- Politecnico di Milano, Department of Design, Faculty Memberadd
- Design leadership, Conflict, Leadership, Controversy, Learning and Teaching, International Social Networks, and 29 moreOpen Innovation, Service Design, Collaborative Design, Business Strategies, Models of Creativity & of Creative Processes, Collaborative Networks, Co-design/Co-creation/participatory design, Design Driven Strategies for Small Medium Enterprises, International Politics, Team Management, Coaching and Personal Development, Design-Driven Innovation, Design of Experiments, Design Management, Shopping Centre Retail Trends and Shopper Behavior, Shopping Center Design, Adversarial Design, Design Theory, Critical Thinking, Coaching (Education), Design Critical Thinking, Educational management and leadership, Philosophy, Design, Literature, Design Research, Continental Philosophy, Transformational Leadership, and Adaptive Learning Systemsedit
Research Interests:
The purpose of the traditional, undergraduate education in design and art schools is to provide students with assets of theoretical and practical skills. Acknowledging this, we argue that design education has to open-up to generation Z... more
The purpose of the traditional, undergraduate education in design and art schools is to provide students with assets of theoretical and practical skills. Acknowledging this, we argue that design education has to open-up to generation Z learners!"outside the design discipline, and has the potential to support their sense of leadership. To sustain this assumption, we present a position paper and an example from a design and creativity course for communication studies students. The course involved 3 design teachers and 68 students as well as invited guests from the industry. Firstly, we will present the theoretical background of critical thinking and its roots in philosophy and education. Secondly, we will introduce the brief, to design scenario-based communication strategies for an international company. Thirdly we will present the results of the exercise, the feedback received from the company and the results of the survey completed by the students. The discussion shows the importance of reflective analysis, and the application of the design thinking approach to the creative process. In conclusion we will show the relevance of teaching design leadership outside the #design context" and advocate for a mutated purpose of the design education, from training skilled practitioners to coaching creative design leaders to cultivate their critical abilities.
Research Interests:
The most common design process in the interaction design industry is user research-concept design-prototype testing. This process can help designers to identify target users, design products, and services. However many students have... more
The most common design process in the interaction design industry is user research-concept design-prototype testing. This process can help designers to identify target users, design products, and services. However many students have trouble applying the results of user research to improve their design using this process. The Hunan Univ.-Nokia joint curriculum aims to improve this by combining fast concept design and user research into a single process. This new process features immersive teaching and individual-team alternating iterative method, which solves the problem without sacrificing the creativity of the student.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The paper focuses on the territorial dimension of the project, which is meant to be a resource for the development and support of local economies, helping them to increase the value of their cultural identity and their creativity design... more
The paper focuses on the territorial dimension of the project, which is meant to be a resource for the development and support of local economies, helping them to increase the value of their cultural identity and their creativity design process as well as production’s know how. Last August a team of designer from School of Design of Politecnico of Milano meets, thanks to the support of ProChile Italy, and their office in Santiago and Temuco, a groups of Mapuche weavers and Chilean Association made a workshop for a possible innovation about the identity of the products and the strategic way to develop a creativity network based on commercial opportunities. This activity of cross fertilization of knowledge was important about the contemporary idea on creativity, on concept of “identity of place” through objects and, overall, on new possible bridge between Italy and Chile. More and more frequently we are currently seeing the return and a new discovery of traditional techniques and manu...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Due to its multidisciplinary aspects, the field of design is an open terrain in constant change. In this context the design education and the methods of teaching have to be constantly reviewed and updated. In order to complete this task,... more
Due to its multidisciplinary aspects, the field of design is an open terrain in constant change. In this context the design education and the methods of teaching have to be constantly reviewed and updated. In order to complete this task, a research into the pedagogical practices has to be carried on, and to become almost as a “behind the curtains” activity for the teachers. A considerable extent of literature shows how design students work (Cross, Dorst, McDonnel, Stempfle); however most of the times the studies place the researcher/observer in a distanced position with respect to the working group. The following paper will consider several pedagogical situations, in which the active involvement of the teachers as designers was necessary. Furthermore analyzing the examples presented it will be shown how a series of research methods have to be used in order to insure the objectivity of the observation. For this reason it will be shown how the action research methodology can provide i...
