In a post-pandemic world, industrial designers can continue collaboration efforts from anywhere. Cloud software and communicative tools help industrial designers maintain asynchronous collaboration without sacrificing time or resources.

Looking back, 2019 may seem like a distant memory. Office collaboration was commonplace, and masks were reserved for Halloween or masquerade parties. Since then, everything has changed in one way or another. Now that many people are seasoned at-home workers, some are starting to look ahead to a post-pandemic world — if such an idea even exists. Regardless of what is to happen, surely we can learn from what has happened. 

The way designers collaborate has changed in important ways. Depending on where you work, you may still be at home with your pets and enjoying a daily commute down the hall to the home office. 

Cloud-based software like Autodesk Fusion 360 has made the transition from in-office to at-home collaboration much smoother than anticipated. Collaboration is an essential foundation for a successful team and a prosperous company.

What Does Collaboration Look Like Now?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a rarity to find industrial designers consistently working from home, whether because companies didn’t invest in cloud-based software or perhaps just forbade people from working from home.

Industrial designers can now work from home by utilizing VPNs to access their design software from their home Wi-Fi network. Now that COVID variants have mutated into less threatening iterations, some companies are beginning to reverse their work-from-home policies while others have instituted hybrid policies.

A Hybrid Future for Industrial Designers

Hybrid work environments will likely become the new standard for most people, including industrial designers, based on current job trends and rising gas prices. There are other substantive reasons why a hybrid approach will be the choice for industrial designers.

With the right software, you can achieve asynchronous communication and collaboration. As such, designers and engineers alike can work wherever there is an internet connection. People in Australia can work on the same project as someone in Canada without needing to waste time sending new 3D design iterations via email and then waiting on their response a day later. 

Collaboration can retain its effectiveness across borders and cities with a hybrid approach, especially with programs like Fusion 360.

Fusion 360 for the Collaborative Designer

Industrial designers will likely reserve the right to work from home and office with a hybrid schedule. In doing so, they will need to utilize the best cloud-based software.

With an integrated computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) platform, Fusion 360 allows designers and engineers to collaborate cohesively across the same project simultaneously. Location no longer matters as long as there’s internet access.

Go from design to manufacture with the all-in-one collaborative package provided by Fusion 360!