A new design organization?

Nope, the Winter 2010 Innovation is being finished up as we speak.

w

I think much better business content or business guidance is a need for a revamped IDSA or a new org. This outline represents a lot of the kind of content (by no means comprehensive) that always seems lacking, yet essential. This is an example of the kind of business content I think many designers could benefit from, especially coming out of school. Does this information exist? Sure, in 60 different places, and only if you know to look. If IDSA or other could consolidate this info in a concise and easy to follow way, it would be great.

I. Good business content
a. Legal aspects of business
i. Contracts
ii. Patents
iii. IP and confidentiality
iv. Applicable Tax law
v. Labor law
vi. Liability
vii. Risk management practices
b. Common development practices
i. Consumer

  1. Six sigma
  2. QFD/TQM
  3. Stage Gates
  4. Etc
    ii. Medical
  5. FDA and ISO and impact on design practices
  6. How to talk to doctors about design
  7. Etc
    c. Working with different kinds of organizations at different levels
    i. Publicly held
    ii. Privately held
    iii. Nonprofits
    iv. Inventor/startups
    v. As a client versus inhouse
    d. Consulting basics
    i. What needs to be in a design brief
    ii. What needs to be in a proposal
    iii. How to build project budgets

Excellent list. I totally agree that much of that information does exist in dozens of locations around the interwebs and that’s why I’ve been pushing the Professional Interest Sections to see themselves more as aggregators as opposed to generators of content. Sure, some of the Section activities my actually generate new content, bit all too often it comes down to knowing where to get that information.

Also, I noticed that a lot of list actually matches up pretty closely to many of the Sections we do have. if you’re not familiar with the Professional Interest Sections, you can go here: Sections - Industrial Designers Society of America Also, I created a guide to help explain what the Sections are and how they are supposed to plug into IDSA. That guide can be downloaded from here: http://www.idsa.org/content/content1/story-connexx

As always with a volunteer-driven organization, the challenge is finding folks willing to participate and contribute to this aggregation of content. If anyone out there is interested in helping out, please drop me a note.

~w~

Sections should be changed to Resources, or break it down at that top level to Design Resources, Business Resources, etc. As is it sounds like a subset of local chapters - the word choice, not the layout. Also, Resources content doesn’t seem to load (the individual tabs), but everything else does. I assume it is under construction?

I think your observation regarding the name "Sections’ is an interesting one. There should be a part of the website dedicated to your idea of “resources”, but what I believe the Sections represent is slightly different. I think that perhaps there’s been some different ideas regarding the core purpose of Sections with regards to content. From my perspective ans as the Section VP, I don’t necessarily see the Sections as the primary generators of content specific to their Sections. Rather, I see them as possible aggregators of content (“Hey, where can I go to find info on X?”), but more importantly I see Sections as the creators of community and networking oriented around an area of interest as opposed to a geographical area like the Chapters. That’s why I don’t necessarily agree that Sections should be renamed to be merely Resources, although I agree IDSA should provide those as well.

I think you will find that some members join IDSA to plug into their local design community–which is tremendously important. But others are looking to connect with like-minded designers who share a particular interest or expertise. Furniture designers like to talk about furniture, UX designers have their own language and interests, same goes for folks involved in medical products… That’s what the Professional Interest Sections are intended to provide.

In addition, I see the Sections as ambassadors of design and IDSA’s message as those Section members engage other groups (like the medical product development community, or business community, or materials and manufacturing community). They have the opportunity to represent and be the voice of Design in the broader business community. That outreach is happening, but obviously not at the pace and scale that I would like.

BTW, which “Resources” aren’t loading? Send me the link that isn’t working and I’ll check it out.

FYI, anyone is welcome to submit their critiques of the website (e.g., what doesn’t make sense, what doesn’t load, what you can find, etc.)… Despite some of the broad swipes made at the website (it is a work in progress), we’ve received very little comprehensive and constructive design and UX reviews which are actually useful.

~w~

bcpid and I want totally different organizations. He wants to mix it up with business types, I do that all day and it’s the last thing I want from a design organization. I think the issue is more that the current organization tends to try to be all things to all people satisfying none.

Do you really want to learn about six sigma from a design organization. I do not. I want it to be about design, for design, by design. Curating our past, explaining our present, and shaping our future. My list is simple:

1)Past: History of design, major players, how it effected culture from the industrial revolution to today, how that relates to what we do now

2)Pressent: How to hire designers, how to build design into an integral part of your organization, design firm start up kit (contracts, legal stuff, blah, blah), design awards, design networking, PR for design as a creative discipline that has massive cultural impact

3)Future: defining design education, student mentorship program, thought leadership

before anyone says IDSA already does this, if it really did, I wouldn’t have had to write this.

Good list, Michael. Anytime you’re up for helping us make that list a reality, we’d love to have you aboard.

w

I’d be more interested in starting a new organization that does what I’m looking for than trying to continue to fix the current org. I think it would be better. Time for the clean sheet of paper in terms of mission, goals, name, and people.

Then that’s what you should do. At least then you’ll be happy and have exactly what you’re looking for.

Let me know when it’s up and running, maybe I’ll join.

I also want the content yo suggests, but I think it is equally important to include business/best practices content. I assume the traditional design content will be addressed no matter what. It doesn’t have to be either/or. Both/and. IDSA shouldn’t overlook the fact that Industrial Design is fundamentally a value added business service.