Research Interests:
Traditionally the creative flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992, 1997, 1999) in visual design is linked to the drawing pencils, paper and the drawing board. This practice of getting accustomed with the tools of the trade was part of the... more
Traditionally the creative flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992, 1997, 1999) in visual design is linked to the drawing pencils, paper and the drawing board. This practice of getting accustomed with the tools of the trade was part of the designer’s life, shaping their perception of the surrounding environment. This strict link to the use of specific tools is nowadays changed by the computer software, which enables even non-professional designers to have access to sophisticated graphic tools. The intense creative activity that fused together the tool with its user is now decomposed in actions and procedures subordinated to the constraints given by computer. Several literatures have underlined the relation between the computer and its users, focusing on the interpretation of the computer’s usage within the constraints of the defined computer tasks (Winograd and Flores, 1986) (Suchman, 1987). Moreover working within the framework of activity theory, Beguin and Rabardel (2001) emphasize the cont...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT The paper presents an alternative perspective on design, that starts from the hypothesis that design has a still little explored dimension, that do not refer to the way designers work or think but to the power dimension that can... more
ABSTRACT The paper presents an alternative perspective on design, that starts from the hypothesis that design has a still little explored dimension, that do not refer to the way designers work or think but to the power dimension that can be exercised through design. This assumption helps to focus on the contrast between the " visible " side of design that involves all its conceptual or practical manifestations, and a hidden or " invisible " side that deals with the politics and power play, usually understated or neglected. In order to understand the balance of power we introduce insights from war theory (Rummel, 1979) (Clausewitz) (Sun Tzu) explaining its different phases as follows: 1. creating an awareness towards the presence of power, 2. activate its mechanisms, 3. the manifestation of power, 4. the effects and consequences seen as a readiness to accept the unknown (Taleb, 2012). The introduction of a new way of looking at the furniture making and the anticipation of the emergence of design as a discipline was possible by intuitively recognizing the latent presence of power, manifesting it through a way of communication and assuming the consequences of dislocating the knowledge from the original workshop in which it was ideated, while embracing the inevitability of unknown alterations. Extrapolating this example to the present situation of the design discipline we argue for the need to reveal the hidden dimension of design and expose it to the new generation of professionals as a way of building empowering strategies of leadership.
MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single wellstructured network can present itself on an international level and attract the best talent and capital. The Milano Municipal Councilor’s Office for Research,... more
MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single wellstructured network can present itself on an international level and attract the best talent and capital. The Milano Municipal Councilor’s Office for Research, Innovation and Human Capital promotes MIND in conjunction with the offices of: Tourism, Marketing of the Region and Identity; Culture; and Business and Labor Policy. The aim is to consolidate Milan’s role as a global point of reference for education and research in design, thereby promoting the city as an international “brand for excellence.
Research Interests:
Due to its multidisciplinary aspects, the field of design is an open terrain in constant change. In this context the design education and the methods of teaching have to be constantly reviewed and updated. In order to complete this task,... more
Due to its multidisciplinary aspects, the field of design is an open terrain in constant change. In this context the design education and the methods of teaching have to be constantly reviewed and updated. In order to complete this task, a research into the pedagogical practices has to be carried on, and to become almost as a " behind the curtains " activity for the teachers. A considerable extent of literature shows how design students work (Cross, Dorst, McDonnel, Stempfle); however most of the times the studies place the researcher/observer in a distanced position with respect to the working group. The following paper will consider several pedagogical situations, in which the active involvement of the teachers as designers was necessary. Furthermore analyzing the examples presented it will be shown how a series of research methods have to be used in order to insure the objectivity of the observation. For this reason it will be shown how the action research methodology c...
Research Interests:
Changing paradigma” can be defined as a sudden outbreak in the accepted social norm, a fundamental change in the way of thinking and a change of paradigm. Society and culture are two strongly intertwined realities. Every society is,... more
Changing paradigma” can be defined as a sudden outbreak in the accepted social norm, a fundamental change in the way of thinking and a change of paradigm. Society and culture are two strongly intertwined realities. Every society is, therefore, the bearer of its own legacy and contagious. Today’s Cultural and Creative Industries’ education market is facing a rapidly mutating academic scenario. The revolutionary change of the society and the increasingly sense of Cultural and disciplinary “contagious” request our universities to rethink their philosophies towards critical and creative education. In what ways is the industry’s uncertain future challenging the traditional pedagogy? In what forms could the creative leader curriculum be evolved to prepare future talents for this new paradigm? ( V.U.C.A Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity ) By exploring one particular international “conversation in action", this paper investigates the implementation practice of embedding adaptive leadership in the internationalized creative curriculum. The researchers explain the mutated role of the creative educator from the ‘instructor,’ who delivers the educational content to the students, to the ‘coach,’ who constructs the learning process for the future expert designers. By empowering the future talents through training, practiced skills, and personal experiences, to cultivate their interpersonal competency. In conclusion, the authors indicate that future thinking for creative leadership needs to consider three factors: firstly, leadership thinking is not necessarily accessible for all expert designers; secondly, leadership signifies projecting the potentiality of taking responsibilities and develop critical thinking; lastly, the study implies that when facing the uncertainty of the organizational system, creative leaders should anticipate and induce, rather than simply react to the changing following the contagious.
