81920 - Design Thinking

Learning outcomes

The module aims to illustrate the methodological-design approach to the transformation of reality. The course prepares for the knowledge of a set of processes of observation of reality, simplified modeling and manipulation of the same. At the end the student knows:  disassemble the creative process in the phases that compose it in order to define the design process suitable for the resources, the times, the expected results;  recognize the characteristics of individuals with creative skills and learn how to lead the process towards outcomes in the value chain of a contemporary society;  develop projects that solve the problems identified through alternative and sustainable paths that generate measurable value.

Course contents

The course deals with systemic design, focusing the training on the study, definition of the concept and validation of the design of relationships.
Networks of relationships are a key factor in the design processes of services on an urban scale, involving communities of practice, around a participatory project demand.
The role of this network increases when the heterogeneity of the network nodes and the extension become bigger and bigger.
Students will work on the creation of an integrated system for spaces waiting for the city of Bologna, adopting a Living Lab approach to understand the potential of joint development on the themes of innovation on an urban scale, on new ways of involvement and new productions.
The course will allow students to:
- develop tools, approaches and visions that, starting from the individual-community-environment relationship, generate greater awareness of participatory processes aimed at territorial regeneration.
-Indicate and propose relationships and collective dynamics of a new type, stimulating a mindset open to the macro dimension of society, as to that micro of the individual
-Look at society as an ever-changing organism, listening to and observing micro and macro contexts, with attention to explicit qualities and needs and unexpressed potentials

-Collaborate in inclusive processes for the co-creation of goods and services, the integrated development of a territory or a community

Readings/Bibliography

Gianfrate V., Longo D., Urban micro-design. Tecnologie integrate, adattabilità e qualità degli spazi pubblici, collana Ricerche di tecnologia dell’Architettura, Franco Angeli, 2017, ISBN 978-88-917-4294-0

Gianfrate V., Gaspari J., Longo D. (2017). Co-design for Resilience: Solutions, Services and Technologies for Urban Spaces. In: (a cura di): Giampaolo Campana;Robert J. Howlett;Rossi Setchi;Barbara Cimatti, Sustainable Design and Manufacturing 2017. p. 505-514, 6330 Cham, Switzerland:Springer, ISBN: 978-3-319-57077-8, doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-57078-5_48

Gianfrate V., Boeri A., Longo D., Lorenzo V., (2017). Resilient communities. Social infrastructures for sustainable growth of urban areas. A case study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING, vol. 12, p. 227-237, ISSN: 1743-7601, doi: 10.2495/SDP-V12-N2-227-237

Celaschi, F. (2008). Design as Mediation between areas of Knowledge. In Germak, C. (ed.). Man at the Centre of the Project. Design for a New Humanism, Torino, Italy: Allemandi,19–31.

Maldonado, T. (1987). Il futuro della modernità. Milano, Italy: Feltrinelli.

Lynch K.(1996), Progettare la città. La qualità della forma urbana, Etas.

Montanari Fabrizio, Mizzau Lorenzo, (2016), “I luoghi dell'innovazione aperta. Modelli di sviluppo territoriale e inclusione sociale”, [pp. 175-180] in Quaderni n.55, Fondazione Brodolini, pp. 216

https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/urban-agenda

Teaching methods

The course includes: • Lectures • Lessons with experts • External workshops • Participation in workshop days organized by FIU • Design exercises in the classroom (Scenario Building, strategic design, metadesign, communication) • Group laboratory activities
Finalized to the realization of a service product project: that is a complex system in which physical products integrate or extend to include the intangible component of the service.
The training course will take place:
- as a collective creative process in particular in the investigation phase of the individual-community-environment relationship,
-As an autonomous process, in which each student will deepen the different aspects related to the design of relationships.

Assessment methods

The assessment will be carried out in several steps that include:
A) User analysis and design research: content collection and organization, Personas user and development analysis, analysis of technological and cultural scenarios, research and analysis of cases and examples,
B) Definition of the project concept: development and presentation of fundamental ideas and concepts of the user experience that one wants to plan, motivations and objectives of the project, first feasibility assessment and work plan.
C) Design and development of the concept: development of the general interaction and content architecture model, user interface design, first prototypes to evaluate the interaction modalities and the usability of the project.
D) Technologies and prototyping: introduction to the basic technologies for THE PRODUCT / SERVICE
F) Prototype realization and final presentation: implementation of a demonstration prototype and realization of the final presentation of the project.

Teaching tools

Fields Experiences 

Design Thinking Tools

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Gianfrate

See the website of Guglielmo Ori