Industrial Design is an engineering sciences programme. At the University of Applied Arts Vienna
the design process is central in the programme. Industrial Design is taught with a deep awareness of the responsibility for
cultural, social, ecological, economic, and political developments. The professional field addresses questions about the shaping
of our environment, with regard to both objects as well as processes and procedures. The discipline is approached through
people, their ideals and material needs, as well as the environment in which they move. Various aspects of disciplines with
contextual relevance are linked and incorporated into the respective analytical and creative planning process, whereby the
collaboration takes place in interdisciplinary teams.
Professional practice can take place on a self-employed basis,
both outside and within companies or institutions, and in theoretical work, teaching, and research.
Graduate
Activities
The objective of the programme is that
- students establish their own unique position
as designers and are capable of lending their practice an individual, unmistakable signature within the broad spectrum of
theoretical approaches and mindsets,
- students develop an attitude informed by an awareness for cultural, social, economic,
ecological, and political responsibilities,
- students attain a readiness to elaborate technological, economic, and
cultural developments and to actively take part in them.
The following competences should be obtained:
- the
ability to recognise the essence of a design task, to analyse its requirements, and document them in a comprehensible way
- the
ability to acquire appropriate information in line with the latest artistic, scientific, technical as well as social and cultural
developments and to translate it into the design
- the ability to recognise the difference between artistic and scientific
methods and to employ both in a meaningful way
- the mobilisation of creative potentials for exploring new solutions
- an
understanding of the complexity of the design process and concept development
- the ability to visualise, convey, and
convincingly argue ideas and concepts
- self-organisation, organisation of the work flow in a scheduled context, project
organisation and project management
- command of presentation techniques, prototyping
- the ability to judge and
criticize and a capacity for (self-)assessment
- a capacity for teamwork, work in interdisciplinary teams
- the
ability to consciously deal with diversity
- the ability to participate in national and international discourses
- an
understanding of the boundaries of design
