Designing in the Wild: The Industrial Design Podcast

What does it take to create an iconic product like Apple's original translucent iMac? And how can the materials behind yesterday's design breakthroughs help shape a more sustainable future?

In this episode of Designing In The Wild, host Robert Irwin sits down with John Skabardonis, material scientist, chemist, and founder of Optimist Consulting, for a fascinating conversation at the intersection of industrial design, material innovation, and circularity.

John takes us behind the scenes of developing the colorful translucent polycarbonate used in Apple's original iMac, including a remarkable story about Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, and the pursuit of a computer that looked good enough to lick.

From there, we explore the challenges and opportunities of designing products for a circular economy. John shares insights from his decades in material science, including the realities of mechanical and chemical recycling, the growing problem of electronic waste, and why designing for repair, upgrades, and disassembly matters more than ever.

We also look toward the future of smart surfaces and functional integration, where electronics, tactile feedback, lighting, and interactive controls can become seamlessly embedded into the materials around us.

Along the way, we discuss innovations in AI-powered plastic sorting, the promise of local recycling systems, and the increasingly important role industrial designers play in shaping material decisions.

In this episode, we explore:

• The untold material development story behind Apple's translucent iMac
• How dyes, pigments, and polycarbonate influence product appearance and longevity
• Mechanical versus chemical recycling and the challenges of scaling circular materials
• E-waste, product recovery, and designing for disassembly
• Right to repair, right to upgrade, and modular product architecture
• AI-powered recycling and the surprising role of sound in sorting plastics
• Smart surfaces, Shy Tech, and in-mold structural electronics
• Why material selection should begin early in the industrial design process

Whether you're an industrial designer, engineer, material scientist, or simply curious about how the products around us are made, this conversation offers a deeper appreciation for the science behind design—and the opportunities ahead.

Explore more from John Skabardonis:
Optimist Consulting: https://optimistconsulting.biz
Tech Nuggets Newsletter: Search "Tech Nuggets" on LinkedIn

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What if the products we design could do more than solve problems? What if they could actually make people happier?

In this episode of Designing in the Wild, Rob sits down with industrial designer Daniela Garcia to explore the intersection of creativity, curiosity, technology, and the often-overlooked role of joy in the design process.

Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Daniela shares her journey into industrial design, from her early fascination with how everyday objects work to studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and building a career in consumer product development.

We explore what it means to be a young designer in an evolving industry, including the importance of building community, developing professional relationships, and learning to collaborate across disciplines and cultures. Daniela also shares her experience helping revitalize Boston's IDSA chapter and creating opportunities for designers to connect.

From quick cardboard prototypes to AI-assisted visualization, we get into the tools and techniques Daniela uses to move ideas forward. We discuss the power of CMF (Color, Material, and Finish) in shaping consumer perception, how AI can accelerate creative workflows without replacing design thinking, and why getting your hands dirty is still an essential part of the process.

The conversation also takes us outdoors, exploring Daniela's love of birdwatching and how nature provides an incredible library of inspiration for form, color, proportion, and intuitive design.

But perhaps the most compelling part of our conversation is Daniela's philosophy of designing for joy. She believes the objects we surround ourselves with should contribute to our well-being, reduce unnecessary stress, and encourage a more intentional relationship with the things we own.

We close by discussing her wellness initiative, Shanti, and how small, accessible habits can help people lead healthier, happier lives.

In this episode, we explore:

• Finding your path into industrial design
• Building community and professional networks through IDSA
• Collaborating across cultures and disciplines
• The value of low-fidelity prototyping and hands-on experimentation
• Using AI, Vizcom, Figma, and other tools in the design process
• CMF strategy and creating products that stand out
• Finding design inspiration in nature and biomimicry
• Designing for emotional connection, happiness, and longevity
• Building healthier habits through Daniela's wellness initiative, Shanti

Whether you're an aspiring industrial designer, an experienced creative professional, or simply curious about how the things around us shape our daily experiences, this conversation is a reminder that thoughtful design can bring a little more joy into the world.

Welcome to Season 3 of Designing in the Wild.

Connect with Daniela:
Instagram: @danielagcreate

Explore Shanti Wellness:
Instagram: @shantiwellnesslife

Follow Designing in the Wild:
Instagram: @DesigningInTheWildPod
YouTube: Designing in the Wild

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What does it take to build a career in industrial design—and then turn that experience into a successful design consultancy?

In this episode of Designing in the Wild, Rob sits down with Jordan Nollman, founder and CEO of Sprout, to talk about industrial design from both sides of the table: as a designer building a career and as a business owner hiring talent, finding clients, and growing a multidisciplinary studio.

Jordan shares his perspective on what he actually looks for in a designer’s portfolio, why great work still comes first, and how persistence, networking, and simply putting yourself out there helped shape his own career.

