#HTE

Industrial Designers: Let’s Hear Your Story

The Atlantic’s ongoing “Inside Jobs” series lets you “hear what American workers have to say about their jobs” in candid terms. So far they’ve got folks from 103 different professions, everything from deliverypersons to CEOs, delivering answers to give you a sense of what their work lives are like.

I searched in vain for “Industrial Designer” but the closest I could find was “Architectural Designer.” While that interview, where writer Adrienne Green interviews Cleveland-based Julie Engstrom, is pretty good, and touches on similar issues our field suffers from—gender imbalance, for one—we want to hear what a working industrial designer has to say.

So, if you were the one chosen for the interview, how would you answer the questions below?

1. How did you get started as an industrial designer?

2. What exactly do you do as an industrial designer?

3. What is an average day like for you?

4. Do you think that most people understand what industrial designers do?

5. Industrial design is a male-dominated field. Have you felt affected by the gender dynamic in the profession?

6. How have you seen your industry change over the last decade?

7. What is the most challenging and the most rewarding part of your job?

8. How is your work tied into your identity?

Also, please state your country; it’s not just American ID'ers we want to hear from.