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Industrial design internship skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted experts
Emily McLaughlin,
Elizabeth Von Lehe
Industrial design internship example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical industrial design internship skills. We ranked the top skills for industrial design interns based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 12.6% of industrial design internship resumes contained industrial design as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an industrial design internship needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 industrial design internship skills for your resume and career

1. Industrial Design

Here's how industrial design interns use industrial design:
  • Worked as an industrial design team member on a wide variety of products from 3D product design to patent aspects.
  • Gained experience as an industrial design team member with sales and marketing in the business of creating and selling toys.

2. Solidworks

Here's how industrial design interns use solidworks:
  • Utilized SolidWorks to build functional models/prototypes with final finishes.
  • Created renderings and detailed drawings using SolidWorks.

3. KeyShot

Here's how industrial design interns use keyshot:
  • Cultivated sketches, digital renderings, CAD models through the use of Creo Parametric and Keyshot renderings for 2018 product line.
  • Collaborated with internal publisher team to design gaming products, using Photoshop, Illustrator, and KeyShot.

4. CAD

Here's how industrial design interns use cad:
  • Composed outline designs in CAD programs, developing manufacturing drawings while supervising team of technicians constructing systems.
  • Collaborate with formulation and packaging interns to create CAD models, renderings, and functional prototypes to showcase their summer projects.

5. Sketch

Here's how industrial design interns use sketch:
  • Submitted sketch of device to client, received approval and device was built.
  • Developed concepts through sketch and 3D modeling.

6. Prototyping

Here's how industrial design interns use prototyping:
  • Supported the design team in the brainstorming, conceptualization, and prototyping phase of various consumer electronics and medical devices.
  • Assisted with the design, development, prototyping and production of furniture, lighting and everyday objects.

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7. Visualization

Here's how industrial design interns use visualization:
  • Improved and simplified the user interface by using interaction design and data visualization.
  • Worked as a Data Visualization specialized designer in Sales Marketing team.

8. Adobe Creative Suite

Here's how industrial design interns use adobe creative suite:
  • Created direct-mail advertisements from initial concept through final production using Adobe Creative Suite.
  • Assisted creative design team in building product ad displays for client approval and sales meetings by utilizing Adobe Creative Suite programs.

9. Product Design

Product design can be described as a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve user's problems and talk about the specific needs of users in the market. Product design is an engineering disciple and it is the basic design and idea that goes before the mass production of the product.

Here's how industrial design interns use product design:
  • Worked with an interdisciplinary team to develop fascinating design concepts and final product designs for numerous clients.
  • Worked within the product design team on tablet computers, their related accessories, and company's own retail products.

10. Concept Development

Concept development refers to the process of developing activities or ideas about a product or procedure in order to solve design issues or operational challenges. This is typically seen early in a design or engineering process in order to smooth out any details regarding the product's form and that all needs will be met by the current design.

Here's how industrial design interns use concept development:
  • Researched potential technologies for toys and game concept development.
  • Participated in all aspects of the design process, from initial ideation and concept development to computer modeling.

11. Design Solutions

The design solution is a process that is used to simplify or translate high-level client requirements into a simpler form that may be also be regarded as a solution. For this purpose, the technical requirements and models are to be transformed into alternative designs which are then analyzed and the best one among all the alternatives is chosen as the ultimate solution.

Here's how industrial design interns use design solutions:
  • Research codes, online and on site Conduct interviews and utilize user input to generate statistics to align and design solutions.
  • Assisted Principal Designer in composing design solutions within client budgets, and customizing presentations.

12. User Research

User research is a term that has a direct connection with the psyche, behavior, needs, and thoughts of a user. On a large scale, it refers to the studying and understanding of all these facets so that product managers and brands may improve the usability of their products or services by redesigning their business models to fit the user's needs.

Here's how industrial design interns use user research:
  • Conducted pet marketing user research, explored new products in relative field using storyboard; expanded product variety of the business.
  • Applied market research and user research findings to redesign the Seventh Generation Dish Soap bottle.

13. Design Concepts

Here's how industrial design interns use design concepts:
  • Developed design concepts and assisted with market research
  • Iterated the design concepts based on the user s feedback and user studies.

14. Brainstorming

Here's how industrial design interns use brainstorming:
  • Proposed new concepts through brainstorming, sketching and 3D modeling.
  • Participated in brainstorming & ideation sessions with clients.

