The aim of the course is to introduce students to the complexity of a product-service system project, through the exploration and understanding of the process leading from the "concept" to the actual product. Innovation Studio guides students in the development of a project idea in the form of a pre-series of products, which involves consideration of the entire production chain, related services and digital technologies, communication and interaction aspects, social and market factors.

Students:
- know and understand the definition of product-service system and its design implications;
- know how to frame a problem, understand a design briefing and elaborate a counterbrief;
- know how to develop, independently and in groups, innovative projects sharing and communicating their design choices, developing aptitudes to negotiation, leadership and conflict management.

INNOVATION STUDIO aims to provide an experience that is as close as possible to the real design profession of today. To do this, the Lab encourages students to stretch their design knowledge and skills, to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams where each person acts as a fundamental component with specific technical capabilities and a personal cultural background.

INNOVATION STUDIO this year will continue the work done in the previous year by proposing the topic “HOMES FOR UNCERTAIN TIMES" focused on how to design product-service system solutions for a very uncertain and unpredictable future. A future influenced by climate change (but more recently also by unpredictable global pandemics) that may transform some of our daily practices. Transformations, that need not to be dramatic, but on the contrary may disrupt our habits for a better living on this planet, enhancing the sense of community, humanity, care and the quality of social interactions. Designers, as always, will have a crucial role in conceiving products and services that support people in this changing environment.

Climate change is already affecting people and lifestyles. Some regions are already experiencing extreme weather events while others are just starting to perceive some transformations. In the next decades there seems to be little doubt that most cities around the world will have to adapt and attempt to mitigate some of the conditions that are emerging.

Independently of how societies, governments and politics will react to these changes and whether actions are being taken to transform societies for the better in order to tackle global warming and face future uncertainties, the change in climatic conditions will be present and will most probably determine some of the daily practices of people and their material culture. New products will emerge as new living conditions and new practices are developed which in turn will drive new services.

Students will be asked to imagine and design some of the products and services that will populate their/our homes in 15 years time. We are setting the date of 2036 as our environment, a date close enough for everyone to imagine themselves and far enough to see some more changes in environmental, technological, political and social conditions.

Expected outcomes

INNOVATION STUDIO encourages students to develop a professional and holistic approach to Products Service System Design. It provides a methodology that integrates research, design and prototyping, project development and implementation. On completing the studio students are expected to be able to:

_Research the contexts of use and verify potential customers’ demand.

_Work within open-ended frameworks, requiring self-reliance and risk-evaluation.

_Have a robustly iterative design development process that integrates analytical competencies, deployment of team skills, concept exploration, experimentation, advanced manufacture, communication and presentation.

_Understand the opportunities, principles and practice of new manufacturing technologies and related design disciplines.

_Assume responsibility for self-directed learning, time management, work rate, management of team skills and achievement of learning outcomes.

NOTES: PS1 and PS2 are twin courses. Lectures will be given to the two sections together. All exam sessions are joint as well as outdoor experiences

There are no pre-requisites for attendance.

On going project review will be the basis of the final exam evaluation There will be three steps of evaluation of the team work during the semester: the preliminary research phase, the concept development phase and the prototyping and project development phase, which will all contribute to the final evaluation.