Expectation of design industry towards designers’ competencies in Malaysia

Abstract

This thesis examines the industry’s expectations on the competencies of an industrial designer in the design industry in Malaysia. The research aims to understand the need of the industry and to serve as a reference for academicians in constructing the curricula for Industrial Design education. According to the literature, competencies of a designer can be categorised into three categories, namely design related knowledge, hard skills, and soft skills. These items were then coded accordingly and used as a guide in constructing the questionnaire. In the selection of samples, a total of 117 companies that recruiting designers were selected from job posting platforms as well as companies that were awarded Good Design Award by Malaysia Design Council. The questionnaire was sent to the Human Resource Department and Design Department through email. Additional copies were also distributed during design exhibitions. In the questionnaire, companies were asked to select critical competencies considered when hiring new designers. As this study is limited to Malaysian companies that hire designers, a total of 32 valid responses were collected in the end. The results indicated that knowledge on design is indeed important as a designer. However, only knowing all the tools and methods for design without actual execution is considered inadequate from the perspective of the industry. Another skill that is considered crucial for a designer is the capability in coming out with original ideas; however, the finding indicates that business mindset, which is an attribute of creating innovative design is not a necessary skill. Last but not least, having the ability to produce informative sketches showing the details on the functions and how to assemble a product is considered more important by the industry than just a pretty and impressive sketch. In sum, the findings highlighted the critical skills of industry needs, and the skills should be emphasised in the current industrial design curriculum.