By Jim Budd, IDSA, Kevin Shankwiler, IDSA and James Hallam Jim Budd is a professor and chair of the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on the exploration, design development and application of sensor-based technologies for everyday products. n Kevin Shankwiler is an assistant professor in the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech. He has broad experience in product design with specific focus on digital design processes and manufacturing. n James Hallam is a PhD student and teaching assistant in the Interactive Product Design Lab at Georgia Tech. His research is focused on the link between mass customization, wearable technology and therapeutic devices.
Digital Design Technologies
EXPLORING THE NEXT WAVE
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he role of design in today’s world is dramatically shifting as social, cultural and experiential factors begin to play a more dominant role in the complexities of day-to-day life. Over the past 10 years, digital technologies have radically reshaped the way people live, work and play. The first changes
began when designers started using more powerful digital tools, including 3D modeling, to support traditional drawing methods. The second wave of digital technologies, including rapid prototyping, laser cutting and integration of CNC tools, provided additional support for prototyping and manufacturing. More recent developments in wireless communication combined with the growing prevalence of sensor-based technologies now provide opportunities for designers to play a more central role in integrating technology into everyday life in a more seamless and meaningful way. To respond to these new challenges, the School of Industrial Design at Georgia Tech redeveloped the curriculum for both the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design and Master of Industrial Design to acknowledge and leverage the technical strengths across the campus in engineering, healthcare and computing. Among the changes is the Product Development & Innovation stream, which builds on a traditional industrial design focus on manufactured products and leverages ties across campus to mechanical engineering. The Interactive Product Design stream builds new ties with interactive computing, digital media and psychology and has led to the establishment of a new industrial design stream for the four-school human-computer interaction master’s program. Parametric Design for Advanced Manufacturing In the Product Development & Innovation section of the junior industrial design studio, digital technologies are leveraged to facilitate the learning of iterative design processes. The studio engages with a variety of digital tools to conduct research, develop and evaluate designs, support design decision making, and fabricate prototypes, comStudents Luke Mastrangelo, Eric Leal, IDSA and Eddie Licitra with a completed bicycle prototype.
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