In a hyper-connected world, exposure to cultural diversity is crucial for designers addressing global challenges. Spending time abroad is one way to achieve this goal, and while semester- or year-long programs have been the most common practice in higher education, short-term stays abroad (STSAs) are gaining popularity thanks to their accessibility. Still, STSAs literature highlights an absence of comparative approaches to experience evaluation because of a rather phenomenological approach to the experiences. In design education, STSAs primarily consist of intensive workshops leveraging experiential learning. This research explores the untapped potential of such occasions beyond academic learning, investigating how Service Design (SD) can contribute to crafting more meaningful experiences and aiming to develop an operative framework to help organizers. Through a review of STSAs and SD, alignment is located in their shared socio-relational component. This dimension is further investigated via case studies and interviews, revealing how organizers tend to rely on spontaneity and how risky this can be, as the lack of social occasions is a potential deterrent to experience satisfaction for both literature and interviewees alike. In this context, SD’s potential is twofold: its systemic outlook led to the definition of structural elements, crucial to creating holistic experiences and serving as common ground for comparison; the application of SD’s inherently social methodologies to STSAs activities seems promising in facilitating interactions between students. The resulting framework is then applied to the 2024 Design Summer Break initiative by Politecnico di Milano’s School of Design, illustrating practical implementation. While encouraging, the impacts of these approaches on STSA participants call for further research. Nonetheless, working within the field of Design education, this thesis allowed for a broader reflection on the discipline of Design, underlining the role of schools in transforming the way we practice Design and calling for a reform in the way we think of it: from a procedural problem-solving tool to a participated exploratory practice.
In un mondo iperconnesso, dove i designer sono chiamati ad affrontare sfide globali, il confronto con diverse culture diventa fondamentale. In ambito universitario, i soggiorni all’estero sono tra le pratiche più comuni per l’immersione in culture diverse. Di recente, le esperienze di breve durata (STSA) hanno guadagnato popolarità grazie alla loro maggior accessibilità, tuttavia, la letteratura sul tema lamenta la mancanza di analisi comparative tra esperienze, legate alla scarsa condivisione di approcci di progettazione delle esperienze. Questa tesi mira ad esplorare il potenziale degli STSA nella formazione dei designer oltre il piano accademico, indagando come il Service Design (SD) possa contribuire alla creazione di esperienze significative, puntando allo sviluppo di un framework a supporto degli organizzatori. STSA e SD sono accomunati da una componente socio-relazionale. Un’analisi approfondita di tale dimensione tramite casi studio e interviste fa emergere la tendenza degli organizzatori di STSA di affidare la componente relazionale in gran parte alla spontaneità. Questa scelta risulta rischiosa poiché la mancanza di occasioni di incontro e confronto rappresenta la principale causa di insoddisfazione negli studenti. In questo contesto, il SD porta un duplice contributo: la sua visione sistemica ha permesso la definizione di blocchi strutturali, utili alla creazione di esperienze olistiche, e funzionali al confronto tra STSA; mentre l'applicazione di metodologie partecipate alle attività sembrano promettenti nel facilitare l’interazione tra studenti. Questi elementi convergono in un framework operativo, illustrato tramite l’applicazione al Design Summer Break 2024 della Scuola del Design del Politecnico di Milano. Sebbene incoraggianti, gli impatti di tali contributi richiedono ulteriori approfondimenti. Lavorando nell'ambito dell'educazione al Design, questa tesi ha permesso una riflessione più ampia sulla disciplina, riconoscendo il ruolo delle scuole nel trasformare il modo in cui il Design é praticato e invitando a ripensare il modo in cui è concepito: da uno strumento procedurale per la soluzione di problemi ad una pratica esplorativa partecipata.
Designerly ways of visiting: an exploratory approach for design as sense-making
Alberti, Chiara
2022/2023
Abstract
In a hyper-connected world, exposure to cultural diversity is crucial for designers addressing global challenges. Spending time abroad is one way to achieve this goal, and while semester- or year-long programs have been the most common practice in higher education, short-term stays abroad (STSAs) are gaining popularity thanks to their accessibility. Still, STSAs literature highlights an absence of comparative approaches to experience evaluation because of a rather phenomenological approach to the experiences. In design education, STSAs primarily consist of intensive workshops leveraging experiential learning. This research explores the untapped potential of such occasions beyond academic learning, investigating how Service Design (SD) can contribute to crafting more meaningful experiences and aiming to develop an operative framework to help organizers. Through a review of STSAs and SD, alignment is located in their shared socio-relational component. This dimension is further investigated via case studies and interviews, revealing how organizers tend to rely on spontaneity and how risky this can be, as the lack of social occasions is a potential deterrent to experience satisfaction for both literature and interviewees alike. In this context, SD’s potential is twofold: its systemic outlook led to the definition of structural elements, crucial to creating holistic experiences and serving as common ground for comparison; the application of SD’s inherently social methodologies to STSAs activities seems promising in facilitating interactions between students. The resulting framework is then applied to the 2024 Design Summer Break initiative by Politecnico di Milano’s School of Design, illustrating practical implementation. While encouraging, the impacts of these approaches on STSA participants call for further research. Nonetheless, working within the field of Design education, this thesis allowed for a broader reflection on the discipline of Design, underlining the role of schools in transforming the way we practice Design and calling for a reform in the way we think of it: from a procedural problem-solving tool to a participated exploratory practice.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/218807