The process of conducting user research and utilizing that research to drive design is standard curriculum for any industrial design program. It's typically taught as one of the first of many design process steps in project based studio courses. But with equal emphasis on each step, there is little time to learn about the many research and development tools available and how to use them.
How would learning outcomes be improved if the processes of conducting user research and its utilization were placed under a highly focused microscope, enabling students to learn all of the necessary details?
At Art Institute Hollywood, industrial design students are tasked with developing a new product idea that will be manufactured by a client company, for one or more target user groups. After carefully studying the client company and its products, students focus their microscopes on the target user's lifestyle and daily lives.
As an example, a student with a client company that manufactures quality plastic cases, and target user group that includes teenage girls, developed a new product idea: unique travel make-up cases for women. The student went one step further, and verified the designs by surveying test subjects from the target user group.
My experience is that students that have this focused opportunity - are better designers. And their product designs are better informed as well.
