25 Bad Habits of Industrial Designers
Image: Thumbs Down by CraigPJ
About time I got to this one and I though it makes a great post to face the year end with!
I also hope to keep this as a living document that gets constantly updated (with additional input from all my readers), and a good reference guide for industrial designers that want to learn to rule the world!
1) Looking at other products for inspiration.
2) Not creating or studying the design brief.
3) Not checking if the concept fulfils the design brief.
4) Spending too much time on the computer.
5) Not improving their sketch communication skills.
6) Not improving their verbal communication skills.
7) Not making a concept model because they were lazy or not wanting to get dirty.
8) Coming to work late.
9) Not understanding that a design is not theirs but the company’s.
10) Getting too emotionally involved in their designs.
11) Not being friends with Engineering.
12) Forgetting to compromise.
13) Not being friends with Marketing.
14) Mistaking arrogance for confidence.
15) Forgetting Industrial Design requires multi-disciplinary skills.
16) Being disorganized in mind and/or space.
17) Poor Time management.
18) Not planning a 3D construction process before doing 3D modelling.
19) Designing in a 3D program.
20) Forgetting to document their work.
21) Forgetting that there are costs impacts to design decisions.
22) Not including draft angles and part lines in 3D models or design files.
23) Forgetting to save work or worst deleting it by accident.
24) Not thinking through a design to the very end and it gets ripped to shreds.
25) Forgetting that a presentation board is also a design element.
Edit: User submitted content!
26) Over satisfied with the first design. (by Design Monkey)
27) Sketching the same design over and over again. (by Design Monkey)
28) Making things that can be produced instead of creating “insanely” great products. (by Idris Mootee)
29) Forgetting the goal of design is to improve not just make something different. (by Dave Pinter)
30) Being apathetic to sustainable and green design. (by Dave Pinter)
The following four are by Raghuraj Ananthoj with some editing on my part.
31) Not understanding if the form inspiration is appropriate to the form being created.
32) Failing to understand the brand philosophy of the company.
33) Not building a good relationship between fellow designers by sharing knowledge and work.
34) Avoiding critics, which can help improve the current design and other product features.
Caleb
March 15, 2016 at 9:18 pmAlso: Designers must be able to objectify themselves, and be able to step outside personal style to investigate totally different perspectives
Antonio Rojano
July 6, 2015 at 12:31 amThat is why Industrial Designers are like gods!! 🙂
Brian Ling (Design Sojourn)
August 3, 2015 at 1:08 pmHaha, no way!
jerome
December 20, 2014 at 2:06 pmalmost everything is true…
Ozan Bulut
October 31, 2014 at 3:18 pmforgetting to design-for-all (inclusive design)
forgetting to design for cradle-to-cradle (product life sourcing)
jinn
November 15, 2013 at 4:24 pmTruth story..totally agree, especially 19)Designing in a 3D program. this is because sometime those software will create some nice shape & form .
HUNY
December 5, 2012 at 10:33 pmThis article make me laugh ,, but it’s true..
Megan
February 7, 2012 at 11:04 pmHear, Hear to 11 and 13!
I’d also add Not being friendly with Accounts – if such a department exists in your company.
5 minutes to communicate, guys, just five minutes. All the headaches will disappear.
I promise: people in other departments ARE NOT evil trolls determined to make your day awful.
Mario Ramirez
November 23, 2011 at 1:40 amI need to read this weekly… is completely true.
I just posted a spanish version in my blog, your (also other users in the post) credits and a recommendation to visit your blog.
Daniel Tang
June 28, 2011 at 12:03 amI have just posted your blog to my little online community of facebook!
I really liked the break down of the 25 bad habits of Industrial Designers
Cyan Godfrey
December 28, 2010 at 10:18 pmRob, I like your comments on the list.