I know through our surveys that many designers are looking for “ammunition” that they can use with their clients, bosses, boards, etc. to demonstrate the value of design within business. In general, we see the younger designers asking for more of what Yo wants (design-centric content and discussion) and what you want (design as a driver of business). I think in time we can do both, but again we need everyone’s help to do it. There’s not enough paid staff to take that stuff on at the scale our members are asking for.

w

Just a reminder, this is the “a new design organization” thread.
Let’s continue to share thoughts on what a new design organization would look like.

Good point. Thanks for the reminder.

As a Creative Director I’d only have time to be the figure head, albeit a loud one, as I have supported the fellow IDSA refuges who Design Museum Boston :wink: But perhaps once I’m heading up a university design department in 15+ years I will have the time to mobilize the force necessary to build the organization I think many designers desire.

And the survey said… stop listening to surveys where people write what they think they should.

You want ammunition? 1) don’t suck 2) be an active part of design thought leadership 3) know how to articulate and persuade

Maybe I’m feeling punchy having walked out of a board level meeting with a corporation with a verbal to proceed on a project, but it’s not that hard, you just have to actually be good. All the gant charts in the world are not going to cover up bad work and an inability to connect, empathize, and emote with your clients and users…


Why one Earth would you assume that! Have you been to an IDSA conference lately? You know what happens when you assume, you make an… well you know. The first word in Design Organization is Design… if you don’t get that right, you miss the point. Once that is beyond rock solid then you can begin to think about branching out. I’d rather alienate other but have a passionate core base that “gets it” than try to please everyone and get none.

CG, thanks for getting us back on track. What could this new group be called I wonder? My initial thoughts.

APPD: Association of Professional Practicing Designers.

You need to have a degree and/or professional work experience, 3 references from professionals with at least 5 years of experience or the sponsorship of an existing member, and there is a portfolio review, or you may be invited to join.

Local bi-monthly happy hours in major cities, and one global conference per year. The conference would consist of One day of work shops and lectures, one day of pure inspiration (museums, corporate archive tours, and so on), a pecha kucha style work share out, local studio crawl, and then a massive networking party with an open bar. Annual design competition and awards ceremony. Special invites to the best students around the globe. No other non members allowed to the conference… and the first rule of APPD is you don’t tell anyone about APPD.

APPD: Association of Professional Practicing Designers.

You need to have a degree and/or professional work experience, 3 references from professionals with at least 5 years of experience or the sponsorship of an existing member, and there is a portfolio review, or you may be invited to join.


I think the above outline by Yo is one of the most important things. Much like being a degreed engineer in Canada being a member of the group holds a certain amount of weight. It also becomes something that people strives to become members of as it represent and is recognized as a association that is beneficial to be apart of not only by its members but also by the business community and employers.

“Oh you are a member of APPD - well this makes the interview easier as we know you are held to high standards by that organization” is what the employeer would say…

I would also like to add the following to the thought.

A. As an active member you are responsible and mandated in some way shape or form to give back to the design community and to future members. i.e lecture at a local school for 1 class, host a online webinare something once a year.

B. The group has to branches for continuing education 1. Skill sets 2. Business within these two areas there would be several additional items. Ideally the the seminars would be hosted by high level individuals and in conjunction with a board certified school.


Chevis W

A secret elite fraternity huh?

My needs are slightly different, but I think both of our needs could be served with an open and entirely web-based organization.

  • Collect and bubble-up the best content from the best designers globally. You can learn from the best, and earn a reputation for yourself based on a meritocracy (ie. not the size of your bank account or what name-brand firm you work at.) Get designers to stop using Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, SlideShare, or hoping to be featured on a blog and start posting their content at this new site to foster dialog. Use “liking” and ad-hoc social groups to automatically generate buzz for worthy content. This will quickly become the go-to spot for designers to congregate and in the process builds-up and incredible library of best-practices and case-studies we keep talking about.

  • Replace all physical events and studio-tours with virtual events and studio tours = less friction, larger audience, perpetual dialog and archive.

  • Take all the money you’re saving and take your pick of smaller, more targeted design retreats to attend like the Aspen Design Summit.

I like Yo’s ideas for how the organization works for its members. I don’t like the name though. It seems like a special ed. program. (not that there is anything wrong with that…just not good for a design association).

I also like the idea of filtering it down to working designers. However, publicity and advocacy is (or should be) an important feature of an organization as well. Therefore, I think a secret society has its drawbacks. Journos need to have a phone number to call for a quote when the next iProduct comes out. (Michael Ditullo, god emperor of APPD says, “It’s great!!!”. Something like that;)

I like the focus of having a lot of regional events & just one big global event. Neat.

“Maybe I’m feeling punchy having walked out of a board level meeting with a corporation with a verbal to proceed on a project, but it’s not that hard, you just have to actually be good. All the gant charts in the world are not going to cover up bad work and an inability to connect, empathize, and emote with your clients and users…”

Bad meeting with a client that doesn’t really grasp what you do?

I like the idea of being licensed, which is one of the key things your group accomplishes.

Designers have been asking for that for years. It’s the Holy Grail for our profession… If anyone can come up with a licensing test similar to those given to PEs or architects, and get states to adopt it, then you’d have something. The design profession (even just industrial design) is just too broad.

Licensing is different than certification. Certification would be more attainable.

I was certified as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP), and that’s much broader than ID! It required about 1 week of training to pass the course. Here’s their study guide FYI.

Certification, like a brand, acts as a stamp of approval. A promise. Unlike your ID degree, certifications usually require keeping up with education credits, which ensures updated knowledge of agreed-upon best-practices.