Research Interests:
The actual globalised market suggests that most industrial products can be sold everywhere in the world. As a matter of fact, the purchase of an object (or the access to a service) is usually motivated and pushed not only and often not... more
The actual globalised market suggests that most industrial products can be sold everywhere in the world. As a matter of fact, the purchase of an object (or the access to a service) is usually motivated and pushed not only and often not mainly by its intrinsic function capability and quality, but by its meaning (from a metaphoric point of view) and the cultural values it expresses. Meaning and expression of values are mainly given to a product through design. According to recent studies on perception, based on neuroscience, it is possible to examine perceptual formal elements (e.g. shapes, colours, touch, interaction protocol, etc.) and to model both emotional meanings and cultural values. While this kind of modelling is a pioneer activity, still in its first tentative explorations, it seems to provide an unavoidable step toward a more aware a more responsible design activity. The paper addresses to the above topics, presents a provocative model to depict the relationship between str...
Research Interests:
conference proceedings is the property of the author(s). Permission is granted to reproduce copies of these works for purposes relevant to the above conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included on each... more
conference proceedings is the property of the author(s). Permission is granted to reproduce copies of these works for purposes relevant to the above conference, provided that the author(s), source and copyright notice are included on each copy. For other uses, including extended quotation, please contact the author(s). Since design is an innovative work, design process is hard to capture, being different from time to time, from person to person. After design education and practice, designers build up their preferred design thinking models which contain convergent and divergent design activity universally. This paper investigates how a service concept is completed, concentrating on the distinction between expert and novice. This research conducts protocol study to analyse team-based design process. During the unconstrained thinking process, the responses were recorded and semantically analysed in order to study the participants' thinking processes. Coding scheme is used to explor...
Design today is a research discipline seeking design as a mediation factor that create and manage compromise rather than conflict. To contrast this view, this paper argues that “Anomaly” is desirable and necessary in order to accommodate... more
Design today is a research discipline seeking design as a mediation factor that create and manage compromise rather than conflict. To contrast this view, this paper argues that “Anomaly” is desirable and necessary in order to accommodate the most daring and thought innovative ideas and approaches expressed in the design thinking process. Design for All is a radically innovative way of thinking, looking at, and acting the design process. We are not standard, and design often doesn’t know it. DfA expresses the critical issues of a design project in the most enabling way, answering to the abilities, necessities and aspirations of all people and people behaviours involved in the design process. DfA is well-suited to keep pace with a fast changing environment because as an approach it is constantly evolving and updating itself: thus, it answers to social complexity and human diversity and creates mutual benefits for entrepreneurs, users and public administrators. Approaching Human Diversity means capturing a larger market. The 'All' of DfA are the individuals who wish to use that which is designed (product, space, service, etc.) and that the decision makers want to implement. Desire is the only proper element of discrimination and one of the factors that makes DfA a successful approach, even in mature markets. In this context we introduced Design for All as a way to embrace the randomness generated through disruption, and suggest that the creative professional has to acquire the capability to navigate rather than oppose the uncertainty.
Research Interests:
Until recently design has been recognized as a discipline strictly related to skills and practice, in which the main role of the designer was to follow and negotiate an imposed brief. In this circumstance, as many literature have shown,... more
Until recently design has been recognized as a discipline strictly related to skills and practice, in which the main role of the designer was to follow and negotiate an imposed brief. In this circumstance, as many literature have shown, (Christiaans, 2002)(Cross, 2003, 2004) (Dorst, 2004) (Lawson, 2004) designers adapt to the brief practicing their skill and knowledge to generate the most innovative solutions. As shown by Dreyfuss (1998), with time the development of the mind frames changes from beginner /novice to competent, and expert, eventually reaching the levels of master and visionary. In this context, although design training is constantly evolving towards a holistic view of the overall process, the power and political dynamics that steer the creative design environment are only mentioned as contingent forces. The next paper aims to raise the awareness on the importance of the master and visionary levels at which power and politics are placed at the core of the design training. For this purpose we argue that future strategies of coaching for design leadership, have to investigate the full meaning of design mastership and visionary as a higher order of design training for experts.
