Department of Industrial Design

Although the term ‘‘industrial designer’’ is a well known title, the understanding
of industrial design as a profession is still unclear, as evidenced by its application
in the sector. In light of this, schools of industrial design should, despite the immense
contributions to the sector made by their past graduates, continuously revise their curricula
and review their deficiencies to provide a better correlation between their graduates and the
needs of the industry. The aim of this study is to ascertain the role of the industrial designer
from the perspective of industry by analyzing the specifications stated in job adverts for the
recruitment of industrial designers. This study was conducted in three phases. In the first
phase, an in-depth literature review was completed. The second phase was dedicated to the
identification of the industrial designer in terms of education institutions, and to realize
this, the curricula and course contents of industrial design undergraduate programs selected
from ten universities in Turkey were analyzed. The third phase was directed towards
identifying the profile of the industrial designer from the perspective of industry. Thus, the
analyses were made through an investigation of the job opportunities available in the
industrial design profession announced in seven major job search websites during the last
4 months of 2009. The results of this study are crucial for all parties involved as they help
to satisfy the recruitment expectations of industrial design education, the industry, and the
graduates.

Furniture can be defined as a global product which
needs to fulfill a series of high design input such as
seating, storage and display. Companies from different
countries have an ongoing interest on entering
or increasing their share in the competitive furniture
market. What makes IKEA Company unique in this
market is its price and cost policies as well as its
good network of shops distributed in a vast geography.
By holding the costs cheap, IKEA provides an
access to customers who are coming from a wide
range of socio-economic background and in seek of
good quality of life.
Innovative approaches of IKEA on the design of
every-day objects are concentrated on the practical
uses and construction details rather than the formal
qualities of the objects. This policy of the company
creates a loyal consumer profile and pushes the
company towards the top ranks of the market.
In this research we aimed at finding the impact of
life styles and preferences of the consumers in Izmir
when buying furniture as well as the rank of importance
of their selection criteria related with the formal
and physical qualities of the product.
In the study, we have examined the case IKEA as a
company. We have prepared two types of survey for
the preferences of customers. We have identified
consumer profiles in factors affecting consumer
behavior. We have made comparisons according to
the demographic characteristics of consumers by
revealing factors affecting decisions of the consumers.
This study has been realized in three phases. The
first phase is oriented towards identification of customer
profiles for IKEA Izmir Store. The second
phase is oriented towards finding out the expectations
of customers in Izmir when buying furniture.
The third phase is based on comparison of the customer
expectations with the current IKEA products.
In order to find out quantitative results related with
current IKEA products, another questionnaire was
applied on five experts, coming from architecture
and industrial design disciplines. This questionnaire
asked their evaluations about a series of IKEA products
selected by us, each of which exist in the IKEA
catalogs as well as in Izmir Store.

Bu çalışmanın amacı, önde gelen Türk ve İsveç mobilya firmalarının güncel tasarım-odaklı inovasyon (TOİ) uygulamalarını incelemek ve analiz etmektir. Literatürde inovasyon üzerine geniş yayınlar bulunmasına rağmen, özellikle Türkiye gibi gelişmekte olan ülkelerde TOİ alanında daha fazla incelenmesi gereken yönler bulunmaktadır. Aslında mevcut çalışmalar çoğunlukla, önde gelen tasarım odaklı firmaların, TOİ'deki teorik temelin daha çok geliştirilmesine yönelik pratiklerini içermektedir. Bu araştırma ile teoriye, gelişmekte olan ülkelerden uygulama örnekleri sağlayarak TOİ'nin kapsamını genişletmeyi amaçlamaktayız. Bu çalışma Türkiye'nin dışında, tasarım kültüründe önde gelen ülkelerden İsveç'teki TOİ pratiklerini de araştırmaktadır. Bu ülkelerde TOİ'deki farklılıklar ve ortak özellikler birlikte analiz edilip değerlendirilmiştir. Mobilya endüstrisi, tasarım odağı ve diğer teknoloji tabanlı sektörlere kıyasla uygulamadaki kolaylığı bakımından çalışmaya bir çerçeve oluşturması amacıyla seçilmiştir. Bu şekilde, farklı ülkelerden bulguları daha iyi karşılaştırmak amaçlanmıştır. Örneklem çalışması ile yürüttüğümüz keşifçi bir yaklaşım benimsenmiştir. Türkiye ve İsveç'in önde gelen mobilya firmalarından tasarımcılar ve tasarım yöneticileri ile yarı yapılandırılmış röportajlar gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu araştırma, Türk firmalarının ar-ge maliyetleri açısından dezavantajlı; pazar çeşitliliği sayesinde tasarım perspektifini geliştirme bakımından avantajlı olduğunu göstermektedir. Öte yandan İsveç firmalarının niş pazarlar ve ar-ge uygulamalarına kolay erişim imkânına sahip olduğu saptanmıştır. Bu çalışmada ulusal çıktıların çapraz analizi ile TOİ teorisine, ürün segmentasyonu, etkinlik araştırması, kültür araştırması ve kavram araştırması gibi ek güdümler önerilmektedir.  Bu bildiri, " Analysis of Design-Driven Innovation Practices in Turkish and Swedish Furniture Firms " (Aydin, 2015) başlıklı tezden üretilmiştir.

