Design Philosophy Interface. Usability. Materials. Conservation. What is an Industrial Designer? The Industrial Designer creates and develops concepts and specifications for consumer products. These products cover a vast area including household appliances, electronics, vehicles (automobile, rail, air, water, snow), medical/scientific instruments, furniture, exhibition design, lighting fixtures, and packaging. From the car you drive to the toothbrush you use, from the monitor you are looking at right now to the mouse, keyboard, or tablet that you are holding, an Industrial Designer has been involved at some point, if not entirely. The Industrial Designer's goal is to optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer. They develop these concepts and specifications through collection, analysis and synthesis of data guided by the special requirements of the client or manufacturer. They are trained to prepare clear and concise recommendations through drawings, models and verbal descriptions. First and foremost, the Industrial Designer is concerned with those aspects of the product or system that relate most directly to human characteristics, needs and interests - ergonomics, style, comfort, usability, and need. A specialized understanding of visual, tactile, safety and convenience criteria form the basis for approaching any industrial design problem. Education and experience in anticipating psychological, physiological and sociological factors that influence and are perceived by the user are essential industrial design resources. The Industrial Designer must maintain a practical concern for technical processes and requirements for manufacture; marketing opportunities and economic constraints; and distribution sales and servicing processes. They work to ensure that design recommendations use materials and technology effectively, and comply with all legal and regulatory requirements. Excerpted from IDSA's definition of industrial design.