Hello Industrial Designers (and alike) 👋

I found myself a few months ago looking for a simple volume dial for my PC and Mac. I bought one from amazon that did the standard 12 step rotation and click, it was fine but really poor quality. I looked at more premium options, but they mostly seem to be more focussed on features and niches like music production and very detailed macros with software. I did buy one called Cololight, but it was super complicated and still felt cheap honestly, it just wasn't what i I personally was looking for.

I have a prototype for something that works, for me at least. I wanted to get the smooth feel of an 80's quality hi-fi knob working with modern hardware, like a programmable microcontroller, displays, LEDs, advanced sensors etc. I'm still at the stage where the working model (simple plug 'n' play with PC, Mac, iOS, Linux and Android) is a mess of wires, but I'm confident after a few revisions I can turn this into a good looking/fully working product.

Product features: Intuitive taps for basic media controls, super smooth volume rotation, scroll mode, human presence detection for auto sleep and desk-time vs break time, temperature and humidity sensor to help you work in the best environment. (I'm open to ideas here...)

If this were to become more than just a desktop prototype for me, what features would you want from a product like this? Have I missed anything obvious or overlooked anything? Would this look good on your desk? I'm just trying to get a feeling of how i could improve this overall (although, like any product, i can't add all features for everyone).

A small bit about me: I'm from London, UK. I've worked as a car designer over the past 15 years for Land Rover, Dyson and currently at McLaren. I understand how things can be manufactured at prototype and at scale, and have some knowledge with microcontrollers/prototyping to help bring my good/bad ideas to life.

I would LOVE feedback from anyone and everyone, especially those who would actually buy something like this. I also setup a quick page for anyone interested in updates: https://thespacecadet.carrd.co/#

Thanks,

Space Cadet

I’m a product designer at Monah and we’re working on a small controller (92 x 33mm). It sits next to your keyboard, shows what your AI coding agents are doing, and you hold to talk to them. These are the 4 shape directions we’re deciding between:

1. Cut corner on one side, stepped edge
2. Cut corners on both sides, tapered bottom
3. Cut corner on one side, flat bottom
4. Rounded all around

I’m leaning towards 1 because the cut corner makes it easy to recognize, even from across the desk. But I’m not sure if the stepped edge is too much at this size. Which one would you push further, and what would you change?

I’m about 4 and a half years into my career as a designer/drafter and something comes up all the time in my performance reviews - attention to detail and rushing work. I think all of my school reports would contain the sentence “often makes careless mistakes and would benefit from checking his work more thoroughly and slowing down” - so it’s something I’ve known about for a while but have become much more conscious of it in the last year or three. I believe this is the biggest barrier to my performance at work  and I think the cause of it is the way my brain works.  I think there are two components to this - the errors themselves, and the way I feel when I make them.

A bit of context, I’m one of 5 designers working for a joinery - but I handle the bulk of the production drawings as we only have two Fusion licenses and I’m the only one who knows how to use it. I didn’t intend to spend all my time doing everyone else’s detail modelling and production drafting but that’s the way it’s shaken out - I’m about to start training one of my colleagues to get her up to speed. We don’t have a traditional engineering style drawing review process, my colleagues do a pretty good job checking over my work but some stuff still makes its way out to production. -but no redlining  - my last job was a bit stricter about that but stuff still made it through. 

I spoke with my boss and we’re going to get ask of my colleagues to do more drawing reviews of my work, his thoughts are that it’s the complex jobs where that’s most valuable but I find I make errors when doing simple parts/assemblies that don’t take a long time to model/draw or things that are highly parametric where all I need to do is change a few parameters to adjust the design -in short, jobs with a fairly light cognitive load where I’m running a bit on autopilot - any advice there for doing these more methodically?  Internally, it feels like design is either happening or it isn’t, and whatever speed the work gets done at is the speed it happens. I don’t know how to force myself to slow down - any actionable advice there?

