The rise of intelligent recommendation algorithms and internet platforms has greatly facilitated the collection of industrial design inspiration. However, technological advances can sometimes have negative impacts, as imperfect or inaccurate design inspiration platforms may lead to poor user experiences. This study examined the user experience of four design inspiration platforms (Pinterest, Behance, Yanko Design, and rednote) to assist beginner industrial designers in selecting platforms. Ten participants with similar educational backgrounds and one year of industrial design experience completed an experiment in which they were asked to use these platforms to collect references for creating mood boards under a predefined design task focused on creating a portable coffee machine design within a specific time frame. We assessed their performance through the SUS and WAMMI scales, as well as interviews, to explore the usability, content quality, and efficiency of these four platforms in creating mood boards. Pinterest and Behance excelled in usability and content quality, while Yanko Design and rednote were hampered by usability and content reliability issues. The results of the study provide insights into platform selection for beginner industrial designers and recommend improvements for developers, including enhanced content curation and user interface design to better support creativity and efficiency in industrial design. This research contributes to the advancement of human-centered online design resources.