A mistake I’ve seen in the past is to assign too much of a project’s time to presentation, especially if the budget is tight and time is minimal. I don’t like to see a designer start working on presenting an idea if it’s not a good one – it’s more important to spend that time improving the concept or coming up with something better, than to be ready for the client meeting with a great presentation of poor ideas. A good design can sell itself in many ways. I’m all for a great presentation when time allows, but what is really important to the client is that the design is great.
Sabir Ahmed
December 7, 2010 at 12:24 pmThanks for your interesting post. The list is definitely spot on. I thought of adding one more point that does not seem to get covered, namely:
Forgetting to check expectations from end users before embarking on the design. or Not doing a basic user market survey.
Brian Ward
November 29, 2010 at 3:48 pmI think that many designers design for the advertising photo-shoot/ rendering, and not for the end user/ client. If all points are nailed- that is when one has an “insanely great” product.
Rob Curedale
November 26, 2010 at 5:04 amSome comments on the list
1) Looking at other products for inspiration.
I think that it is necessary to look at other products as part of the process of designing a better product. If you don’t do this your product may not be as good as products already in the market. What is not useful is if you copy those products. Issaac Newton wrote that he was successful because he stood on the shoulders of other that had gone before him. If you design something then it should aime to be better than what exists but if you don’t look at what exists then it probably won’t be because some of those things may have been designed with more time and resources than you have available.
4) Spending too much time on the computer.
The designer should spend time talking and observing people using the product in the context of use.
10) Getting too emotionally involved in their designs.
A designer should be passionate but should not let their passion overcome their judgment and should be willing to change a design if it is a way of improving it.
16) Being disorganized in mind and/or space.
This is a characteristic of right-brain or creative thinkers.
19) Designing in a 3D program.
This depends on what part of the design process is being discussed
28) Making things that can be produced instead of creating “insanely” great products. (by Idris Mootee)
If a design can’t be produced it is not an insanely great design. Design is about making ideas real.
Scott Graham
September 20, 2010 at 12:57 amI often re-remind myself that industrial design is sculptural and that anything I make will not only be ultimately uber-useful but allegorical, fun, clever, beautiful ….. and to let that process flow through me.
That, and placing too many steps between the user and the end goal. Straightforward, I say!
S*G
Liviu
February 2, 2010 at 6:52 amDoes 28 and 29 appear to be in contradiction or is it just my wrong understanding?
This list is not so easy to follow for a beginner, but still very useful reminder.Thank you for sharing.
Roberto
October 14, 2009 at 11:10 pmThere’re a lot more, but the list is fundamental.
Mario
September 29, 2009 at 4:00 amThe sin of various of us
Cristian
September 29, 2009 at 3:59 am8) Coming to work late. 😛 my sin…
Andrew Keir
July 9, 2009 at 1:42 pm35) for me would be putting too much time into an idea, then pursuing it because of the time investment when i knew i should have given it up.
berk
March 26, 2009 at 12:19 amthanks, this will really help me with my new starting career
dmk
December 30, 2008 at 5:37 amNice article. I have a couple more:
* document concept, communicate concept
* effective user-centered research is fundamental to good design.
DT
December 18, 2008 at 12:12 amHi Rogue,
That is a great question, and I will be reproducing my answer in a post. Do stay tuned.
Rogue
December 15, 2008 at 5:37 amDT,
I was curious to know if you could elaborate more about your list topper:
1) Looking at other products for inspiration.
Also, does this encompass the products which are evaluated to inform one’s self about the pros and cons of the current competitive landscape?
Michael
October 3, 2008 at 11:06 pmDT,
I liked your post and it’s cousin, 7 Habits of Highly Effective Designers. However, this laundry list ended up coming off as a bit of a downer. You inspired me to write Five Great Qualities of Industrial Designers as a pick me up. Let me know what you think!
http://www.michaelroller.com/?p=31
powers
September 1, 2008 at 9:17 amYes, well, some of these bad habits are what make us designers. I would agree more with
“This whole list comes down to just one rule:
12) Forgetting to compromise.”
