Sustaining and enabling territorial resilience through making actions. The Make in Progress case study.

The recent evolution of production models within urban context shows a possible scenario characterized by new interactions between design-driven innovation, making, creativity and social innovation. The paper analyses this scenario combined with the idea of Territorial Capital as a model to study a specific territory (EU Leader Project; 1999)1 by looking at a case study : Make in Progress, which explores new models of interaction between creative industries, makers, DIY people, artisan and SMEs within urban area and industrial district. The goal of this paper is to analyze how the phenomenon of Open Creative Lab (Ibert, 2015)2 can contribute to the resilience of the territories and how unexpected localized creative communities could emerge. To answer this question the paper focuses on the relationship and the potential of social innovation and service design (Meroni-Sangiorgi,20113; Stickdorn-Schneider,20124) in the territorial enhancement processes, through the making. In this case, the making gets the role of enabler in development of the territorial capital (Arquilla-Bianchini-Maffei-Carelli,20145), becoming from a purpose, as it often happens in most of the process of creation of making places such as fablab and makerspaces (Walter,20146; Gershenfeld,20077), to a real opportunity to be used to make the most interesting characteristics of a territory emerge: people and their capabilities. In detail, the case study of MakeinProgress (MiP) will be analyzed as an applied case of this theory. MIP is born from a real opportunity from the territory: the architectural recovery of the space of a former Filanda, totally funded by local and supralocal authorities by a process of public financing, in the beginning started as incubator and later converted by the intervention of design. We analyzed the territory, defined possible scenario, verified the applicability of this scenario by isolating potential of the area, modified and adapted scenario to the real potential of territory coming to set up an experimental model of action (MiP as demo service). Thanks to this activities was demonstrate how a laboratory in the suburbs, a suburb that did not imagine a possible development in creativity, acts as empowering latent elements showing unexpected capabilities and resilience

UX Sustainability: an overview on the sustainability dimension of AI-infused Objects forming product-service ecosystems

This research aims to suggest a new design perspective to analyse the sustainability of an AI-infused object in its entirety. Before we present what AI-infused Objects are and how they form product-service ecosystems, secondly, we analyse the state of the arts of its sustainable dimension. The analysis of AI-infused objects should include: (1) the entire life cycle of the object, its social and economic impact; (2) the impact of the "digital soul" of the object; (3) the ecosystem analysis should also include all indirect impacts of the service, considering how users' behaviour changes when they come in contact with the artificial intelligence ecosystem. The research contributes to the design literature in two ways: (1) by raising awareness in designers on the effective impact of AI-infused Objects forming the product-service ecosystems, (2) by inviting designers to make this awareness concrete through User Experience Sustainability analysis and behavioural change strategies applied to persuasive technology

Empowering Locals Through Service Design and Social Innovation: The MakeinProgress Case Study

The society we live in today is undergoing a paradigm shift (Murray 2009). The crisis of the capitalist model is creating the need for certain social innovation processes (Murray et al. 2010, Manzini 2015). This paper presents an example of how social innovation and service design (Meroni and Sangiorgi 2012, Stickdorn and Schneider 2012) can promote local territories through making. We tested a “what-if ” situation to answer the following research questions: a) what kind of maker space could work in this territory; b) who are the potential users, and c) if making could increase the local territory’s appeal for social innovation. Using the method of action research (Stringer 2014, Stoecker 2012), we created a demonstration plan we refer to as demo service in order to experiment with different kinds of activities and areas of application. The MakeinProgress (MiP) project was then initiated. MiP was a case study of the way making could facilitate local development (Bianchini et al. 2014) with the aid of service design. MiP previewed the use and social function of an old filanda (textile mill) being restored thanks to public financing. The converted former mill was initially conceived of as a business incubator and was later adapted to fit local needs. The territory in question was unfamiliar with the dynamics of making, maker spaces, and social innovation. Service design was widely and practically used (i.e. open calls for ideas, workshops, space hacking, etc.), hence demonstrating what can be achieved when design positions itself as the intermediary between institutions and local communities. The action research methodology helped an awareness of the project to emerge and spread through the local territory, aiding the identification and training of a group of local citizens who could assume management of the space; it also helped shape the space according to local demands. Thanks to service design, the former mill became a place that allowed the community to promote new job opportunities, share ideas, and facilitate the creation of new businesses. MiP also enabled new collaborations between the creative community and pre-existing local companies, helping the latter to benefit from the community through exposure to new technologies and the cross-pollination of ideas

User experience design and sustainability of AI-infused objects.

AI-infused objects have become an integral part of the daily lives of an increasing number of users. While these objects offer undeniable benefits, they also raise concerns due to their environmental impact. This paper explores the characteristics of these objects and the ecosystem they create, presenting an interpretive model that examines three primary components: physical, digital, and usage. When it comes to ‘sustainability’, Design generally focuses on environmental impacts related to the physical component, while Engineering evaluates the impacts of the digital component. However, these assessments are often disconnected and fail to encompass the impacts associated with usage. The proposed approach seeks to integrate diverse methodologies to elicit the impacts related to the user experience and generate greater awareness already in the design phase

HMI design for a self-driving car. Integrated communication between the urban environment and a vehicle.

