bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Storytelling as a Tool to Design Museum Experiences: The Case of the Secret Marquise
Authors: Calvi Licia , Bargeman Bertine , Hover Moniek , van Waalwijk Juriaan , Strijbosch Wim , Mitas Ondrej 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis article describes how the 4 period rooms of the city museum in the Dutch town of Bergen op Zoom were redesigned using storytelling and how this design has been received by visitors. For this redesign, rooms were reframed as sets of the story of Marie Anne van Arenberg, Marquise of Bergen op Zoom, and the objects as props to stage her story, which was full of secrets and of unexpected turning points. The visitor is enticed to discover cues to unlock these secrets in order to get a grip on her story while exploring the museum space. This is however not a treasure hunt, nor simply a game, but an exploration in which visitors are invited to discover and to create meaning and a journey into what matters to them. To this end, they have indeed to resort to their own frame of reference and to their personal life story in order to come to a narrative closure at the end of their visit. We used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to understand the visitors’ lived experience, both emotionally and sensorially at different moments and situations during the story-driven experience and to understand how the chosen design helps tell the story and how visitors use their personal context and frame of reference to make sense of it.
Open Communication Design A Teaching Experience Based on Anti-disciplinarity, Thinkering and Speculation
Authors: Guida Francesco E. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis paper aims to present and discuss how the teaching of visual identity and experience design in Communication Design education may be developed within a speculative design framework. By adopting this approach, students can experience the ethics of design practice and explore alternative design values, forms, and representations. They become familiar with design as a problem-seeking and problem-finding practice, which encourages the development of concepts, scenarios, and results without any predetermined function. Assuming an open approach to final results and learning more about a design field to be intended as an open context with blurred borders.They base the project’s development on the principle of learning by doing, which consists of thinkering, making mistakes and repeatedly trying to improve the results and acquiring competencies and skills. This method pushes the students to experiment with visual expressions and user experiences between two and three dimensions. They could range among many techniques and technologies, from analog to digital ones. Consequently, each design had to be theoretically discussed and physically verified by making prototypes.By defining a design process and discussing the implications of an anti-disciplinary approach, the aim is to inquire how such framing may destabilise conservative methods and consolidate new practices into Communication Design learning.
Accessible Experiences. Designing Synaesthetic Access to Culture
Authors: Riccò Dina 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe experiences produced using environments, physical or cultural objects, change significantly in relation to the characteristics of the users, their skills and limits, as well as change in relation to the aesthetic preferences and the context of use, chosen according to the effectiveness and/or enjoyment of use.This text intends to address the issue of accessibility to a cultural asset in a museum context [12, 13], to highlight how designing a variety of experiential ways, of experiences based on different sensory registers, leads to broadening its accessibility also to users who, by necessity or by choice, they require specific conditions of use.The paper highlights and exemplifies – taking conventional cases and experiments conducted in the teaching of communication design – synaesthetic translations from the visual/figural to the auditory/verbal, and from the visual to the tactile applied to communicative artifacts, highlighting how the concept of translation – between sensory registers, between devices, between graphic formats – is the foundation of every experience that intends to be accessible.
Italian Cultural Institutions Across and Beyond Covid-19: Designing Digital Cultural Experiences in Extra-Ordinary Times
Authors: Bollati Ilaria , Morea Valeria , Antonucci Federica , Spanevello Marta 
Published: December 2023

AbstractCovid-19 has accelerated the digital transformation of cultural institutions. They have tackled the temporary shutdowns of their spaces shaping digital cultural experiences, to go beyond their ‘walls’ and enter their audiences’ homes with the aim of fostering existing relationships or creating new ones. Focusing on Italy, this research poses the question: how has the pandemic changed the design of cultural experiences? The five case studies track the evolution of cultural experiences during the health emergency. The assumption is that the pandemic has shaped the supply side as much as the demand, generating possibilities and scenarios for cultural experiences that could coexist with traditional modes. The cases are selected and interpreted based on a survey conducted from July 2020 to January 2021. The results suggest that online and onsite cultural experiences are converging, with important implications for accessibility and inclusion.
Material Objects as Dispositive of Memory
Authors: Haidamous Toufic 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis manuscript narrates a pedagogic experience in a Furniture Design course at the American University in the Emirates (AUE). Senior students enrolled in the Interior Design Program tackled a studio project which was about designing a piece of furniture inspired by a pavilion of their choice pertaining to Dubai World Expo 2020. The direct learning outcomes were assessed through technical drawings and three-dimensional printed physical models scaled one tenth proceeded by real scale prototypes of the chairs. The indirect outcomes are considering these material objects, the furniture items, as tools of memory, holding symbolic and cultural connotations. The design process would allow a space of reflection on contemporary practices and rethink prototypes as tools for analysis and research. Beyond functionality and aesthetics, objects become means of communicating personal findings, translating urban, architectural, cultural, and social attributes. This research will demonstrate through combined research strategies how products of the real and the imaginary give material form to memory.