I had a bad run of defective or non-compliant work last year that really badly affected my mental health and I was strongly considering quitting my job or self harm over it. Part of this was the type of feedback I was given on my work - often not constructive or actionable feedback but jokes at my expense. I did leave that job and I’m in a much more psychologically healthy workplace now but I still find myself thinking that I don’t deserve my job and that the whole team would be better off if I left when a drawing error means a part has to be remade - my core responsibility is to give the production team accurate manufacturing information, if I can't get that right, why am I there?

As a whole I think this is a problem intrinsic to the way my brain works and as much as process and systems help, there’s no getting around the neurological part of it, and I worry that I’ve committed myself to a career that has high expectations of attention to detail and that I’m unable to consistently meet up with those expectations. I won’t even start on my executive function issues around task initiation as I think that’s it’s own set of problems, any thoughts or feedback?

Hi yall hopefully this post finds the people i need but im looking for trustworthy experienced genuine people to help with a new invention idea. I did a sketch and listed operations i want my product to have but i need help doing the prototype so i can get an estimate on what parts and materials that’ll be needed. It’ll have lights and some automated parts and I need it to be lightweight and compact possibly magnetic with a lock mechanism. I want to do a basic model first then come back with a pro model but I already made plans for both. im starting from scratch because there is nothing on the market like it so i need someone who really knows what they are doing and not a rip off. Also if the person could have some previous inventions to showcase their skills. I need a reasonable priced professional who can deal with high leveled intricate designs like the type of person who might can build a speaker or a self operating blender from scratch. Please dm me if have recommendations too

I’m developing Hound, a premium dog bed, and deciding between two versions.

The full version has a metal frame that gives the bed a more structured, furniture-like look. It would also cost more to produce.

The cushion-only version is a simpler, lower cost direction. This is an early mockup, the goal is to keep it easy to clean and premium while reducing production cost.

Which would you prefer for your pet, and what matters most in your choice: the frame and structure, or a simpler bed at a lower price?

Hey, Im Australian, currently studying industrial design.
Recently I've been hearing that product/Industrial design is kind of a dying field. I'm worried about finding work in the future. Is this rational? Do I need to switch gear and look at a different field? What should I be doing to live comfortably and secure a career in the future? Any professional advice or experience would be amazing

Hello everybody, I'm a 3rd year ID student at the University of Bologna (Italy), currently on an Exchange semester at the University of Twente (Netherlands).

I'm currently following a very cool minor and I'm basically redesigning a very complicated machine (not gonna bore you with the details). I'm in a group with 3 other students (2 ME and 1 IBA) and we've been working very well together.

Back to the project, next week is our final and I'm afraid that the LOD (Level of Development, it's basically a scale to determine how detailed a project is, with 100 being just a rough concept and 500 being a product ready to be manufactured) of our project is going to be too low. Specifically, I estimate somewhere around 250-300.

In our defense, we have had only 10 weeks from brief to finish and it would have been physically impossible to work out every single minute detail such as screws, tolerances etc. During this time, we instead focused on an accurate layout definition, development of various parts, improvement of UX/UI, business model and other stuff, so I would say that overall the project is very complete but the engineering/manufacturing side is not 100% worked out (again, that would have been impossible in just 10 weeks).

My concern is, will this be a problem if I decide to apply to an IDE Master program at a technical university? Will they look at my project and think it's unfinished and not worked out enough?

I'd like to hear some thoughts and if somebody has had similar doubts in the past. Also if you have any doubt about this post and would like to hear more details about this project, feel free to DM me.

Thank you everybody!!!

I posted a while back the ClickRigs off road truck construction toys that I designed. You all seemed to like them but a lot has happened in the short time since then and now I've turned ClickRigs into an online 3d build tool that exports printable 3mf files. I'm also almost done with the PCB and kits to make them phone-controllable RC crawlers. Anyway, it's still a work in progress but the tool and everything is free. Thought you all might have fun playing with it. Still a work in progress but happy to answer any questions of hear feedback.

https://riglab.clickrigs.com/

I travel by public transport a lot, and in summer I’m usually sweating through the ride, since a window seat is pure luck. I travel this way a lot, so a portable fan is something I actually need. I’ve used several of the ones on the market, and they tend to fall into two groups.

