CHI 2005 Development Consortium
April 3-4, 2005
Portland, Oregon

IDSA + User Experience Design
Historical Overview
After almost 30 years of mergers and organizational evolution, The Industrial Designers
Society of America (IDSA) was founded in 1965 to serve 600 members in ten chapters acrossthe country. At that time, IDSA members worked in the areas of design education, crafts,decorative arts, graphics, products, packaging, exhibit design and automobile styling. In
the last forty years, IDSA has expanded to serve more than 3,300 members in 28 chapters
across the United States and Canada. The practice of our members has expanded to morethan 75 unique specialties within the context of industrial design including interaction
design, user experience design and human factors design and research.
IDSA officially defines industrial design in the following manner:
Industrial design is the professional service of creating and developing concepts andspecifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products andsystems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer. . . The industrial
designer's unique contribution places emphasis on those aspects of the product orsystem that relate most directly to human characteristics, needs and interests. This
contribution requires specialized understanding of visual, tactile, safety andconvenience criteria, with concern for the user. Education and experience inanticipating psychological, physiological and sociological factors that influence andare perceived by the user are essential industrial design resources.
Since the early 1990s, IDSA has expanded its member offerings by creating Professional
Interest Sections devoted to specific areas of expertise and member interest. The goal ofProfessional Interest Sections is to provide in-depth information on the latest design
trends, news and commentary in different fields. Membership in Professional Interest
Sections is open to all IDSA members without additional cost. Programming efforts arevolunteer-driven with financial and organizational assistance provided by IDSA’s Board ofDirectors and professional staff. There are currently 21 Professional Interest Sections
within IDSA including the Interactive Design Section and the Human Factors Section.
Mission & Vision of IDSAAs the profession of industrial design continues to evolve and the global economy continues
to expand, IDSA has begun to embrace a more holistic notion of “Big D” Design with anemphasis on the process of design and the impact it has on business value and quality oflife. IDSA’s current vision statement calls for the organization to “advance the positive
impact of design on business and society while directly benefiting members by evolving into
the world’s most effective design organization.”
IDSA’s mission statement supports that vision by directing organizational efforts toward
promoting the benefits, awareness and value of design while simultaneously facilitating
design quality through professional development and education within a vital andexpanding global design community. IDSA is actively engaged in encouraging membershipdiversity and encouraging multi-disciplinary collaboration.
Interactive Design Special Interest Section
Chaired by Bill Mak of Microsoft, the Interactive Design Section of IDSA maintains thefollowing goals and commitments:

(1) Enable educators to innovate for success, graduating effective designers for aworld of digital convergence. Help affect curriculum by providing mentors forleading design schools.
(2) Enable key IDSA chapters to embrace and extend their membership reach into
ACM SIGCHI & HFES through formation of strategic alliances.
(3) Help IDSA drive clarity of definition for professional identity in the practice ofinteractive design, leveraging IDSA's domain knowledge and leadership ineducation, membership and professional governance.
IDSA recognizes that these goals represent both opportunities and challenges. In fact, thesuccessful achievement of these goals will require growth and process improvement fromwithin IDSA including the full commitment of IDSA’s Board of Directors, professional staffand general membership.
As products and technology evolve, the user experience becomes more and more critical tothe success of the product. The software components and visual interface elements ofproducts have become as important as the form factor. Industrial designers are keenly
aware of this convergence of tactile and cognitive subjects. Interaction designers are as
crucial as ‘traditional’ industrial designers. In the product development process, thebarriers between the two are crumbling and the relationships are strengthening. IDSA
embraces this growth and evolution.
Human Factors Special Interest Section
IDSA also maintains a Special Interest Section dedicated to Human Factors. Chaired bySteve Wilcox, PhD of Design Science, the Human Factors Section is dedicated to promotinginterest, knowledge and responsibility for the cognitive, ergonomic and perceptual aspects
of product design and use. This group spends considerable effort educating IDSA members
about best practices within Human Factors, improving applied methodologies and theappreciation for academic rigor within the practice of Human Factors.
Similar to interaction design, the inclusion of Human Factors professionals andmethodologies in the product development process has become de rigueur. Designers areembracing this specialty as fundamental to the process for both physical and virtual orsoftware-based products.
Conclusion
IDSA recognizes the growth and expansion of Design as a profession. Merely providing formand style to products is not enough. As ‘products’ become virtual or afford more extensive
interaction opportunities, the design profession will continue to evolve in breadth anddepth of expertise. IDSA welcomes opportunities to engage with other organizations andprofessionals dedicated to improving the business value of design as well as the cumulative
user experience with a product from manufacture through disposal. Collaboration willcontinue to be the key to success in the global economy.
For more information, please visit http://www.idsa.org/ or call 703.707.6000.