Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts: Alec Gillinder and Quinn King

Alec Gillinder and Quinn King are studying Industrial and Interaction Design at Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

How did you discover your passion for design?

Our passion for product design surfaced after we both spent a year at Syracuse University and were exposed to engineering, architecture, and the arts. Industrial and interaction design offer a perfect blend of design and problem-solving that satisfies our creative spirit.

What is your favorite part about design?

We get to see our solution/product implemented in people's daily lives to help them. It's extremely satisfying to hold your final product and know you've helped develop a solution to a creative problem.

What is the hardest part for you about design?

While it's a crucial part of the design process and often becomes the turning point in your project to set you in the right direction, it's hard watching a product you've put a lot of time and effort into fail. But failing early and often is often needed to have the best solution.

What has been your favorite part of the industrial and interaction design program at Syracuse University?

We realized how valuable it was participating in Invent@SU [Syracuse University’s immersive invention accelerator program] because this major gave us the perfect tools for our entrepreneurial path. Industrial and interaction design is a long process of teaching you how to solve problems effectively — and you don't realize it until you face a real-world situation. Everyone we've talked to is surprised by how well we handle any problems we encounter.

How do you think the industrial and interaction design program will help in what you want to do next?

It has already proved to be a great help in creating our product [Liberating Intravenous (L-IV), an award-winning wearable and portable IV system]. We've learned how to talk to engineers, designers, and manufacturers to take our company to the next level. While we're currently working hard on our venture's business and entrepreneurial aspects, we're excited to get back to designing our next product!

Where do you imagine yourselves in 10 years?

We hope to have brought a series of inventions to market and integrated them into society. We don't want to stop inventing! The world will always have problems in need of a solution, and we hope to be recognized as leaders for solving some of them.