Research Interests:
Either dealing with products, communication or services, design projects present an increased complexity that calls for the collaboration of multidisciplinary experts. This generates a large pool of creative ideas coming from different... more
Either dealing with products, communication or services, design projects present an increased complexity that calls for the collaboration of multidisciplinary experts. This generates a large pool of creative ideas coming from different perspectives, which have to be stirred towards a concrete outcome. In the same time an important factor that leads to a successful project is the team management and the apprehension of the frictions that could influence the creative flow of the collaboration. After a review of several literatures which have taken into consideration the importance of conflict mitigation and the role of designers as process facilitator in the creative team, the paper intends to address the following question: what if the exercise of power and influence could lead to more innovative solutions, revealing meaningful contributions otherwise discarded in the effort to reach consensus? The main objective of the paper is to propose a different perspective on the creative design management, suggesting that controversy can be seen as an important factor, which has the potential to control the leadership within the team and reveal new alternatives in the design process.
Research Interests:
The paper presents an alternative perspective on design, that starts from the hypothesis that design has a still little explored dimension, that do not refer to the way designers work or think but to the power dimension that can... more
The paper presents an alternative perspective on design, that starts from the hypothesis that design has a still little explored dimension, that do not refer to the way designers work or think but to the power dimension that can benexercised through design. This assumption helps to focus on the contrast between the “visible” side of design that involves all its conceptual or practical manifestations, and a hidden or “invisible” side that deals with the politics and power play, usually understated or neglected. In order to understand the balance of power we introduce insights from war theory (Rummel, 1979) (Clausewitz) (Sun Tzu) explaining its different phases as follows: 1. creating an awareness towards the presence of power, 2. activate its mechanisms, 3. the manifestation of power, 4. the effects and consequences seen as a readiness to accept the unknown (Taleb, 2012). The introduction of a new way of looking at the furniture making and the anticipation of the emergence of design as a discipline was possible by intuitively recognizing the latent presence of power,
manifesting it through a way of communication and assuming the consequences of dislocating the knowledge from the original workshop in which it was ideated, while embracing the inevitability of unknown alterations.
Extrapolating this example to the present situation of the design discipline we argue for the need to reveal the hidden dimension of design and expose it to the new generation of professionals as a way of building empowering strategies of leadership.
Keywords: design, power, knowledge, empowerment.
manifesting it through a way of communication and assuming the consequences of dislocating the knowledge from the original workshop in which it was ideated, while embracing the inevitability of unknown alterations.
Extrapolating this example to the present situation of the design discipline we argue for the need to reveal the hidden dimension of design and expose it to the new generation of professionals as a way of building empowering strategies of leadership.
Keywords: design, power, knowledge, empowerment.
Research Interests:
The MIND project was born out of the need to strengthen currently existing joint-projects in design in Mi-lan. MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single well-structured network can present itself on an... more
The MIND project was born out of the need to strengthen currently existing joint-projects in design in Mi-lan.
MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single well-structured network can present itself on an international level and attract the best talent and capital. The Municipal Councilor’s Office for Research, Innovation and Human Capital promotes MIND in conjunction with the offices of: Tourism, Marketing of the Region and Identity; Culture; and Business and Labor Policy. The aim is to consolidate Milan’s role as a global point of reference for education and research in design, thereby promoting the city as an international “brand for excellence”
A perfect environment for training young designers.
The city of Milan has always contributed substantially to the development of the world of design. Since from the second half of the 1900s, Milan has attracted important artists, top entrepreneurs, and many stu-dents - today, some 80% of design students in Italy are trained in one of the many Milan schools. All to-gether there are 10,000 design students every year.
This is because the city offers an ideal environment for those who wish to became designers there is no other organization in the world which unites so many schools, universities, companies, design studios, fairs and other design events. A symbiosis of elements found nowhere else, facilitating designer's training and career path.
Benefits:
For students: the chance to attend courses of excellence for free and to live one year studying and working in the world’s capital for design.
For schools: the chance to host select students based on their skills, regardless of their financial situation, and the chance to offer an academic and educational experience of superior quality, which would attract an even higher proportion of the best students.
For companies: the chance to come in contact with the young up-and-coming generation graduating from the best schools with top quality Master’s degrees.
For Milan: a new venue to increase recognition of Milan ever more in the design sector, and to enhance social and economic development.
