In this blog post, we will look at how the future of industrial engineering can be expanded through user-centered design and system optimization.
If we look around us, we can see that the products and services we use in our daily lives are making our lives more convenient. For example, when we shop online, we can choose the products we need or like and pay for them, and then a delivery driver will deliver them to our homes. These things do not magically appear to consumers. Industrial engineering is a discipline that studies the complex processes that are not magic and learns how to provide products to consumers that meet their needs.
First of all, design work begins according to the purpose of the product. Design is a task that is done by all majors. However, industrial engineering designs products with a user-centric focus by understanding not only human psychology and behavior but also human mental and physical limitations. Sometimes people’s behavior is curious. For example, when I used to walk from the dormitory to Building 39, the sidewalk signs were clearly on the right, but almost everyone walked to the left instead of using the marked sidewalk. So people will not use products or services that are not designed with the user in mind. If you observe people’s behavior carefully, you will find that the design of the product is much more useful. In the case of the Gwanjeong Library, students spend a long time sitting down to study, so the design of the chair is also important to minimize the strain on the lower back. The chairs were carefully selected by the professor of industrial engineering. Therefore, when designing a product, it is important to conduct user-centered research in industrial engineering to ensure that the product is comfortable and easy to use.
Another important aspect of industrial engineering is system analysis and optimization. For example, when designing a factory production line, various techniques are used to maximize the efficiency of each process. By analyzing and improving the bottlenecks in the production process, the overall production speed and efficiency can be increased. This optimization work greatly contributes to reducing production costs while maintaining product quality.
The biggest regret in the process of designing a product and then producing it is waste. Industrial engineering not only satisfies the needs of consumers but also considers the interests of manufacturers. The most important thing in the process of producing a product is to minimize waste. Waste is not only the case of having to throw away products due to defects in manufacturing, but also the excessive production of products. This is because there is a cost of keeping products in the warehouse for a long time and a cost of not being able to sell all the products. Most of the wasted costs have a significant negative impact on profits. Therefore, the Department of Industrial Engineering also conducts demand forecasting research to reduce waste. Producing the optimal amount based on reliable forecasts can reduce costs and increase profits. In the case of airlines, demand forecasting has played a very important role. If you can accurately predict how many business-class and economy-class passengers will be on a flight, you can minimize the loss of not selling seats or the loss of selling seats too cheaply, thereby maximizing profits.
To gain the trust of consumers, the quality of the product must be good. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the possibility of defects when manufacturing the product. Another role of industrial engineering is to consistently inspect the product from design to manufacturing. Industrial engineers create products while measuring the standards within the acceptable range through statistical analysis. In the past, the product inspection process was conducted after the product was completed, but now it is conducted while manufacturing. This is the only way to come up with solutions quickly when problems arise. If you don’t do this, problems can pile up and become complicated.
You need to know what consumers want in order to introduce them to the right products and services. The Department of Industrial Engineering has the tools to understand consumers and users. That is data mining. Data mining is the process of organizing and analyzing data. In this day and age, there is a huge amount of data, and it is only becoming more and more, but it can only become useful information if it is logically sorted and organized. The reason why it is called “weapon” is because the information obtained in this process cannot be seen by the naked eye and there are many unusual phenomena. When consumers search for books they are interested in on the Internet, not only the book but also the consumer’s age, occupation, gender, etc. are all collected. Data mining is used to recommend books that might be of interest to the user. This weapon can be applied to many fields. It can also analyze the patterns of consumers’ purchases and use of services. When a consumer goes to a large supermarket, the products are not just randomly placed, but are placed together based on an analysis of the consumer’s purchasing patterns to determine which products and specific products are selling well.
Industrial engineering also focuses on ergonomics (human engineering). It studies how the work environment and tools affect the health and efficiency of the user. For example, it is important to use ergonomically designed chairs and desks for people who work on computers for long periods of time. Such research is essential to ensure the safety and health of workers.
If we look back at the products and services we use in our daily lives, they have come to us through a complex process, not by magic. Industrial engineering is, after all, a discipline that studies products to meet the needs of consumers and connects them to our lives. The various studies and applications of industrial engineering make our lives more convenient and efficient, and more innovative changes will occur in the future.