Designer and AR Technology: The Relationships Between the User and Virtual
Authors: de Feo Antonio , Casarotto Luca 
Published: December 2023

AbstractA good communication strategy of an artefact must connect a multitude of elements, both in terms of content and shape, and make them become a vehicle between the company and the consumer. The proposed contribution, resulting from the “Meta 4.0” research, suggests an exploration of innovative methodologies, tools and technologies to communicate and sell a product. In the context of the Industry 4.0 aims, the proposal is that technologies associated with the virtualisation of scenarios and products - augmented and virtual reality - can be useful tools and possibilities for achieving the required aim. In fact, the adoption of augmented and virtual reality technology in the context of communication would facilitate cognitive processing on the part of buyers, making them more interested in a product. The contribution explores the practice of vision through transformative technologies as a relational, cognitive and sensory expertise, attributing to the designer the role of interlocutor in the dimension of the visual imaginary in the duality between virtual and real. Therefore, designing the virtual in an incessant desire to find innovative experiential dimensions with the media, to make visible the centrality of the individual in the relationship between subject and transformative technology. The practice of vision refers to the actual conditions of viewing, including the social conditions of perception, which are the subject of anthropological research. The aim is to present the basis of a theorised language that defines possible intervention scenarios for the figure of the designer within the design of the intangible image.
Collaborative Dialogues Between Souvenirs and Territories: From Evocative Objects to Experience-Objects
Authors: Parente Marina 
Published: December 2023

AbstractEnhancing the widespread cultural heritages of our territories is not only a moral imperative and respect for the values established over time but an increasingly felt need to direct local development towards more sustainable strategies for the environment and communities.The culture of design, especially in Italy, has questioned what its disciplinary contribution can be, in addition to the specialist approaches such as exhibition, communication or lighting design. In national financed research carried out precisely on these themes (D.Cult research: Design for the enhancement of cultural heritage. Project strategies, tools, and methodologies, 2002/04), two elements emerged that managed to briefly define the operational and strategic characteristics of design in this field: the planning of experiences and relationships [1].In this contribution, the attention is to the role of souvenirs in these systems: from iconic objects, often of low material and aesthetic quality, they can instead play a significant role in the processes of use and design-driven enhancement [2].From an evolved perspective, designing a souvenir means establishing a synergistic and cohesive relationship with the territories and their values. Not only with the tangible cultural aspects of the natural and artificial landscape, historical and artistic testimonies, and material culture but also with the rich intangible heritage made up of knowledge, traditions, and know-how [3, 4]. And it can take on different roles in product, storytelling, communication strategy and activation of experiences.In this way, the souvenir becomes a “touchpoint” of a territorial development strategy that relates different cultural systems and brings value to local economic and production chains, even those not directly linked to tourism, such as the many forms of material and cultural production, typical of that context [5–7].Through analyzing some exemplary case studies and presenting some design experiences, we will draw a map of the possible “connective” roles of meaning and actions that a new generation of souvenirs could interpret.
Design Narrative
Authors: Trocchianesi Raffaella 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe narrative vocation of design represents a crucial key for the interpretation of some contemporary cultural expressions such as making history, representing through different media, archiving and exhibiting.This essay explores narratives in three different “dimensions”: narrative as a scenario (that envisions new contexts, behaviours, uses, spaces); narrative as a tool (that creates new ways of triggering innovation), narrative as a process (that codifies methodologies dealing with complex issues).Narrative – be it implicit or explicit - is at the basis of all design interventions as a story is an authorising device, a tool able to systematise each element and direct it to a specific direction.Creating the strategies for a story as a design infrastructure means generating attention and stimulating memory, as narratives trigger curiosity and cognitive participation in the audience.Words and pictures are at the basis of imagination, as they design means for envisioning what is not there yet: conversations, dialogues, verbal and visual texts. Cognitive artefacts are media devices able to articulate a narrative repertoire and foster the process of innovation.
The Role of Infographics in the Representation of Design Research
Authors: Cristallo Vincenzo , Mariani Miriam 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis paper examines what the “narrative task” of Communication Design, in its infographic declination, may be in the different stages of “doing research through design”. That is to say that - crossing simultaneously the fields of theory and praxis - design research is required to elaborate a visual language capable of coherently presenting the entirety of its development (from the meta-design to final products) made up of data processed in the ante, during and post phases. In other words, the actual, useful and inalienable results of doing research must fully include the communicative and visual design of its “process” that unfolds throughout its desk and field actions. The theme of the “representation of research” therefore becomes the core of the paper, which highlights how the descriptive development of the actions and manifestations of research proceeds through visual models known as process and result models. What is proposed, in fact, in this contribution, is a reflection on the visual models that describe research in its phases, through different tools such as scientific drawing, hypothetigraphy and infographic presentation, the latter to be understood as a conceptual and visual synthesis of complex processes.
