A Reminder of Why I Chose Design
With an esteemed company philosophy touting innovation, collaboration and abundant opportunities, a position at the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy was seemingly unobtainable when I started my design studies at QUT. As a burgeoning design student, I had my fair share of self-doubt and uncertainties. I was unsure of my career trajectory in the industry and forged erratically through my studies for the most part. There were several times when I thought that I was in the wrong facet of design and was often frightened by the numerous possibilities I could take. Countless times, I would look at the BMW x QUT Design Academy and become inspired by the high calibre of projects produced by past interns. More significantly, I became compelled by the opportunity to work on impactful projects while being immersed in a collaborative and driven environment. I felt that this was something that I wanted to experience.
I write now to say that I have wrapped up my time here at the Academy, and it has been an experience that I highly recommend and encourage anyone to shoot for. It has allowed me to explore areas of design that I had always wanted to test, and it also challenged me in ways that helped me to grow as an emerging designer. Certainly, it has enlightened me on what my career in design can look like moving forward.
During my time here, I was able to work on a project founded on an open-ended brief, which was both paralysingly intimidating and inspiringly liberating at the same time. With support from such a diverse team and my colleagues, I became acquainted with the collaborative nature of the design process. It was a challenging experience, and I found myself pushed through countless setbacks while developing my project. As much as I was challenged, however, I was equally supported through the valuable feedback and perspectives I received from the support staff.
With the brief that I received; I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work on a relevant topic within the automotive industry. I proposed a 'Future BMW Motorrad Bike Interaction Design Project' to improve the riding experience with emerging technology, focusing specifically on developing an 'Advanced Side View Assist' (ASVA) for BMW Motorrad. My objective was to relocate the current SVA into the position of the rider's peripheral vision to prevent them from rotating their heads at high speeds when checking their blind spots. I also redesigned the TFT display to incorporate relevant features, and overall was able to bridge my interests in both industrial and interaction design.
This experience has reminded me, again, why I have chosen design as my career path. It reminded me that though my background is in core Industrial Design, there is room to explore other areas -- because the design industry is diverse and it's multi-faceted. Through this, I have been able to learn and be pushed outside of my comfort zone in ways I didn't expect. I have learnt new ways of thinking about the design process as much as I've learnt new skills in software like Blender and After Effects.
If you study design at QUT and want to step outside of your comfort zone, I really do encourage you to look into the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy.
Until next time,
Jake Day
BMW Group + QUT Design Academy Intern, Summer Semester 2022-23