Design-Driven innovation aims to release the potential of a new type of innovation based on a radical con-vergence between social and institution meaning.
In the contemporary world “come close” to design means investigate an approach connected to industrial project culture, transverse and multi discipline that can conceive project scenarios, wider and complex, with the purpose to transfer a “systemic vision” of innovation process, passing from product design to process design that can have possible effects on a “Products System” both physical and intangible.
From an international network to a Design Center.
This is now the challenge that all promoters and parteners of the project MIND deal for the construction of MID, the Design Incubator in Milan.
The general aims of the project can be summed up as follows:
- to promote design driven innovation;
- to facilitate relations and dialogue between the actors in the design system;
- to offer designers and new businesses services for the construction of industrial prototypes;
- to carry out research on specific sectoral issues by granting study bursaries.
We conclude by explaining the particle impact of our method for the community, for the institution in-volved, for the industries and for the Milano Municipality.
MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single well-structured network can present itself on an international level and attract the best talent and capital. The Municipal Councilor’s Office for Research, Innovation and Human Capital promotes MIND in conjunction with the offices of: Tourism, Marketing of the Region and Identity; Culture; and Business and Labor Policy. The aim is to consolidate Milan’s role as a global point of reference for education and research in design, thereby promoting the city as an international “brand for excellence”
A perfect environment for training young designers.
The city of Milan has always contributed substantially to the development of the world of design. Since from the second half of the 1900s, Milan has attracted important artists, top entrepreneurs, and many stu-dents - today, some 80% of design students in Italy are trained in one of the many Milan schools. All to-gether there are 10,000 design students every year.
This is because the city offers an ideal environment for those who wish to became designers there is no other organization in the world which unites so many schools, universities, companies, design studios, fairs and other design events. A symbiosis of elements found nowhere else, facilitating designer's training and career path.
Benefits:
For students: the chance to attend courses of excellence for free and to live one year studying and working in the world’s capital for design.
For schools: the chance to host select students based on their skills, regardless of their financial situation, and the chance to offer an academic and educational experience of superior quality, which would attract an even higher proportion of the best students.
For companies: the chance to come in contact with the young up-and-coming generation graduating from the best schools with top quality Master’s degrees.
For Milan: a new venue to increase recognition of Milan ever more in the design sector, and to enhance social and economic development.
Design-Driven innovation aims to release the potential of a new type of innovation based on a radical con-vergence between social and institution meaning.
In the contemporary world “come close” to design means investigate an approach connected to industrial project culture, transverse and multi discipline that can conceive project scenarios, wider and complex, with the purpose to transfer a “systemic vision” of innovation process, passing from product design to process design that can have possible effects on a “Products System” both physical and intangible.
From an international network to a Design Center.
This is now the challenge that all promoters and parteners of the project MIND deal for the construction of MID, the Design Incubator in Milan.
The general aims of the project can be summed up as follows:
- to promote design driven innovation;
- to facilitate relations and dialogue between the actors in the design system;
- to offer designers and new businesses services for the construction of industrial prototypes;
- to carry out research on specific sectoral issues by granting study bursaries.
We conclude by explaining the particle impact of our method for the community, for the institution in-volved, for the industries and for the Milano Municipality.
Research Interests:
The design discipline is nowadays extending its boundaries, becoming more than a profession, a way of thinking and a problem solving approach. This process implies bringing together multiple models of reasoning, modalities of practice... more
The design discipline is nowadays extending
its boundaries, becoming more than a profession, a way of
thinking and a problem solving approach. This process implies
bringing together multiple models of reasoning, modalities of
practice and divergent perspectives. A large amount of literature
has been dedicated to the adoption of design thinking in other
disciplines [1] [2] [3], and to its successfully application in
business practices [4]. However, less attention has been put on the
contrasts and frictions provoked by the designerly system of
thinking. Before understanding and accepting an approach
specific to the design profession, as a valid and reliable working
principle, the confrontation between the different actors in a
multidisciplinary team has to pass through a conflictual phase [5]
[6]. Taking into consideration a series of experiences that involve
multidisciplinary teams, the next paper concentrates on the
conflict as a powerful and essential step in the creative process. In
this sense the conflict management will be presented in terms of
understanding the root of the contrasts, proposing that rather
than leveling the differences, through mitigation, the conflictual,
moment has to be exploited as an important step in the working
process[7].
The main question asked in the paper is: what if design
could be used as a provoking factor, in order to create entropy
and induce, more creative problem solving approaches?
