable for the end user, and appeals to the eye.
Though many cross-functional teams include both engineers and industrial designers, they specialize in different parts of product development. Mechanical and electrical engineers design the technical inner workings of products, considering manufacturability and regulatory requirements. On the other hand, industrial designers focus on the holistic user experience.
The Importance of User-Centered Design
A product that works well and achieves its purpose will not be successful if it does not have a user-centered design focused on aesthetics, ergonomics, ease of use, and intuitiveness.
The most important factor of user-centered design is knowing the product’s target audience. The target demographic informs all other design considerations. For example, in the design process for a product marketed to seniors, industrial designers should consider common difficulties their audience faces. This could include using large text to accommodate poor eyesight or providing lots of descriptive materials for a better understanding. On the other hand, a product catered toward millennials and Gen Z should not require long instruction manuals for use, since generations that grew up with smartphones and computers are used to jumping right in when it comes to programs and devices.
Balancing Aesthetics with Functionality
As mentioned, aesthetics and functionality are the two main parts of industrial design. Designers must be able to strike a balance between these two factors. Functionality not only extends to whether or not a product works, but also ensures it will continue to work overtime. The Dyson vacuum cleaner is a great example of how companies can balance aesthetics with functionality. James Dyson developed a new vacuum with increased sucking power, but the selling point for many consumers was the fact that the vacuum was bagless. Since then, Dyson has put an even greater emphasis on industrial design with their sleek, unique-looking products.
Elements of Functionality
The product’s environment is an important factor in designing for functionality. Medical devices must withstand routine interactions with cleaning products, and products used outdoors must withstand harsh weather. Choosing materials resistant to factors such as chemical agents, water, and extreme temperatures that may be present is vital to producing quality products.
Enhancing Innovation in User-Centered Design
Technology becoming more advanced increases standards and expectations of the user experience (UX). Industrial designers must have the ability to blend physical and digital design capabilities. Choosing a suitable display with good responsiveness and resolution is critical, as is developing a user-friendly, intuitive interface. Even if your device has a good-looking display, an interface with a learning curve can be enough to drive consumers to a competitor. In today’s crowded market, integrating new shapes, materials, and interfaces can set your product apart from the rest.
Market Differentiation
As the market fills with new products, the demand for industrial designers is increasing. For many people, aesthetics are the deciding factor between products with similar features and price points. Being able to differentiate yourself in a way that doesn’t require customers to research your product’s capabilities is invaluable.
Industrial Design and Sustainability
Sustainability is becoming one of the top values of American consumers, with many willing to pay a premium for sustainably made products. If your product’s primary audience is involved in environmentalism, the outdoors, or Gen Z, sustainability should be a top priority so your values align with your public image.
Sustainability is achievable in electronics manufacturing by reducing waste and energy use, using sustainable materials when possible, and creating energy efficient products, which will also save consumers money in the long run.
Although user experience is the most important concern of industrial design, it is also vital that designers create products in a way that will benefit the company through cost savings, ease of production, and time to market.
Cost Efficiency
Design for manufacturing (DFM) is not limited to mechanical and electrical engineers. Industrial designers working in cross-functional teams, including supply chain, design products with components that can be sourced efficiently and save on costs without sacrificing quality. Key to this is materials selection; as discussed regarding functionality, materials must be durable and selected with their use and environmental impact in mind. Designers must remain cognizant of user comfort and aesthetics when looking for cost-effective materials. Guiding questions for materials selection include whether the material is prone to damage and, for materials that will remain functional for long periods, whether they will still look good and avoid tarnishing or other cosmetic degeneration.
When it comes to conceptualization and planning, time and money are saved through the use of a CAD software. CAD software’s features allow designers to create and test models efficiently. Potential problems are identified early, often before physical prototypes are even built. Prototypes’ ability to catch these issues before ordering a production run keeps projects economically feasible and mitigates risk.
Production Feasibility
Keep it simple. This age-old advice is fundamental to designing and producing lasting products. Overly complex designs not only create more costs and take more time through the amount of sourcing and components required; they also require more assembly and training of manufacturing staff than other products.
Eliminating unnecessary complexity also increases the reliability of products over time. Simple but effective designs leave less space for something to go wrong in the future. Having fewer parts to source, especially fewer niche parts, also reduces the risk of supply chain disruptions that could impact scheduled output from manufacturers.
Creating Optimized Products
Industrial design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s also about creating value and solving problems to create an enhanced product. At Pivot International, we design all our products like a puzzle, where the internal components fit together to save space and money and reduce waste, without sacrificing on aesthetics or quality.
If you’re searching for a design and manufacturing partner to help develop and produce your product, do not overlook their industrial design capabilities. This could be the vital component to the success of your product. A partner with a cross-functional team of industrial designers and supply chain experts can create an innovative, user-friendly, and cost-effective design with an efficient time-to-market. Their design experience, knowledge of suppliers, and in-place manufacturing capabilities can be the difference between stagnation and success.
Pivot International has been designing and manufacturing electronic products for over 50 years. Our teams are experienced at working with our partners to bring their products to market through design, development, supply chain management, and manufacturing services. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help develop your product.
