Inside CSULB's workshops with IKEA, where students put design to the test

Typically, you might go to a big furniture store to learn about furniture options, home accessories, store layouts and interior design.

Now, imagine the store coming to you.

That's what happened when a group of designers from IKEA, the international furniture store, visited an industrial design studio class at Cal State Long Beach this semester. About 35 fourth-year students from the class participated in a four-week engagement with designers and executives from IKEA, with most designers coming from the Carson and Costa Mesa stores.

The goal was to give students an insider's perspective on physical, digital and graphical experiences customers have within the retail environment. The students also learned what the professional standards and market trends are at one of the world's leading companies in furniture, home accessories and residential design.

The experience was an opportunity to learn - both inside and outside the classroom - what would be expected of the design students once they hit the working world.

After the professional overview, the students were asked to come up with a project and presentation on deadline that would best showcase what IKEA has to offer in different scenarios and to different audiences, such as Gen Z, college students and sports fans.

"They were learning how to work with multiple disciplines within a working design environment," said Max Beach, the instructor for DESN 431: Advanced Industrial Design, and the architect of this project. "The students put into practice a lot of the things that they study about researching customer experience, understanding drivers and needs."

Debra Satterfield, chair of CSULB's design department, said the IKEA exchange was "a very valuable learning experience" that's part of the ongoing effort to network and build relationships with professionals in the field.

"We have a lot of first-generation, Pell-eligible students who don't always come from families or situations where they were already in design circles," Satterfield said. "These students are building skills, building confidence, losing the imposter complex, and gaining their own voice and their own footing."

One group of students devised a layout for fans gathering to watch the upcoming World Cup at somebody's house. Another group created a yard sale concept, where IKEA could sell some of its affordable and easily transportable products in front of the store. Still another group articulated ways IKEA could market itself to Gen Z'ers and college students who may not have the budget or interest in the brand.

The presentations were intended to fit the specific needs of the Carson and Costa Mesa stores and their customers, which are quite different. The students took several trips to the Carson and Costa Mesa IKEA stores to get a sense of their layouts and needs. They also met with the designers they met back in class, getting tours, insights and feedback.

"The professional world isn't as intimidating and out-of-reach as we initially thought," said Anna Lo, a fourth-year industrial design student. "It was an opportunity for us to learn from them, and I gained something I didn't expect. I built a really good relationship with our mentor."

Suleman Baig, another fourth-year industrial design major, said the project and interaction opened his eyes to what industrial design can be.

"The first thing I learned - industrial design is not just making a product and having an idea. It's about solutions," he said. "Another thing I learned is how important teamwork is in a project, and how important discussing your ideas is."

Apparently, the IKEA designers and executives were also impressed with the CSULB students and their presentations.

"The CSULB students were highly engaged, curious and well prepared, and the collaboration created meaningful two-way dialogue between the students and our IKEA designers and leaders," said Oya Arslan Ozmen, project manager at IKEA North America Services, LLC. "The students demonstrated strong design thinking, creativity and an understanding of customer experience, sustainability and operational realities."

Ozmen added that exchanges like this play an important role in sparking new ideas and "help inspire future thinking at both the store level and within the broader IKEA organization."

Beach and others in the Department of Design aim to re-create this engagement next academic year, either with IKEA or a similar company.