The compact ones have weak airflow, and the battery rarely lasts more than 30 minutes. The ones with good airflow and battery life are too bulky to carry everywhere and don’t fit inside my bag. On top of that, nearly all of them look the same, and only the size changes.

I wanted something that fits easily in a bag, delivers real airflow, and doesn’t look like the conventional portable fans out there. That’s why I started designing this one.

The current prototype

This is a working prototype built from off-the-shelf modules and components, with the housing and panels 3D printed in PLA. It uses a small 40 × 20 mm fan. The controls are on the right side: a push switch for power, a rotary dial for fan speed, and a Type-C port for charging. The angle-adjustable stand blends into the overall form so it doesn’t read as a separato attachment.

What testing showed

• Airflow: the fan produces strong airflow, but the grills divert a good portion of it. I’m already working on a fix.
• Rotary dial: it feels too thin. I plan to make it thicker and out of metal, with a satisfying tactile click, and add a battery indicator on the front panel.

I’m also planning to move from PLA to PETG for the housing.

I’d appreciate honest feedback, especially on the overall form and aesthetic, the control layout, any design improvements, and which color options you’d like to see. All suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

I’m moving a product from 3D-printed prototypes to a first run of about 300 units, and the manufacturing side is new to me. I’ve been looking at a mix of local shops and overseas suppliers, including some on Made-in-China.com. and I can’t tell how much weight to give badges and listings compared with samples and references.

For designers who’ve gone from CAD to production: how did you find and judge your factory, and what’s the best way to communicate tolerances and finishes so the first sample comes back right? Good and bad experiences both welcome.

I'm a Year 12 Design & Technology student in Australia looking for ideas for my Major Work Project.

I'm trying to identify real-world problems, needs, or opportunities that could be solved through a product, system, or environment.

I'm interested in problems that people experience regularly but don't have a great solution for yet.

Does anyone have any ideas, frustrations, inconveniences, or unmet needs they've noticed in daily life, school, work, sport, travel, accessibility, sustainability, etc.???????

All suggestions are appreciated!

Thank you all for the incredibly warm and encouraging feedback when I posted Kaamos 1.0. I read every word at least thrice, and came up with the decision to make Kaamos open source to make it more transparent than "trust me bro".

Yes, it was built with Claude (design and direction by me, a designer; code by the AI). Kaamos itself has no AI inside, and models never leave your computer.

Some will call it slop, some will call it shit. Call it what you will. But I sincerely hope this will be useful for some of you. And if even one person in a hundred finds it useful, I have succeeded.

• Open source: Full source is on GitHub https://github.com/AtomiLabSlop/kaamos
• Browser based: No install, no account, your models never leave your computer. Tested mainly with Chrome.
• The UI is now Adobe Spectrum 2, with custom colors, fonts, logos
• Real renderings: Raster and path-traced engines, labeled as what they are. PNG export.
• Imports GLB, glTF, OBJ, STEP/IGES

Stack (Do I understand half of this? No. Do I care? Also no.): React, Three.js / R3F, three-gpu-pathtracer, WebGL.

Happy rendering! Or roasting, whichever is your path to follow.

Hey everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience:

I run a solo freelance industrial design studio. Lately, I have been getting a few requests for products to design via email, that don't lead anywhere and have a few similar characteristics:

- All are clearly worded like Chat GPT wrote them

- All come from a normal sounding gmail account

- All use similar verbiage asking about getting an NDA signed and that they must own all IP

- All are terribly slow at responding

- All don't include any other way to contact them other than by their email

- All stop responding after I try to schedule a call with them

None of these things are red flags and are quite common to receive as a designer. I just find it peculiar that within the last month, I have gotten several very similar requests following similar patterns. Has anyone else experienced the same thing? I am worried because I have filled out a couple NDAs with my business information and signature, assuming they are legitimate inquiries. Maybe this is just the state of people trying to get products designed in 2026...