This research focused on the masters degree programme in industrial design (ID), which is research and practice oriented in the light of current themes and design principles. It argued that a masters degree in industrial design would help graduates specialise in the related field and improve their skills. Therefore, institutional and academic structures of the seven programmes offering masters degrees' in ID in Turkey were analysed in this study. In addition to this, two survey studies were carried out among the teaching staff in order to find out the current status of the programmes in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. As a result of the field study, problems concerning the academic staff of masters programmes came into prominence as the most important weaknesses despite positive progress witnessed in the increasing number of programmes. In addition, the required improvements of Higher Education Council criteria for the discipline were also found to be a critical situation for the future of programmes.

Abstract: This study explores and analyzes recent design-driven innovation (DDI) practices in the furniture industries in Turkey and Sweden. The study was conducted in three phases: an in-depth literature review; the identification and selection of furniture companies; and analysis of the selected companies based on the strategic, operational, marketentry and organizational dimensions. We used case-study methods and conducted semi-structured interviews with designers and design managers of leading furniture companies from Turkey (Nurus, Ersa, Burotime, and Tuna Ofis) and Sweden (Offecct and Skandiform). Through cross-case analysis of national outcomes, we propose additional drivers to DDI theory, such as product segmentation, activity research, culture research and concept/designer research. The results of this study are crucial for all parties involved, as they suggest ways to achieve incremental and radical design-driven innovations.
Keywords: Design-Driven Innovation, Design Management, Innovation Strategies,  Exploratory Approach, Turkish and Swedish Furniture Firms

Keywords Abstract Ergonomics Anthropometry Classroom furniture Industrial design Mismatch The aim of the research is to determine the anthropometric measures of school children aged 12-13, who live in Izmir, Turkey, in order to propose anthropometrically appropriate school furniture (desk and chair), and to compare findings with the available classroom furniture produced according to Standards of Classroom Furniture, published by Republic of Turkey General Directorate of Primary Education to determine potential mismatches. A total twelve anthropometric data were collected by convenience sampling from 393 (207 male and 186 female) students. The data was analysed with the aid of the SPSS v13 software on a desktop computer. Descriptive statistics for each anthropometric dimension are given as mean, standard deviation and 5th and 95th percentile values for male and female in mm. The obtained anthropometric data used for calculating classroom furniture dimensions, sitting height, seat depth, seat width, backrest height and desk height. Mismatches were found when the findings were compared with the Standards of Classroom Furniture, published by Republic of Turkey General Directorate of Primary Education and the dimensions of primary school classroom furniture supplied by DMO. SINIF MOBİLYALARI VE ÖĞRENCİ VÜCUT ÖLÇÜLERİ ARASINDAKİ UYUMUN ARAŞTIRILMASI: İZMİR ÖRNEĞİ Anahtar Kelimeler Öz Ergonomi Antropometri Sınıf mobilyası Endüstriyel tasarım Uyum Bu çalışmanın amacı İzmir ilinde okuyan 12-13 yaş arası öğrencilerin antropometrik verilerinin belirlenerek onlar için ergonomik uygunlukta okul sırası ve masası ölçülerinin saptanması ve standartları T.C. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'nca belirlenerek okulların kullanımına tahsis edilmiş olan sınıf mobilyalarının öğrenciler için uygun olup olmadığının tespit edilmesidir. Bu kapsamda 393 (207 erkek ve 186 kadın) öğrenciden 12 farklı antropometrik ölçü toplanmıştır. Toplanan ölçüler SPSS v13 yazılımı yardımıyla analiz edilmiş, her ölçü için ortalama, 5. ve 95. yüzdelikler olmak üzere betimsel istatistiki değerler elde edilmiştir. Elde edilen antropometrik veriler uygun oturma yüksekliği, oturma genişliği, oturma derinliği, sırtlık yüksekliği ve masa yüksekliği ölçülerinin hesaplanmasında kullanılmış ve mevcut sıra ve masa ölçüleriyle karşılaştırılmıştır. Karşılaştırma sonucu, T.C. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'nca belirlenmiş sınıf mobilyası ölçülerinin ve DMO tarafından tedarik edilen sınıf mobilyalarının İzmir ilinde okuyan öğrenciler için uygunluğunun tartışmalı olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.