Designing in the Wild: The Industrial Design Podcast

What separates useful design research from simply asking people what they want?In this episode of Designing in the Wild, Rob sits down with longtime friend and colleague Jill Bohaboy, owner of Trek Solutions, to explore the craft of consumer and design research, and how better observation, better questions, and a willingness to explore can uncover needs people may not be able to articulate themselves.Jill brings years of experience conducting research across an enormous range of industries and product categories. Together, Jill and Rob revisit some of the research they've conducted over the years and unpack the methods behind it—from observational research and shop-alongs to qualitative interviews, quantitative studies, co-creation, and hands-on "build-it" sessions.They also get into one of the biggest challenges in research: bias. How do you ask questions without steering the answer? How do you identify the right people to speak with? And how do you get beyond what someone says to understand what their behavior is actually telling you?For designers and smaller teams, Jill also makes an important case that meaningful research doesn't necessarily require a Fortune 500 budget. Sometimes it starts by simply getting out from behind the computer, watching people interact with the world, and asking a thoughtful question.In this episode:• Qualitative vs. quantitative research• Observation and contextual research• Finding latent needs and compensating behaviors• Co-creation and "build-it" sessions• Avoiding bias and asking better questions• Recruiting the right research participants• Bringing clients into the research process• Conducting useful research on a limited budget• Turning consumer insight into better productsAs Jill puts it: don't let research become a roadblock—let it become a launch pad.Welcome back to Designing in the Wild, Season 3.Have ideas or just want to say hi, shoot me a note. Support the show

Designing in the Wild is back for Season 3 — and this time, we're going video.This season, I'm sitting down with designers, researchers, biomimicry experts, sustainability consultants, software modelers, design directors, manufacturing professionals, and other people doing genuinely interesting work across the design world.We'll get into everything from industrial design and manufacturing to Rhino and Grasshopper, biomimicry, sustainability, emerging tools, design leadership, and the realities of building things in the real world.I've spent more than 20 years working as an end-to-end industrial designer, on projects ranging from Amazon's smart shopping carts to net-zero tiny homes and consumer products. Designing in the Wild is my opportunity to step outside my own practice and learn from people with different perspectives, disciplines, and experiences — and bring those conversations back to the wider design community.The goal is simple: useful conversations with interesting people that leave you with new ideas, skills, perspectives, or inspiration you can take back into your own work.Season 3 will feature 10 episodes, released weekly.And for the first time, you'll be able to watch the conversations as well as listen.Subscribe and follow Designing in the Wild so you don't miss the new season.Let's get after it.Have ideas or just want to say hi, shoot me a note. Support the show

Life Cycle Thinking Strategies to design and build a stronger more meaningful and connected future. Robert discusses the pros and cons of LCAs, deep dives into materials, why CO2 isn't the only thing that matters, energy modeling, tiny homes, wind turbines, and circular economies.Support the Show.

In this episode we speak to Jason Belaire about being different, cultural shock, designing amidst new cultures, sustainability, and the need for more to be educated on the direct impact the industrial design profession has on our environment, communities, and thought process.Support the show

This is a wild one! Andre and I dive into a plethora of design and engineering topics, from designing with a manager across the US using Gravity Sketch in VR, how to deal with ambiguity, how eggs inspired him to invent a vacuum cleaner, how teams that are flat are the highest performing groups, why engaging customer on the front-end matters, cardboard prototyping, de-siloing, why procedural design is the future of creating, open-source hardware, why sketching while brainstorming in teams yields faster outcomes, and how to THINK BIG!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

We sit down and speak with the amazing, Kip Doyle - Author, Inventor, Patent Defender. We talk about her painful story of inventing a product and then going up against Big Tech to defend her patents. She offers up invaluable insights on how to go about protecting your IP, which lawyers to hire, and her new book release, Blood In The Water: America's Assault on Innovation.BOOK LINK: https://amzn.to/3LxUm3YCONTACTEmail: ANGRYMOB@BLOODINTHEWATER.COMInstagram: @cardsharkwalletskinOTHER REFERENCESUSInventor.orgcardsharkskin.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Dan comes to the interview with a level of humility for design that we all should aspire. In this episode we walk the path of Dan's story from accident to excellence. We talk about the responsibility that designers have to go beyond just making the pretty object and expand into realms of meta-design to go beyond just the end user and truly think in terms of a products life cycle, cradle to cradle.Contact Info Dan Grinerdaniel.griner@ucdenver.edu / https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangriner/www.theidpodcast.cohttps://www.patreon.com/theIDpodcastSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Creative disciplines have been undervalued since the industrial revolution began. I drop a quick anecdote to the misunderstood values industrial design offers...and catch you up on what's next!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Buckle up! This ones a longer format interview, but much warranted. We talk with Todd Hebenstreit, a Graffiti Artist, turned, Industrial Designer, turned Concept Artist. He's worked for Dell, Facebook (Oculus Rift), and others influencing the gaming industry for nearly two decades. We dig into his story talk about through how he navigated his way through the nascent ages of UI/UX, software evolution, and pull out techniques for digital concept creation. He's just an all around badass.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Quick drop on what I've been up to behind the scenes at, Designing In The Wild, and what to expect in the coming weeks. You won't want to miss out!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Jorge Paricio - We talk, self-discovery through exploring, failing, and experimenting more! Being a mentor, and being mentored. How to start your own tinker shop, Human factors,  Why 200 sketches are better than 2 polished renderings, Speaking with end-users in order to make a better product, Confirmation Bias, The evolution of Industrial Design, and Tools for the trade.Jorge is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut. He's taught as a full time teacher at the Art Institute of Colorado, for 6 years, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Online Division, and was Senior guest critic at the Rhode Island School of Design for 14 years. He's also designed products for Colgate-Palmolive, and continues to be mentor for industrial design students at UCONN and beyond.www.theidrender.comwww.renderinginteriors.comBooks1. Hybrid drawing techniques for interior design, Routledge. (https://amzn.to/3KxQpMt)2. Perspective Sketching, Freehand and Digital Drawing Techniques for Artists and Designers, Rockport.  (https://amzn.to/3FWEFPV)3. Ungrading, Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do instead), by Susan D. Blum.  (https://amzn.to/3nPQLEw)4. Sketching by Koos Eissen and Roselien Steur, and Sketching The Basics5. Design Sketching by Erik Olofsson and Klara Sjolen. How to Render:the fundamentals of light, shadow and reflectivity.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Your host, Rob Irwin gives you pointers taken from his experience navigating his first design job straight out of college. He offers practical knowledge and tips for nailing your first job as a designer.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

Your host, Rob Irwin introduces himself and his story. He takes us on a journey to becoming an Industrial Designer, the mentors he had along the way, and the epiphany that shook him back to the calling of Design.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)

A quick heads up on what this podcast is all about, so you can decide if it's the right time for you to...level up!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Theidpodcast)