I completed my Master's in the area in 2022. I moved from Porto to Eindhoven (the supposed european capital of Design - specially industrial) and could not find a thing so far. I have been working a boring office job that requires no qualifications whatsoever. I am now going back to Porto and yet, all jobs for "industrial design" or "product design" end up being UX/UI.

Anyone can give me valuable tips or platforms to look for?

Hi everyone! Does anyone know how to make a material like the one in the attached photos and video?

It can be folded, twisted, and scrunched by hand, then holds the shape you give it.

My guess is that it uses aluminum foil sandwiched between layers. However, I’m worried that repeated bending and folding would eventually tear or crack the foil, making the material less durable.

Has anyone made or worked with something similar? If aluminum foil is the right approach, what thickness and bonding method would you recommend? Are there any more durable alternatives that would still hold their shape in the same way?

Any advice, material names, or tutorials would be appreciated!

I acquired this beautiful chair a few days ago from a person who didn’t want it anymore and then i was told from my sister, an interior design, that it is a very special, iconic piece of furniture. I did my own investigation, and all the signs indicate it is the real deal. If anybody has any expertise in these sort of things, I am uploading a few pictures below. Any feedback is very much appreciated.
Thank you.

Que tal, he diseñado esta banda transportadora modular, pero al momento de hechura a andar esta comienza a tener este comportamiento, alguno tiene experiencia en que problema podria ser?, ya se tenso y se aflojo y no se soluciona.

La banda parece brincar

If I create my own patterns using Canva or AI and plan to use them on products for commercial sale, how can I check whether a particular pattern is already being used by another brand or is protected by copyright, trademark, or registered design rights?
Are there any databases, websites, or tools that allow me to thoroughly check this on an international level?

I am a 32 year old that has been in IT for my entire working career I have also been dealing curated vintage designer furniture for 6 years or so. I have grown a huge passion for design it has gone into architecture and other things. I sketch a little (horrendous) sketches no CAD experience. currently fabing my 1st coffee table . I am currently unemployed and thinking about going into school full time and wanted feed back if I’m too old to go into this type of career/ schooling I’m based in LA

I came up with a concept for a minimalist men's pendant that looks like a simple pearl-white luxury locket when closed. The idea is that a concealed mechanical cover opens to reveal Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan.

I'm exploring the contrast between premium jewellery design and the emotional appeal of anime collectibles. This is currently a conceptual design, not a manufactured product.

I'd genuinely appreciate your honest feedback:

• Does the pendant look like premium jewellery or just anime merchandise?
• Would the mechanical reveal make the concept more interesting?
• What would you change about the shape, materials, or overall design?
• Well its not like i am going to make a product, it's just i want to know the realistic possibilities as an fan of what premium and emotional jewelry should look like

I'm open to constructive criticism and want to improve the concept.

A few weeks ago I shared the first demo the TrueCAD addon here: parametric CAD in Blender, with 2D sketching and STEP import/export.

Since then I got feature history working end to end. Every feature is stored in a history panel that works like the modifier stack. Go back to any sketch or feature, change it, and the whole part rebuilds. In the video, the box gets longer but the walls stay 3 mm thick, the fillets keep their radius, and the screw holes move to the new corners.

Everything is solid B-Rep geometry running on a real CAD kernel, and it works the way you already know: Shift+A to add a CAD object or sketch, Tab for CAD edit mode, Ctrl/Cmd+B to fillet or chamfer. Import a STEP part, keep editing it, and export it again with exact geometry.

Releasing soon on Gumroad and Superhive.

Many asked for updates, so I made a simple newsletter. You’ll get a discount code there on launch day: truecad.semtip.nl

Make sure to join the Discord for questions, feedback and sharing what you make. I’ll give away a few copies there at launch: https://discord.gg/J5qTQ6AUkM

What would you build with this first? I’m deciding what to prioritize on the roadmap after launch. Happy to answer any questions!

Hello! I’m a product-industrial design major doing a senior thesis on “mimetic” furniture and home goods, and would love if I could get as many people as possible to fill out my form! It should take 2-3 minutes.