15. Graphic Design

Graphic design is the art of making visual content to communicate messages. Designers apply different page layout methods and visual hierarchy by using letters and pictures to meet the need of end-users. Most companies use graphic design to sell their product or services and to convey complicated information by using infographics.

Here's how industrial design interns use graphic design:
  • Design production ready concepts- Generate 3D models for production tooling- Collaborate with marketing, graphic design, and engineering sectors
  • Create graphic designs for customers as well as assist in any design needs of the fellow designers.
top-skills

What skills help Industrial Design Interns find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on industrial design internship resumes?

Emily McLaughlin

Interior Design Technology Program Director and Associate Clinical Professor, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Those students who have participated in internships or coops to gain a practical understanding of the modern problems our professionals are facing with regards to health and wellness in the built environment will be in high demand. In addition, the passing of examinations which prove competency in these areas, such as becoming WELL AP or LEED AP certifiied, will set those individuals apart from others who have not mastered such topics. Multidiciplinary knowledge which showcases an understanding of the overlaps that exist between the fields of Engineering, Architecture, Construction, and Interior Design are important, and of course strong communication skills both in oral and written communication are useful to showcase as well.

What industrial design internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Elizabeth Von LeheElizabeth Von Lehe LinkedIn profile

Allied ASID, Director-at-Large, ASID National Board of Directors and Design & Brand Strategy Principal, HDR, ASID

The concept of a gap year can be a little misleading - the clock on a resume never takes a pause. I would recommend that graduates think of their experience on a continuum - taking time between graduation and school to build skills through service. Whether it's graphic design support or building with nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity, honing interpersonal skills as well as basic design skills during a "gap" will turn the time into both more tangible skills, as well as a stronger resume and story when the job hunt begins.

What technical skills for an industrial design internship stand out to employers?

James AdlerJames Adler LinkedIn profile

Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts, Saint Peter's University

Through my own company. AdlerOaks Music Library, I have engaged artists for concert performances, collaborations, and for recording projects.
(a) First, and foremost, is the quality of the artist to be engaged or hired
(b) Do they possess the performing "chops?"
(c) Has the artist or performer prepared and learned the music, in advance of the first rehearsal, or run-through?
(d) Does he/she/they show up on time?
As they say, one gets a first chance to make a "first impression." The above-listed components will go into a hire.

What soft skills should all industrial design internships possess?

Eric SungEric Sung LinkedIn profile

Associate Professor, Providence College

Hard assets may assist job seekers to get one hired but soft skills are immensely critical for one to excel after once hired. Multiple studies confirm that higher ranking positions require increased portion of soft skills compared to hard or technical skills.
Considering the market trend change during and past COVID, where more jobs will require specialized skills with less human interaction, the needs of having someone with communication skills, conflict resolution and mediation skills, negotiation skills would be far more preferred. Knowing that large part of what some of the current jobs require us to do eventually will be assisted or entirely replaced by AI, the skills that may be unique to humans will gradually became more important. Other critical soft skills would be adaptability, foundational problem-solving skills with diversified perspective on matters. and relatability to the other thoughts.

What hard/technical skills are most important for industrial design internships?

Vibhavari Jani

Associate Professor, Kansas State University

Ability to master various software: Revit, Rhyno, Sketchup, 3D rendering software (Enscape and Lunion), BIM.

List of industrial design internship skills to add to your resume

Industrial design internship skills

The most important skills for an industrial design internship resume and required skills for an industrial design internship to have include:

  • Industrial Design
  • Solidworks
  • KeyShot
  • CAD
  • Sketch
  • Prototyping
  • Visualization
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Product Design
  • Concept Development
  • Design Solutions
  • User Research
  • Design Concepts
  • Brainstorming
  • Graphic Design
  • Rhino
  • Design Trends
  • Design Research
  • Prototype
  • Design Process
  • Design Development
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • User Experience
  • Market Research
  • Product Development
  • Design Ideas
  • R
  • User Interface
  • CMF
  • CATIA
  • UI
  • UX
  • Product Research
  • Design Language
  • CNC
  • Consumer Electronics
  • Autodesk
  • Concept Generation
  • Existing Design
  • Design Reviews
  • Technical Drawings
  • Consumer Products
  • Product Line
  • Aided Design
  • SLA

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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