The paper will unfold in several parts: first the design
thinking approach will be explained. The second part will stress
out the increasing ethnic and disciplinary diversity of the
workgroups and the benefits of the differences. In the third part
the critical moments in the project management flow will be
underlined. The discussion will show different methods to
channel conflict towards a creative change in the reasoning
system introducing design as a creative element. We will conclude
by proposing a different way of looking at the design thinking,
emphasizing its potential as a disruptive
its boundaries, becoming more than a profession, a way of
thinking and a problem solving approach. This process implies
bringing together multiple models of reasoning, modalities of
practice and divergent perspectives. A large amount of literature
has been dedicated to the adoption of design thinking in other
disciplines [1] [2] [3], and to its successfully application in
business practices [4]. However, less attention has been put on the
contrasts and frictions provoked by the designerly system of
thinking. Before understanding and accepting an approach
specific to the design profession, as a valid and reliable working
principle, the confrontation between the different actors in a
multidisciplinary team has to pass through a conflictual phase [5]
[6]. Taking into consideration a series of experiences that involve
multidisciplinary teams, the next paper concentrates on the
conflict as a powerful and essential step in the creative process. In
this sense the conflict management will be presented in terms of
understanding the root of the contrasts, proposing that rather
than leveling the differences, through mitigation, the conflictual,
moment has to be exploited as an important step in the working
process[7].
The main question asked in the paper is: what if design
could be used as a provoking factor, in order to create entropy
and induce, more creative problem solving approaches?
The paper will unfold in several parts: first the design
thinking approach will be explained. The second part will stress
out the increasing ethnic and disciplinary diversity of the
workgroups and the benefits of the differences. In the third part
the critical moments in the project management flow will be
underlined. The discussion will show different methods to
channel conflict towards a creative change in the reasoning
system introducing design as a creative element. We will conclude
by proposing a different way of looking at the design thinking,
emphasizing its potential as a disruptive
Research Interests:
Design refers today to many different aspects, such as product, interior, communication, brand, service and so on. It is possible to provide a coherent perception of a whole environment, designing all the aspects so that they can... more
Design refers today to many different aspects, such
as product, interior, communication, brand, service and so on. It
is possible to provide a coherent perception of a whole
environment, designing all the aspects so that they can
communicate coherent values and univocal interpretation. This is
possible by making the design driven by principles starting from
metaphoric models of the mission of a company, translating them
into perceptual aspect involving both static elements (layouts,
interior design, logo, etc.) and dynamic (interaction protocols,
services processes, processes, and so on). Beside the evident
advantages of such an approach, problems can arise from
conflictual points of view between the company (intended as a
unique organism with specific mission and values) and the
employees (requiring personal satisfaction, not necessarily
coherent with the mission of the organization).
The paper describes real experiences exemplifying what
indicated, and presents: i) a quick description of the design
approach able to design coherent solutions for different artifacts/
services (values identification, required emotions specification,
metaphors supporting them, perceptual aspects supporting the
metaphors, design of any aspect); ii) the description of a similar
approach followed in designing some department in a relevant
hospital; iii) the positive effect of the approach evaluated by the
positive reactions of patients and nurse; iv) the opposition of the
doctors, feeling themselves as interpreted less relevant for the
therapies effectiveness; v) the corrective actions taken in order to
avoid a disruptive effect of the cohesion between doctors (as more
relevant actors of the services) and the rest of the environment.
The paper describes the experience, and points out the
differences between the design of artifacts for external customers
(e.g., cars, white goods, etc,) and the design of environments in
which customers and “producers” share the same space and
processes, and suggests, for these cases, approaches going beyond User Centered Design.
A critical discussion concludes the paper.
as product, interior, communication, brand, service and so on. It
is possible to provide a coherent perception of a whole
environment, designing all the aspects so that they can
communicate coherent values and univocal interpretation. This is
possible by making the design driven by principles starting from
metaphoric models of the mission of a company, translating them
into perceptual aspect involving both static elements (layouts,
interior design, logo, etc.) and dynamic (interaction protocols,
services processes, processes, and so on). Beside the evident
advantages of such an approach, problems can arise from
conflictual points of view between the company (intended as a
unique organism with specific mission and values) and the
employees (requiring personal satisfaction, not necessarily
coherent with the mission of the organization).