Tendenze sociali e tecnologiche stanno influenzando la mobilità urbana contribuendo alla trasformazione radicale del modo in cui le persone interagiscono con le città, introducendo un nuovo dinamismo urbano. L’analisi di queste tendenze ha portato alla definizione del progetto BASE5G (Broadband interfAces and services for Smart Environments enabled by 5G technologies) che mira a sfruttare il potenziale della connettività 5G per progettare ambienti urbani adattivi in cui le auto fanno parte di sistemi complessi e sono integrate nell’infrastruttura. Il paper analizza il processo di ricerca che unisce competenze multidisciplinari e collaborazione tra il settore accademico e industriale rappresentato dal Politecnico di Milano e da aziende del settore automobilistico e tecnologico. Il processo di ricerca ha definito un nuovo scenario di design per la mobilità urbana in cui l’auto è al centro del sistema urbano iper-connesso. Obiettivo l’obiettivo della ricerca è il riprogettare gli interni e il cruscotto di un’auto elettrica a guida autonoma, e lo sviluppare un’interfaccia uomo-macchina (HMI) in base alle esigenze di un servizio di mobilità condivisa sfruttando il potenziale delle tecnologie disponibili. Con la diffusione della guida autonoma e il conseguente spostamento dell’attenzione del conducente dalla strada, l’esperienza in auto cambierà completamente. Pertanto, il progetto esplora nuove interazioni ripensando l’HMI dell’auto per fornire un’esperienza utente (UX) integrata. Il paper presenta il processo progettuale e i risultati dalla ricerca in un contesto d’ibridazione delle competenze che funge da catalizzatore per nuovi scenari progettuali.Social and technological trends influence urban mobility and can radically transform the way people interact with mobility, introducing a new urban dynamism. The analysis of these trends led to the BASE5G project (Broadband interfAces and services for Smart Environments enabled by 5G technologies), which aims to exploit the potential of 5G connectivity to design adaptive urban environments where cars are part of complex systems and integrated into the infrastructure. The paper aims to analyse the research process that combines multidisciplinary competencies through a collaboration between the academic and industrial sectors represented by Politecnico di Milano and companies in the automotive and technological fields. The research process has defined a new design scenario for urban mobility in which the car is the main touchpoint. Therefore, the project result was to redesign the interior and dashboard of an electric and self-driving car, develop a human-machine interface (HMI) designed according to the needs of a shared mobility service and exploit the potential of available technologies. Under fully autonomous driving and by shifting the driver’s attention away from the road, the in-car experience will change completely. Therefore, the project explores new interactions by rethinking the car’s HMI to provide a seamless user experience. The paper presents the limitations and opportunities of the design process and highlights how research pushes the drivers of innovation and exploits a context in which the hybridisation of competencies acts as a catalyst for defining new design scenarios

What explains ethnic organizational violence? Evidence from Eastern Europe and Russia

Why do some ethnopolitical organizations use violence? Research on substate violence often uses the state level of analysis, or only analyzes groups that are already violent. Using a resource mobilization framework drawn from a broad literature, we test hypotheses with new data on hundreds of violent and non-violent ethnopolitical organizations in Eastern Europe and Russia. Our study finds interorganizational competition, state repression and strong group leadership associated with organizational violence. Lack of popularity and holding territory are also associated with violence. We do not find social service provision positively related to violence, which contrasts with research on the Middle East

MAGIC Upper Limits for two Milagro-detected, Bright Fermi Sources in the Region of SNR G65.1+0.6

We report on the observation of the region around supernova remnant G65.1+0.6 with the stand-alone MAGIC-I telescope. This region hosts the two bright GeV gamma-ray sources 1FGL J1954.3+2836 and 1FGL J1958.6+2845. They are identified as GeV pulsars and both have a possible counterpart detected at about 35 TeV by the Milagro observatory. MAGIC collected 25.5 hours of good quality data, and found no significant emission in the range around 1 TeV. We therefore report differential flux upper limits, assuming the emission to be point-like (<0.1 deg) or within a radius of 0.3 deg. In the point-like scenario, the flux limits around 1 TeV are at the level of 3 % and 2 % of the Crab Nebula flux, for the two sources respectively. This implies that the Milagro emission is either extended over a much larger area than our point spread function, or it must be peaked at energies beyond 1 TeV, resulting in a photon index harder than 2.2 in the TeV band.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Yogo: a Hybrid Toy-System for children with DCD

In the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) several researchers suggested that Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs), due to their “hands-on” nature, have a great potential to support children’s learning experience [1]. For this reason, the literature of recent years has highlighted the development of a new trend characterized by an increasing number of toys that provide a more seamless bridge between the physical and digital worlds [2]. These toys, defined as hybrid, instead of moving away from the material aspects towards a digital and immaterial dimension, combine the digital and physical dimensions to enrich the user experience [3]. This research aims to study a design system capable to merge the world of medical devices and recreational products, exploring the usefulness of hybrid toys and TUI in a therapeutic field. The overall aim is proposing a reflection from a design perspective, capable to build accessible and inclusive systems designed for children with special needs. To this end, this paper describes Yogo, an hybrid Toy-System designed for children with dyspraxia, also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder

DESIGNING TANGIBLE TASKS FOR AUTISM PEOPLE: NADI

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have different sensory stimuli that cause difficulties managing the tasks they need to do to sustain their daily lives such as how to communicate, how to respond, and even how to dress or cook. These sensitivities become their characteristics for their whole life even if they take proper education in the early period of their childhood. That’s why it is essential to have an understanding of how people with ASD interpret the world and view people and objects around them. Tangible user interfaces may assist them to interpret the world by using physical forms of intangible knowledge since it helps them to capture the environment around them. For this reason, the interaction between the people with ASD and tangible user interfaces are examined based on the two foundational theories; Self-Determination Theory and Sensory Integration Theory, together with the TEACHH method. Then, user research was made firstly by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews with autism people as well as educators who work with them and their family members. Then, workshops were made and key project findings were defined from an analysis of what had been observed and recorded. As a result, NADI is designed to provide an approach as a solution of the task management device for daily tasks to facilitate dealing with them, by using digitized physical interaction to improve people's autonomy together with helping them overcome anxiety/stress originated by routine breakdowns or unfamiliar situations