Well said.
DT
July 14, 2008 at 5:40 pmHi all,
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve updated the list to include the 4 suggested by Raghuraj.
R> Hodges
July 12, 2008 at 3:04 amI have experienced 9 & 10, not good !!!
You Don’t know it’s a mistake til you make it…
Great site and Thanks
Raghuraj Ananthoj
April 29, 2008 at 7:03 pmHi,
This is really a good article to publish, the matter of fact I wouldn’t call all of them bad. However few of them are really important to be noted as bad habits and often it has been that I have found and spoke to designers about their creation of artefacts but alot them fail to understand few things and I would like to add few more points,which are the following…
1. Not understanding the form- styling clues derived or inspirations incubated in the design are appropriate to their form creation.
2. Failing to understand the brand philosophy of the company, which is not cited in the product.
3. Not sharing the knowledge and work with fellow designers, which fails to build a good relationship between them.
4. Avoiding critics, which are important to understand and improve the current design and other product features.
Overall i feel that the list would continue…good work DT.
accessible website design
April 15, 2008 at 12:44 amI have to constantly remind myself of 9,10, and 12.
Its hard though since we put so much time into our designs. You can’t help but feel attached.
Mohammad T. Tayeb
March 5, 2008 at 1:43 amI agree with all the above…
DT
January 18, 2008 at 9:59 pmHi David,
Thanks for your comments. I think you might have misunderstand the intention of this post. It is meant as a list of 25 possible bad habits industrial designers may or may not have. Also this list does not signify that there is one designer with all of the above habits. More often than not it is a mix and match of different habits that a designer has.
However I would like to address thepoints that you highlighted:
David
January 18, 2008 at 7:54 pmYour all full of contradictions! You seem more committed to corporate lackeys than anything else. Record keeping, time management, inter-departmental communication? Where all still adults here, right? Besides, I don’t think “Design,” or even “Art,” works a nine-to-five to satisfy any of this.
For example:
28) Making things that can be produced instead of creating
DT
January 15, 2008 at 7:48 amHi Dave,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your wonderful comments. I will add them to the growing list. Please keep in touch.
Dave Pinter
January 13, 2008 at 12:03 amTwo more overlooked points:
Forgetting the goal of design is to improve not just make something different.
Being apathetic to sustainable and green design.
DT
January 12, 2008 at 7:27 pmHi Andrew,
Thanks for your comments and please keep in touch.
Andrew Reynolds
January 7, 2008 at 11:16 amThis will help lots of industrial designers realize
the bad habits that they are doing. But then, not all of the designers are like that. I have lots of friends who are designers and they’ve been doing great job! 🙂
DT
January 7, 2008 at 7:51 amHi guys,
Thanks for the great comments, I hope the list can help and perhaps be a little tongue in cheek as well! Please do post it on your websites/blogs if you have any.
Please keep do in touch?
Dev
January 7, 2008 at 4:21 amI’m guilty of most of those! New Year resolution time!
michael von klein
January 7, 2008 at 3:34 amThanks! very helpful for all designers ! I publish it im my studio !!
interaction design
January 4, 2008 at 12:29 amSweet list, could be a ‘don’t do list’ in each industrial design studio! Thanks for your post!
Niels.
DT
January 2, 2008 at 7:39 amHi Idris,
Thanks for your comment and for visiting. I myself enjoy visiting your blog.
Idris Mootee
January 2, 2008 at 1:15 amThe wosrse habit of all is when an Industrial Designer stops thinking that his/her mission is to create “insanely” great products rather than makign things that will be produced.
This is a great blog.
DT
December 26, 2007 at 7:43 pmHi Design Monkey,
Thanks that is fantastic! Thanks!
Design Monkey
December 26, 2007 at 5:46 pmbad habits of ID No. 26: Over satisfied with the first design.
No. 27: Sketching the same design over and over again.
Nice article you have DT! Happy New year!