Scope of Transportation and Mobility Design

Mobility in the 21st century no longer translates to simply commuting from one place to another. Urban transport has evolved to become much more than a facilitator for travelling. The average person browsing transport options would look for comfort, technology, longevity, and swiftness. In simpler words, transportation will no longer sell on the ability to transport alone.

Today, the transportation and mobility industry needs skilled design professionals who understand current and future demands and can build solutions keeping both technical intricacies and external aesthetics in mind. The expansion of the transportation and mobility industry has made way to more career opportunities. This is because of novel ideas and advanced technologies, both of which depend on one another.

Career options in transportation and mobility and transport require a qualifying degree and demand innovation, experience, and skills. Simply knowing how a vehicle works might not work out for you in the modern transportation and mobility industry. The mobility industry is rapidly sprawling, and more talent is being welcomed to be a part of shaping the new-age transport.

These are five exciting jobs you could bag in the transportation and mobility industry.

Transportation Designer 

As the name suggests, a transportation designer designs vehicles.

This job will require you to come up with promising ideas that serve their purpose and catch consumer attention by giving them all they require. A transportation designer must comply with the customers’ ever-increasing demands. A transportation designer designs anything from cars to combat aircraft; you get to choose your specific area of preference. Nevertheless, a transport designer must study all forms of transportation and their mechanics to develop the best designs and ideas. 

Designing transport devices is largely about pragmatic solutions to long-term transit challenges. The mobility and transport industry looks for unique ideas and fool proof designs that strike the customers. This requires a change in the whole methodology of mechanics from time to time without affecting utility negatively. Aspiring transport designers must have a strong background in design and software designated for designing these vehicles. 

Automotive Exterior and Interior Designer 

While a transport designer crafts the mechanics of a vehicle, an interior and exterior designer is responsible for how the vehicle looks and its final appeal. The significance of aesthetics in this value chain is more than what we usually assume. The aesthetic design of a vehicle determines the image and appeal of its brand. The exterior and interior design also plays a pivotal role in capturing the target audience and giving off that first impression that often determines how a customer feels about the product. 

Many luxury vehicle brands sell cosmetic upgrades of their vehicles whose primary selling point is often their appealing looks. A similar example could be limited-edition vehicles, which sell only over the difference in looks from the parent product. Visual aesthetics are majorly important, and detailed study goes into customer preferences, behaviour, and many other factors that determine what appeal will sell the brand and the product best.

Clay Modelling and Prototyping Experts

Clay modelling entails building miniature 3D models with industrial clay to represent the idea of a product that is in the building process. The procedure involves turning a sketch or a design on paper into a 3-dimensional object that can be studied to see if it will work out. Vehicles, however, cannot be finalised for construction from a single sketch. Many are dismissed and rejected before the final one looks good enough to pass on to the clay modelling stage. 

A professional who chooses clay modelling and prototyping as a career must have the ability to visualise a design perfectly and enclose intricate details even in a miniature figure. They must have an eye for detail. Missing out on even the tiniest detail can majorly affect the outcome. They must have the ability to build the perfect depth and volumes by just looking at a sketch on paper. 

Digital Sculptors

Digital sculptors operate similarly to clay modellers. The only difference is that the 3D presentation is done digitally. The digitised procedure of clay modelling only cuts down slightly on manual labour. A sculptor must still have an acute and accurate sense of measurement, depth, volume, etc., and most importantly, the ability to visualise and execute while not missing out on any detail. You receive help with the mathematical data in digital sculpting. However, you are still responsible for giving the 2D sketch the proper shape and real-life details to decide the final result. 

Heavy Vehicle Manufacturer

While the world cannot have enough cars and motorbikes, heavy vehicles are also highly in demand. These include semi-trailers, freight trucks, buses, and vehicle carriers. Heavy vehicles are meant for several functions such as carrying large quantities of goods over long distances. Hence, their designs are also different and made to suit their purposes. 

Electric vehicles are specifically in demand in this decade and contribute to sustainability in a major way. The transportation and mobility industry’s commercial and industrial vehicles sector needs more people to volunteer and help in the development of this concept. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha