Industrial Design · IDES

About Industrial Design

Designing physical products — form, function, materials, and manufacture. Courses carry the IDES subject code and are offered through the College of Arts, Design & Communication. Numbers below 300 are introductory, 300–499 advanced undergraduate, and 500 and above graduate. Prerequisites are enforced at registration.

How the sequence works

Of the 9 IDES courses listed, 3 are introductory (numbers under 300), 3 are advanced undergraduate (300–499). 2 courses have no prerequisite and are a reasonable first step. Later courses assume the earlier ones, so read prerequisites before you plan a term — they are enforced at registration and an override from the Industrial Design department is the only way around them.

IDES 1200 — Design Sketching and Visualization 3 cr

Fast ideation sketching, perspective, form development, and rendering to communicate a product idea clearly.

Prerequisite: none.

IDES 1400 — Design Process I 3 cr

The full arc from user research and problem framing to concepts, models, and a resolved proposal, on a small product.

Prerequisite: none.

IDES 2200 — Materials and Manufacturing 3 cr

Common materials and the processes that shape them — molding, casting, machining, forming, joining — and designing for each.

Prerequisite: IDES 1400.

IDES 2400 — Model Making and Prototyping 3 cr

Foam, wood, and printed models; test rigs; and using a prototype to answer a specific design question.

Prerequisite: IDES 1200.

IDES 2600 — CAD for Product Design 3 cr

Parametric solid modeling, surfacing, assemblies, and drawings for manufacture.

Prerequisite: IDES 1200.

IDES 3200 — Human Factors and Ergonomics 3 cr

Anthropometry, biomechanics, cognitive load, and designing products people can use safely and comfortably.

Prerequisite: IDES 2200.

IDES 3400 — Design Process II 3 cr

A more complex product developed with a manufacturing partner, from research through a production-intent prototype.

Prerequisite: IDES 1400.

IDES 3600 — Sustainable Product Design 3 cr

Life-cycle thinking, material choices, repairability, disassembly, and measuring a product's footprint.

Prerequisite: IDES 2200.

IDES 4900 — Industrial Design Capstone 3 cr

A year-long self-directed product project, sponsored where possible, ending in a resolved prototype and the senior show.

Prerequisite: senior standing.

Planning and advising

Your degree audit shows exactly how IDES courses apply to your requirements; this list only shows what is offered. If you are choosing between two courses, deciding when to take a heavy one, or wondering whether a course will run next term, your academic adviser or the Industrial Design program office can tell you. Course availability by term is set close to registration and is not guaranteed by anything on this page.