73452 - Product Design T (A-K)

Course contents

The Industrial Design Laboratory T (A-K) will explore the potential of industrial product design as a tool for improving quality of life and the user experience in the handling of everyday objects. The educational path will focus on designing solutions that center on the interaction between the individual, the artifact, and the context, enhancing the relationship between form, function, and meaning.

The laboratory activities aim to guide students in developing projects that respond consciously and innovatively to specific user scenarios. This will be achieved through a detailed analysis of user needs, daily practices, and the perceptive, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of the user experience.

The teaching approach will adopt an interdisciplinary methodology, aiming for the coherent integration of design culture, technological innovation, materials, and production processes. Particular attention will be paid to contemporary design languages, sustainability, and the use of tools capable of driving the transition toward more complex and intelligent product-service systems.

The laboratory promotes an evolutionary vision of industrial design, understood as a practice capable of interpreting ongoing changes in society and redefining the role of artifacts in the relationships between people, environments, and technologies.

Readings/Bibliography

The complete list of bibliographic texts and in-depth reference materials required for the laboratory will be made available at the beginning of the course. These references will be selected based on the topics covered during the teaching activities and will serve to support project development, as well as to provide a theoretical and methodological framework aligned with the laboratory's educational objectives.

Teaching methods

The Industrial Design Laboratory is structured around theoretical lectures, guest presentations by industry experts (professionals and companies), support for both documentary and field research, and guidance throughout the design phase up to the creation of models and prototypes.

This approach reflects the structure of the course, which unfolds in interconnected phases: lectures, research activities, project development, prototype creation, and final evaluation.

The laboratory includes an in-depth study of the theme through the collection, cataloging, and analysis of case studies related to specific areas of intervention. Following an initial research and comprehension phase, the focus will shift to defining design concepts developed through sketches, models, and renderings. In the subsequent phases, the project will be refined across various aspects—including morphology, mechanics, functionality, ergonomics, and production processes—culminating in the creation of a representative prototype.

Assessment methods

The professors will guide the design process through all its stages, supporting students during classroom activities and ensuring both collective and individual review sessions.

Classroom work and reviews are essential steps in the learning process, making a mandatory attendance of at least 70% necessary.

Students will also be encouraged to participate in events organized by the Degree Program, including seminars with national and international experts, exhibitions, competitions, and other initiatives.

The exam will take place on a single day and will require the submission of the following outputs:

• Progress tests / In-course assessments

• Sketchbook

• Descriptive book documenting the design process, from concept to prototype

• Technical drawings

• 1:1 scale prototype

• Presentation

Every result achieved in the individual teaching modules will be subject to evaluation, according to criteria established by the responsible professors. These assessments will contribute to each student's final grade, taking into account both collective and individual work.

The decisive factors for the overall evaluation will include:

• Active participation in the course

• The quality of the submitted outputs

• Punctuality in attendance and deadlines

Teaching tools

VIRTUALE: professor-student communications; uploading of teaching materials; student assignment submissions; student forum/community

MIRO: for brainstorming and other forms of collaborative design

Presentations/slideshows;

Individual/scheduled reviews of student work progress;

Collective reviews of student work progress;

Collaboration with external facilities (Model Lab, Photography Lab, libraries, etc.);

Final exhibition of the projects.

Office hours

See the website of Andreas Sicklinger

See the website of Massimiliano Fantini