The paper describes real experiences exemplifying what
indicated, and presents: i) a quick description of the design
approach able to design coherent solutions for different artifacts/
services (values identification, required emotions specification,
metaphors supporting them, perceptual aspects supporting the
metaphors, design of any aspect); ii) the description of a similar
approach followed in designing some department in a relevant
hospital; iii) the positive effect of the approach evaluated by the
positive reactions of patients and nurse; iv) the opposition of the
doctors, feeling themselves as interpreted less relevant for the
therapies effectiveness; v) the corrective actions taken in order to
avoid a disruptive effect of the cohesion between doctors (as more
relevant actors of the services) and the rest of the environment.
The paper describes the experience, and points out the
differences between the design of artifacts for external customers
(e.g., cars, white goods, etc,) and the design of environments in
which customers and “producers” share the same space and
processes, and suggests, for these cases, approaches going beyond User Centered Design.
A critical discussion concludes the paper.
Research Interests:
MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single well structured network can present itself on an international level and attract the best talent and capital. The Milano Municipal Councilor’s Office for... more
MIND’s goal is to implement strategies and shared policies so that a single well structured network can present itself on an international level and attract the best talent and capital. The Milano Municipal Councilor’s Office for Research, Innovation and Human Capital promotes MIND in conjunction with the offices of: Tourism, Marketing of the Region and Identity; Culture; and Business and Labor Policy. The aim is to consolidate Milan’s role as a global point of reference for education and research in design, thereby promoting the city as an international “brand for excellence.
Research Interests:
The most common design process in the interaction design industry is user research-concept design-prototype testing.This process can help designers to identify target users, design products, and services.However many students have trouble... more
The most common design process in the interaction design industry is user research-concept design-prototype testing.This process can help designers to identify target users, design products, and services.However many students have trouble applying the results of user research to improve their design using this process.The Hunan Univ.-Nokia joint curriculum aims to improve this by combining fast concept design and user research into a single process. This new process features immersive teaching and individual-team alternating iterative method, which solves the problem without sacrificing the creativity of the student.
Research Interests:
Traditionally the creative flow [1] in visual design is linked to the drawing pencils, paper and the drawing board. This practice of getting accustomed with the tools of the trade was part of the designer’s life, shaping their perception... more
Traditionally the creative flow [1] in visual design is linked to the drawing pencils, paper and the
drawing board. This practice of getting accustomed with the tools of the trade was part of the
designer’s life, shaping their perception of the surrounding environment. This strict link to the use of
specific tools is nowadays changed by the computer software, which enables even non-professional
designers to have access to sophisticated graphic tools. The intense creative activity that fused
together the tool with its user is now decomposed in actions and procedures subordinated to the
constraints given by computer.
Several literatures have underlined the relation between the computer and its users, focusing on the
interpretation of the computer’s usage within the constraints of the defined computer tasks [2] [3]
Moreover working within the framework of activity theory, [4] emphasize the continuous change of the
artifacts and their transformation through the activity they perform. Taking into account the definition of
computers as mediating artifacts [5], the question asked is how the creative professionals can modify
their computers to fit affective personality needs.
The paper describes the activity of a group of students in communication design that had the brief to
re design the functions of their personal computers considering own preferences and needs. The
students have been asked to envision new functional scenarios and express them in usability
simulations. The discussion underlines the tensions between the creative practice that
drawing board. This practice of getting accustomed with the tools of the trade was part of the
designer’s life, shaping their perception of the surrounding environment. This strict link to the use of
specific tools is nowadays changed by the computer software, which enables even non-professional
designers to have access to sophisticated graphic tools. The intense creative activity that fused
together the tool with its user is now decomposed in actions and procedures subordinated to the
constraints given by computer.
Several literatures have underlined the relation between the computer and its users, focusing on the
interpretation of the computer’s usage within the constraints of the defined computer tasks [2] [3]
Moreover working within the framework of activity theory, [4] emphasize the continuous change of the
artifacts and their transformation through the activity they perform. Taking into account the definition of
computers as mediating artifacts [5], the question asked is how the creative professionals can modify
their computers to fit affective personality needs.
The paper describes the activity of a group of students in communication design that had the brief to
re design the functions of their personal computers considering own preferences and needs. The
students have been asked to envision new functional scenarios and express them in usability
simulations. The discussion underlines the tensions between the creative practice that
Research Interests:
Underground stations, while offering necessary access points to public transportation service facilities, offer great opportunities of urban dinamization. The paper presents the results of a design project aimed to improve the travel... more
Underground stations, while offering necessary access points to public transportation service facilities, offer great opportunities of urban dinamization. The paper presents the results of a design project aimed to improve the travel experience of passengers in the local transportation system. The design activities were based on ethnographic research on field, demonstrating that the quality of social interaction is a relevant component of the travel experience, also influencing emotions and psychological wellbeing of passengers; the design solutions were provided in terms of innovative collaborative services and produced a variety of suggestions about the potential role of non tangible solutions in the creative improvement of public spaces. The paper presents the results of the ethnographicinvestigation, outlines the design methodology employed, and reports some designedsolutions.
