Other Improvements

In addition to governmental assistance, survey respondents also point to other ways to raise the standards of the profession, such as improving the training of interior designers, setting up a code of practice for the profession, and establishing a registration system. Currently, around 1 in 2 practitioners perceive that it is very/ somewhat necessary to set up the interior design registration system, while around 30% remained neutral. These neutral practitioners are hesitant about establishing the system due to suspicion about the registration/ licensing criteria.  Respondents suggested that HKIDA should consult different segments of the industry from small to big companies, and allow both HKIDA members and non-members to take part in setting the criteria for registration. Some focus group participants suggested that interior design curriculum should be modified to equip students with relevant knowledge/ skills in preparation for the future examination. Apart from some basic knowledge such as codes & regulations, hand drawing skills etc., they consider it important to ensure that the interior design programs are not just the replication of architectural education. For instance, efficient use/ manipulation of spatial volume could be one of the areas interior design students should be proficient in.