As a product designer and engineer it is important to be open minded, to learn new things and not stand still. Going through the world with open eyes and being curious has always been a part of my life. But a new digitized world expects even more. Leaving 3D-product development for “only” 2D-digitized products? Probably not, but digital user interfaces are more and more connected to the user journey. So how and what could i personally learn and evolve? Starting with new devices and programs, new areas of expertise and a new way of working.
New devices – digital drafting and prototyping
In a moment of playfulness, I got the new iPad Pro for 2 reasons. The pen and the CAD. Being able to sketch directly on the iPad is supercool, but if you have not been a sketching god(dess) before, the iPad will not make it easier for you. Procreate is a fantastic tool with endless opportunities, which still wants and will to be conquered by me.
The second reason for the purchase is the CAD program called Shapr. I saw some demo videos – probably on instagram – and I was truly excited. Using the enhanced user interface of the iPad and simplifying the CAD design process with natural gestures is truly great. Due to the fact that i am working daily in SolidWorks I did not dive in as deeply as i would like to but the next private project will come!
[vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/djCh3xMckNE’]
Last but not least I tested and even used tools like “Prott” to define digital user-interfaces and test them immediately.
New Work
This also supports the new way of working that is flashing all over. Everyone talks about agile. Luckily within our innovation projects at LEDVANCE we are using more and more agile methods. Still a lot to learn, but the good thing: as a designer you are – as a standard configuration – used to work in an extremely agile way. Anyhow: tools like Jira and official terms are supporting in a great way.
Design thinking as an addition seems to be the innovation pusher. You find more info on this topic in this post.
New expertise
As a third big pillar in my learning year, I chose to broaden my expertise in different kind of products and product categories. Although I really like the development of luminaires, there is the necessity for going beyond. Developing platforms and thinking them through within the whole product lifecycle is not only a sustainable way of using resources, but it is also necessary for many companies to stay competitive. Luckily I currently have the chance to work on concepts for our future connected products. Nothing to share yet, but super exciting!