Visual Storyboarding provides a conceptual bridge from research to development: students can imagine the results of their decision making, and their prioritization of the many facets of the design problem will facilitate the development of a strong final solution.(From IDSA)

Publication: The Technology Teacher

Publication Date: 01-NOV-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 International Technology Education Association

Industrial Design students are hardworking, ambitious, get-the-job-done sort of people. They conduct Industrial Design research that defines the user, the intended market, the required function, and appropriate image. This plethora of information is sufficient to define the design objectives and strike a target line through the design process to an excellent solution.

However, there is often a disconnect between the information acquired in the research phase and the design issues addressed in the concept development phase of a project. This is based largely on the fact that research material presents information from different sources and formats, and students need to select, prioritize, and apply that information to their projects. It is a difficult decision for students to make, as they are learning to juggle the different facets of a design problem and trying to project the results of their decisions into successful concepts. What seems so difficult for student designers is second nature to an experienced designer.

The disconnect is typically manifested in one of two ways. First, the research information presents the project as being huge and intimidating, causing students to become quagmired by the torrent of information. On the opposing side, students push a decision, focus on one issue from their research, and lose sight of other, less obvious, yet...

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