The Scientific Method is used to answer a question by creating a hypothesis and testing it with a series of experiments. The scientific method can be used in several different situations, which also includes the process of Industrial design. This article will take you step by step through the scientific method as it compares the process to how industrial design can be approached.
The scientific method is significant to industrial design because it helps designers by setting up a grounded process that they can follow as a kind of guide in order to find the solution to design problems. The scientific method not only acts as a guide but can help continually improve a product/design. New solutions are always possible with new technology always being discovered. Possibilities are endless and the scientific method allows designers to take old ideas and create new ones. Designers are always on the lookout for progress and it all starts with asking the right questions and adding new variables to experimentation and testing. It is important to note that most progress and opportunities – in all areas of technology – usually have their basis in using the scientific method. Thomas Edison believed that even failed hypotheses can create opportunities which will eventually end up providing the impetus for new products that will improve and change our lives, stating, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Thus, the light bulb was invented which we continue to improve upon today.