NCIDQ's Early History: Important Developments from 1970 to 1990

The National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) is the first and only organization developing and administering an interior design qualification examination in the United States and Canada. This organization also addresses certification, legal registration, and other issues relating to professional qualification. This paper chronicles the most important developments and changes in the formation and early years of NCIDQ from 1970 to 1990. During this period, the organizational membership shifted from representatives of member associations to primarily one of the representatives from state and provincial regulatory boards. Few systematic studies document these formative decades in NCIDQ's early history. Important investigative resources include the organization's meeting minutes, historical summaries of activities and initiatives, and related scholarly articles from journals in the discipline. The research methodology involves a critical, systematic review and historical qualitative analysis of primary and secondary resources through a content analysis by grouping the most relevant, important, and significant content into a historical timeline. The results led to the categories of NCIDQ's founding and governance, examination developments and research, and legal registration and certification. NCIDQ's early history documents efforts to emulate the NCARB model incorporating standards and criteria in education, experience, and examination to address career path standards in interior design. Through these efforts and contributions to the profession, NCIDQ has left an indelible footprint on the formation of the discipline of interior design and forged avenues for future growth, as described herein.