From there, the conversation moves into the business of design. Jordan talks candidly about growing Sprout from its industrial design roots into a studio spanning strategy, branding, UX, visualization, engineering, and more—and some of the lessons learned along the way, including retainers, equity deals, client relationships, and the challenge of communicating what a multidisciplinary consultancy actually does.

Rob and Jordan also dig into the changing practice of industrial design: collaborating with engineering, designing for real-world manufacturing constraints, demonstrating the ROI of design, sustainability, and how AI is beginning to change the speed and capabilities of the design process without replacing the thinking behind it.

In this episode:

• What design leaders actually look for in a portfolio
• Breaking into industrial design and building your network
• Growing a multidisciplinary design consultancy
• Finding clients and developing long-term relationships
• Retainers, royalties, equity, and lessons learned the hard way
• Industrial design + engineering collaboration
• Balancing aesthetics, function, cost, and manufacturability
• AI as a tool for designers—not a substitute for design thinking
• Sustainability and lifecycle thinking
• Why there’s still no shortcut for learning your craft

Jordan’s closing advice brings the conversation back to something remarkably simple: do what you love, get good at it, and put in the work.

Welcome to Season 3 of Designing in the Wild.

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What separates useful design research from simply asking people what they want?

In this episode of Designing in the Wild, Rob sits down with longtime friend and colleague Jill Bohaboy, owner of Trek Solutions, to explore the craft of consumer and design research, and how better observation, better questions, and a willingness to explore can uncover needs people may not be able to articulate themselves.

Jill brings years of experience conducting research across an enormous range of industries and product categories. Together, Jill and Rob revisit some of the research they've conducted over the years and unpack the methods behind it—from observational research and shop-alongs to qualitative interviews, quantitative studies, co-creation, and hands-on "build-it" sessions.

They also get into one of the biggest challenges in research: bias. How do you ask questions without steering the answer? How do you identify the right people to speak with? And how do you get beyond what someone says to understand what their behavior is actually telling you?

For designers and smaller teams, Jill also makes an important case that meaningful research doesn't necessarily require a Fortune 500 budget. Sometimes it starts by simply getting out from behind the computer, watching people interact with the world, and asking a thoughtful question.

In this episode:
• Qualitative vs. quantitative research
• Observation and contextual research
• Finding latent needs and compensating behaviors
• Co-creation and "build-it" sessions
• Avoiding bias and asking better questions
• Recruiting the right research participants
• Bringing clients into the research process
• Conducting useful research on a limited budget
• Turning consumer insight into better products

As Jill puts it: don't let research become a roadblock—let it become a launch pad.

Welcome back to Designing in the Wild, Season 3.

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Designing in the Wild is back for Season 3 — and this time, we're going video.

This season, I'm sitting down with designers, researchers, biomimicry experts, sustainability consultants, software modelers, design directors, manufacturing professionals, and other people doing genuinely interesting work across the design world.

We'll get into everything from industrial design and manufacturing to Rhino and Grasshopper, biomimicry, sustainability, emerging tools, design leadership, and the realities of building things in the real world.

I've spent more than 20 years working as an end-to-end industrial designer, on projects ranging from Amazon's smart shopping carts to net-zero tiny homes and consumer products. Designing in the Wild is my opportunity to step outside my own practice and learn from people with different perspectives, disciplines, and experiences — and bring those conversations back to the wider design community.

The goal is simple: useful conversations with interesting people that leave you with new ideas, skills, perspectives, or inspiration you can take back into your own work.

Season 3 will feature 10 episodes, released weekly.

And for the first time, you'll be able to watch the conversations as well as listen.

Subscribe and follow Designing in the Wild so you don't miss the new season.

Let's get after it.

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In this episode we speak to Jason Belaire about being different, cultural shock, designing amidst new cultures, sustainability, and the need for more to be educated on the direct impact the industrial design profession has on our environment, communities, and thought process.

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Digital vs. Physical: When to Prototype—and When to Simulate
Andre Brown, Principal Engineer on Amazon’s Transportation Sustainability team (and former Shark/Dyson R&D lead), joins Rob to unpack the art of knowing which problems need cardboard, which need CFD, and which belong in VR. From drag-cutting truck fairings and crowd-sourced race-car CAD to Dyson’s “egg-inspired” robot vacuum, Andre shows why flat hierarchies, cross-discipline sketch-offs, and procedural design tools accelerate innovation. If you juggle human factors, aerodynamics, and sustainability, this episode is your playbook.

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We sit down and speak with the amazing, Kip Doyle - Author, Inventor, Patent Defender. We talk about her painful story of inventing a product and then going up against Big Tech to defend her patents. She offers up invaluable insights on how to go about protecting your IP, which lawyers to hire, and her new book release, Blood In The Water: America's Assault on Innovation.

BOOK LINK: https://amzn.to/3LxUm3Y

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @cardsharkwalletskin

OTHER REFERENCES
USInventor.org
cardsharkskin.com

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