I am testing a workflow for a small made-to-order physical object from a reference image. An early 3D model makes a useful visual preview, but it has not gone through a physical build. In digital tests, strengthening thin areas visibly changed fine details on two shapes. The later production check and expert review are still planned.

If a customer has seen the early preview, when would you ask for actual design approval when the production version may look different?

Never thought I would spend this much time thinking about buttons and screens but here we are

The Bambu Lab A1 has that little touchscreen on the base The Prusa MK4S goes with a screen and a physical knob

Then theres stuff like the Aliencell E1 where the camera view and software are part of setting up a job

Different machines different ways of doing things

It is got me wondering how much of this comes down to personal preference I tend to like physical controls for some things but software makes sense for others

What's a tiny design detail on a tool that you really like? Or one that you just cant get used to?

Here in my country, an industrial designer essentially handles a vast array of tasks—ranging from technical work and management to presentations, and so on—and I’m thinking about expanding my scope to take on projects in other sectors.

Studying in person would mean relocating to another country, so I'd love to get a clearer picture of what might be the best path forward for me. Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I already have a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and I'm looking into online master's programs in Industrial Design.

Hi,

Are there any good online industrial design courses in English that you would recommend.

For additional context, I am 50 years old, an accountant by profession, reached as far as I'm willing to go in my commercial career. I'm now an independent consultant in a highly specialized field, unrelated to the finance world. I've always had a keen interest in design, though have never pursued it.

I'd like to do an online, part-time course that will enable me to understand design concepts, prototyping and material usage (amongst other foundational knowledge areas). I'm doing the course primarily for my own interest. I'm not looking at this as a career change, rather to enhance my interest into a somewhat doable hobby/tiny side hustle (if it even ever comes to that).

Thanks in advance.

Made this standing desk with white oak plywood. Made for my workflow of drafting on the left, CAD in the middle, printing on the right. No fasteners are visible on this desk and it is measured precisely to be comfortable for my height and elbows.

Lmk

Hello everybody,

I'm a 3rd year ID bachelor student at the University of Bologna, Italy, currently on an Erasmus semester at the University of Twente studying IDE.

During these months and after visiting the Design Week in Eindhoven I'm realising that I would love to do a master in IDE here in the Netherlands. My top choices for the moment are the big 3: TU Delft, TU Eindhoven and Twente (where I am now).

I would like to hear from you guys (especially if you study or you have studied IDE at one of these schools) what you think about the admission process (is it hard?) and quality of education at these Universities, or generally if you have any advice or anything to say at all.

Thank you!

Hi all, I'm looking into master's programs for industrial design and would love some honest perspective from people in the field. I'm in NYC and have no formal ID background.

Background:

I'm about 9 years into my career. I started in tech consulting at a Big 4 firm and hated it, so I switched to construction and spent about 5 years in project management. I loved it for a while, but the hours and lifestyle weren't sustainable. For the past 3 years I've been in construction tech, on both the pre- and post-sales side.

Honestly, the work feels meaningless to me and getting through each day is a struggle. The one constant is that I'm happiest when I'm making things. I paint, sculpt, collage, and work in pretty much any medium. I also love practical problems, like building something I actually need with limited resources. I'm always studying the objects around me and thinking about how to make them work better.

Where I'm stuck:

By the time I'd finish applying and start a program, I'd be 32 or 33. I like a good pivot, but I want to know if this is too late to build a meaningful ID career, or if I'd be too far behind peers who started in their early 20s. I think my construction and project management experience could be an asset, but I'd like to hear whether that holds up from people in the industry.

Some Qs:

• Does the age and background gap matter to hiring managers, or does the portfolio (that I assume I would build in school) carry most of the weight?
• Is a master's the right route for someone with no ID background, or would a certificate, a bootcamp, or building a portfolio first make more sense?
• Where could a background like mine fit best?

TYIA!

PS. I'm thinking about the MID at Pratt in case anyone has any strong feelings on that.

Im an industrial design student in second year confused about what to specialise in. I feel like maybe in not aware of all the options... so what all can i specialise in from herte? what has the most scope? What can i do my masters in?