Transitioning into Design: A Perspective of Mechanical Engineer

Being in the design field for the past four years, I get that a lot, “Oh, you are a mechanical engineer and you are into the design!”. And, I say to myself, what is so shocking in this, rather it makes much more perfect sense.

Four years of mechanical engineering make you a practical, very hands-on, and logical person. We learn about mechanics, IC engines, helical gears, and a big wholesome bowl of physics, chemistry, and mathematics mashed together. The stress of completing assignments before deadlines, multiplied by 7 subjects, and multiplied by 48 months, it takes a toll on you. Hey, but on the plus side, you get to learn to work under pressure. An attitude of making and breaking things is embedded into you. This attitude really helps you in later stages of your career and life, both.

Now to put it out there, being an Engineer and an Industrial Designer, there are both pros and cons. Within these four years, you get to know in and about the machines around you. You will be able to tell why your car is taking longer than usual to start. Whether it is the timing belt that needs to be replaced or the charge in battery that is weak. But you are so invested in these machines around you, that you forget about the people using those machines. Users are the sole reason, that these machines exist around us. Till this point, I just thought “why I am not able to solve this 10-mark equation?”. Words like aesthetics, ergonomics, usability, perception, do not exist.

I was introduced to “design” in my 8th semester, that’s when I decided I want to design cars. It never occurred to me, what level of Pandora box, I was about to open. My brain was now overwhelmed with lot of information flowing in, where everyone was talking about human-centered design, and stuff like that.

Transitioning into the design mind space, I faced challenges like connecting with people on a very base level. Understanding their habits, life experiences, mental models is important. I learned this over some time. With these user insights, I make conceptual, hypothetical designs which are really good on paper. But, what is the use of that, if it cannot be implemented in real world. This is where your attitude of prototyping helps you in making and testing the concepts that you have been working on for so long.

Now what I am trying to say is that, if you add a layer of human empathy over the hard exterior of machines, its Design, as simple as that.

To put it in as a Mathematical equation:

Mechanical Engineering + Human-Centered Design = Industrial Design

Now if you can overcome these few challenges as a mechanical engineer, you can be a deadly combo. In the end, I would just like to say:

It’s transitioning of your mindset, more than transitioning of skill set.

What do you think, do you feel the same way ? Let me know, if I am missing a point. Comment below. : )