Research Interests:
Since design is an innovative work, design process is hard to capture, being different from time to time, from person to person. After design education and practice, designers build up their preferred design thinking models which contain... more
Since design is an innovative work, design process is hard to capture, being different from time to time, from person to person. After design education and practice, designers build up their preferred design thinking models which contain convergent and divergent design activity universally. This paper investigates how a service concept is completed, concentrating on the distinction between expert and novice. This research conducts protocol study to analyse team-based design process. During the unconstrained thinking process, the responses were recorded and semantically analysed in order to study the participants' thinking processes. Coding scheme is used to explore key nodes in ideation process and pay attention to Need & Want (NW), Feature (FEA), Solution (SOL) and their corresponding Decision Activity (DEC). Quotations attached with them are extracted and then transferred to journey maps. Seven design patterns are concluded and the results show that design thinking patterns are different between expert and novice, which has different degrees of divergence and convergence in the three key nodes - NW, FEA, SOL. Further, based on seven design patterns, four kinds of design strategies were abstracted. Through the study, the outcome would guide how to help accelerate the promotion process from a novice to an expert
Research Interests:
Due to its multidisciplinary aspects, the field of design is an open terrain in constant change. In this context the design education and the methods of teaching have to be constantly reviewed and updated. In order to complete this task,... more
Due to its multidisciplinary aspects, the field of design is an open terrain in constant change. In this context the design education and the methods of teaching have to be constantly reviewed and updated. In order to complete this task, a research into the pedagogical practices has to be carried on, and to become almost as a “behind the curtains” activity for the teachers. A considerable extent of literature shows how design students work (Cross, Dorst, McDonnel, Stempfle); however most of the times the studies place the researcher/observer in a distanced position with respect to the working group. The following paper will consider several pedagogical situations, in which the active involvement of the teachers as designers was necessary. Furthermore analyzing the examples presented it will be shown how a series of research methods have to be used in order to insure the objectivity of the observation. For this reason it will be shown how the action research methodology can provide important insights for creating a methodological framework specific to the characteristic of the study. In the attempt to avoid any ambiguities about the notion of “action research” it will be underlined how the pedagogical action research refers to the studies and approach of Kemmis, Whitehead, and Nofke. In conclusion we suggest that instead of regarding the pedagogical content as a monolithic body of knowledge presented to the students, the richness of the pedagogical experience comes from the human interaction with the working group and can be seen as a work in progress puzzle that has to be solved with the active involvement of the students and teachers.
Research Interests:
We are no longer used to critically examining the meaning of “design”, which maintains an unexplored dimension in terms of the Power that can be exercised through the cyclic act of creation, preservation and disruption. This assumption... more
We are no longer used to critically examining the meaning of “design”,
which maintains an unexplored dimension in terms of the Power that can be exercised through the cyclic act of creation, preservation and disruption.
This assumption induces us to focus on the contrast between the “visible” side of the act that involves all its conceptual and practical manifestations, and a hidden or “dark” side that deals with politics and power play, but that, however, has a major influence in the process and its hierarchical dynamics.
This implies an order on the surface, which seems to be naturally stirred by the so-called “perceptions” that reflect the preferences of overall public opinions: however, looking deeper, all the production acts involves a carefully controlled disequillibrium influenced by social, ecological, economical and political interests.
The power flow in the act of “design” takes into consideration the paradoxical contradiction between its potentiality and its preservation of power.
which maintains an unexplored dimension in terms of the Power that can be exercised through the cyclic act of creation, preservation and disruption.
This assumption induces us to focus on the contrast between the “visible” side of the act that involves all its conceptual and practical manifestations, and a hidden or “dark” side that deals with politics and power play, but that, however, has a major influence in the process and its hierarchical dynamics.
This implies an order on the surface, which seems to be naturally stirred by the so-called “perceptions” that reflect the preferences of overall public opinions: however, looking deeper, all the production acts involves a carefully controlled disequillibrium influenced by social, ecological, economical and political interests.
The power flow in the act of “design” takes into consideration the paradoxical contradiction between its potentiality and its preservation of power.