OVERVIEW

The Thematic Laboratory in Design and Prototyping approaches design as an integrated practice, in which ideation, formal development, and prototype construction constitute successive phases of a single critical and creative process. The course is structured around thematic modules developed in collaboration with partner companies, which introduce real design briefs and contribute technical and production expertise. This approach enables students to engage with the logic of applied design, acquiring methodological tools that are directly transferable to professional practice.

AIMS AND CONTENT

TEACHING METHODS

The programme is structured as a progressive sequence of phases that accompany students from the definition of the design problem through to the realisation of the prototype, following a structured and verifiable path.

1. Laboratory Introduction and Methodologies: Presentation of the company brief and project context. Theme analysis, definition of objectives, and mapping of users and use scenarios. Introduction to the methodological tools of applied design.
2. Research and Analysis: State-of-the-art review of relevant products, services, and technologies. Analysis of user needs through observation and interview techniques. Construction of personas and design scenarios.
3. Concept Definition: Idea generation through creative divergence techniques. Selection and development of the most promising concepts. Interim presentation and discussion with company partners.
4. Project Development: Formal, material, and technological definition of the solution. Development of constructive and production details. Feasibility assessment in relation to the constraints of the brief.
5. Prototyping: Realisation of physical and/or digital prototypes at varying levels of fidelity. Use of fabrication techniques and tools (modelling, 3D printing, material processing). Functional verification and design iteration.
6. Communication and Final Presentation: Development of the project presentation. Public display and discussion of results with company partners and the teaching committee. Critical reflection on the design process undertaken.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The Laboratory aims to develop an innovative attitude that enables students to connect design to social change, market dynamics, and technological development within the contemporary scenario. Through guided experiences and experimental activities, it fosters an understanding of the relationship between design — understood in its broadest sense — and the transformation of behaviours, contexts, and social and cultural environments, supporting students in building their own awareness of the design process. The course also aims to provide the foundational tools and concepts of digital prototyping for designers. Students will complete a series of exercises guiding them through the 3D printing of their own models.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cross, N. (2011). Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work. Berg Publishers, Oxford.

Norman, D.A. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things (revised ed.). Basic Books, New York.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The final assessment takes the form of a public presentation before the teaching committee and, where possible, the company partners involved in the brief. Each group has 10 minutes to present the design process and the results achieved, followed by a question-and-answer session and critical discussion.

The oral presentation is accompanied by the submission of the following materials:

Project Book, structured around the following sections (listed for illustrative purposes and not exhaustive):

• Research and Concept: documentation of the ideation process, critical thinking, and development sketches
• Target: definition and analysis of the reference users
• Technical Drawings: orthogonal projections, sections, cutaway views, isometric axonometry, and exploded axonometric view
• Component Index: a summary table of the project's constituent elements
• Materials and Processes Report: a reasoned description of the selected materials and the required production techniques
• Photographic Documentation: images of work-in-progress models and the final prototype

Physical Model: a prototype or series of prototypes — depending on the nature and complexity of the project — produced during the laboratory activities.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The assessment will consider the quality of the documented design process, the coherence between research, concept, and developed solution, the technical command of the graphic outputs, the constructive quality of the physical model, and the clarity and effectiveness of the oral presentation.