The IDBOK Guide
The IDBOK Guide is a written standard that defines the breadth of skills necessary to be an effective industrial designer. It includes the framework, processes, and methods helpful to success, based on the professional practice at the time of publication.
The Opportunity
I was looking for a single resource that would provide definitive guidance on all of the knowledge and skills one would need in order to be successful in the professional practice of industrial design. A comprehensive resource like this did not exist, so I thought, can I write one? Would it be possble to cultivate, assess, and distill the collective knwoledge of a profession into an easy-to understand book?
Thought Process
To responsibly create a organized reflection of the skills of a profession, one would need to understand what they know.
Further, considering the future of the profession, one would need to understand what students were learning about. That information would be the most relevant, and recent educational material preparing designers for careers in the field.
Having these perspectives would be help. Though, they would also need to be organized in a way that is simple, easy-to-understand, and easy to reference.
Then, a student, or anyone in the field, can evaluate their skills to those most common in the field, and identify where they can learn, grow, develop, and contribute.
The Approach
I began by analyzing the course cirriculum of the top 20 industrial design programs in the USA, and distilled them into core, specific knowledge areas of study; it was the latest in industrial design, what was being taught at the best universities that would develop future product designers.
Next, a framework was created made up of processes and steps covering all of those specific knowledge areas. The framework would integrate all of the skills, methods, steps, and tools necessary to practice effective industrial design.
It would be easy to reference any specifc area; for each, there would be extensive content written, covering the topic. It would also be easy to reference how all of the areas intersect and weave together, allowing total understanding of the flow and methods of the practice of industrial design.
Impact & Results
The finished work comprises a 457-page reference textbook that provides an extremely detailed, and deep look into the professional practice of industrial design. It is titled, A Guide to the Industrial Design Body of Knowledge (the IDBOK Guide).
The IDBOK Guide has garnered attention from executives at the top industrial design associations around the globe.
Additionally, it has been offered contributions from influential product designers, as well as been purchased for use by faculty in industrial design.
This guide helps provide a foundational piece in the definition of core industrial design skills, and provides significant knowledge opportunity as the industry continues to grow.