What Did You Do (by Design) This Summer? This Article Is the Begenning of a Quest for a Dialoque Us. (IDSA)

With this article, the Industrial Designers SocietY of America (IDSA) is beginning its third year of collaboration with ITEA. Our first year was one in which each of the two professional groups began a relationshiP by trying to acquire a clear understanding of the goals and aims of the other. Last year IDSA, having gained some focus on ITEA, developed a more organized approach to the generation of articles that we felt would be of interest for many of you engaged in technology education. Then, this past spring, I attended your annual conference in Columbus, Ohio and had the opportunity to talk with some of you, attend several of your sessions and learn about the editorial directions being developed by your officers. Out of my listening and participation came the realization that it would be important to hear more from you about your classroom needs, relative to design, as you provide instructional activities for your students. Therefore, this article is the beginning of a quest for a dialogue between us. First, let me explain my role in the ITEA/IDSA collaboration. I have been appointed to seek articles from our IDSA membership that will be relevant to those of you dealing with technology teaching in the junior high and high school grades. The articles, of course, are to be published in The Technology Teacher. As well as encouraging our design society membership to submit articles, I also have the responsibility for evaluating the content of the submitted articles for appropriateness as well as editing them for publication in your journal. Now, I need your help and direction in my efforts so that you may be well served. Again, I am seeking a dialogue with you. The goal of IDSA is to give you information about the profession of industrial design in order for you to be better prepared to share this with your students. Many (probably most!) of the current members of IDSA did not become aware of ID until we were in college. Many of us were in engineering or architecture programs that This article is the beginning of a quest for a dialogue between us, did not quite match our dreams of designing. By engaging in this collaboration with those of you in ITEA, we hope to share with potential ID professionals--much earlier on their educational paths--the excitement and satisfaction that we gain through our work. We suspect that the best mode of informing these potential designers is to present in this journal some typical design projects which you can take to your classroom. This is where I need your help. There are several ways you might respond to my request. First, were some of the IDSA articles published over the past two years especially useful for you? If so, in what particular aspects did they provide you with applicable ideas? Next, in terms of special materials, complexity, and project duration, what works best in your classroom? Finally, given that design is not only about making things but also about problem solving, what sort of balance between the physical activity of constructing objects and the mental activity of thinking about solutions through sketching, drawing and discussion works best in your classes? (Note: It is often very difficult to separate thinking and doing in design, but any suggestion you might have will be considered.) You can reach me at funkrogr@msu.edu. I'm anxious to hear from you so that IDSA can better serve your needs. Now, a given: Design is first a problem-discovery and a problem-solving process. The designer only then develops an object (usually) to answer the problem uncovered in the initial portion of the activity. However, suppose there is no specific object or product to be designed. Instead, an experience is to be designed. This is a very active part of the professional design spectrum today, and many designers find themselves seriously engaged in designing experiences. * An example of this type of project would be the design of a museum exhibit. …