From Narrative to Phygital. An Experimental Semantic Survey
Authors: Borsotti Marco 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe concept of narrative has radically changed how the content of events devoted to enhancing cultural heritage is offered. This evolution not only concerns the curatorial but also and above all the design aspects, with a revision of the very realization of exhibition environments. Within the design discipline of exhibition design, the narrative corresponds, therefore, to a conceptual principle of coordinated and relational habitability between space, content, and user, which is structured synchronously as scenario, tool, and process, and finds resonance in the implementation of digitized experiential modes.Where the narrative and the digital are integrated, the innovative concept of phygital exhibition design develops, based on their mutual interaction.Here, then, we elaborate on some key concepts and tools (paradigm shifts and semantic statements) whose interaction has generated and consolidated this new scenario, such as:- the narrative script;- the storytelling principle;- the action of transduction;- the added value of specification and articulation.
Making Value: Storydoing Actions for Cultural and Creative Industries
Authors: Colitti Simona , Liçaj Ami , Mehmeti Lorela , Vai Elena 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe paper develops a comparative analysis of the cultural and creative competencies within the educational offer of the University of Bologna, using multiple sources and tools. This contribution is based on the hypothesis that the narration around the value of the cultural and creative disciplines in academia needs to be critically reviewed. This path of observation, mapping, narration, and visualisation resulted in being consistent with the critical role that cultural and creative disciplines have played at the University of Bologna since the 1970s; by developing unprecedented educational models and impacting the territory through the generation of new economic models and the development of a diverse system of cultural and creative industries. The methodological approach of the research is based on a comparative analysis of the main documents regulating the cultural and creative economy on the international, national, and regional levels. The second stage of the research process was built on an explorative strategy based on desk analysis to create the dataset. The question arose about how to make a database accessible to a broader audience: the conclusions show that data visualisations, as a creative tool, can enable story-doing processes and thus create awareness and value.
Design in the Metamorphosis of Matter
Authors: De Chirico Michele 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThe contribution refers to the research topic of materials experience by framing a methodology related to the way materials are catalogued and interpreted in design.The study specifically concerns the design for the sustainable management of production residues in the tanning supply chain and is aimed at their semantic valorisation as material resources.Starting from the interpretation of by-products as the material legacy of a know-how, the valorisation takes place through the application of a specific method based on the definition of expressive-sensorial parameters. The project prefigures the prototype of a cataloguing system in the shape of a multi-level map.As a matrix of design possibilities belonging to a territorial culture, the tool intercepts values such as identity and recognisability of a know-how processes, whose by-products become evidence of it and represent the “material” of the project that acquires physical form in the tangible surface of the artefacts.
Counter-Narratives Against Gender-Based Violence. A Twofold Perspective on Choices in Interactive Dramas
Authors: Peracchi Sofia , Mariani Ilaria 
Published: December 2023

AbstractRegardless of the increasing number of initiatives and activist counter-narratives aimed at fighting the hetero-normative patriarchal beliefs, the current Italian social structure still justifies gender-based violence, while the number of abuses remains chiefly unaltered. Within such a complex framework, this study intends to advance the discussion on how IDNs can contribute to sensitive topics such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) to trigger social change, showing the relevance of involving its protagonists for better addressing such a complex and urgent issue, increasing the possibilities of encouraging positive shifts in ideals and behaviours. This study reports on the co-design of an IDN that involved both survivors and volunteers from an anti-violence centre, and how their engagement provided fundamental insights on the necessity to describe survivors’ struggles sensibly and invite bystanders to reconsider their opinion on gender-based violence victims. Building on procedural rhetoric and narrative immersion, the artefact targets non-victims, putting them in women’s shoes to emphasise how violence is never caused by the victim’s choices but by those of the perpetrator. Ultimately, the results of the testing on 83 people who assessed the artefact with pre- and post-experience questionnaires are presented and discussed, showing the IDN effectiveness in tackling the topic and creating a meaningful experience.
Puppets’ Tales. New Design Perspectives for a Multimedia Archive of a Humanity’s Intangible Heritage
Authors: Maselli Vincenzo 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn 2008 UNESCO has recognized Puppets as expressions of intangible cultural heritage and, since then, thirteen traditions from around the world have been included in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. In the last decades puppets have been object of study and cultural fascination. This paper aims at suggesting an unprecedented perspective in reading, displaying and narrating this priceless intangible cultural heritage, by both outlining its aesthetic, and symbolic values, and enhancing its processual and material features. These thoughts open a research path that applies the point of view and the tools of multimedia design to tell the narratives, the craft and production traditions of objects that have crossed the history of humanity. The aim is to create a multimedia archive filled with audiovisual artefacts produced by hybridizing documentary media (photographs, videos and interviews) with fictional productions (drawings, scripted dialogues and animated sequences). To test the validity of using hybrid languages and visual codes a didactic experiment will be described. Students of a Multimedia design class were asked to design an archive of audiovisual artefacts that stage under a new perspective the cultural roots, materials and production processes of a tradition worthy of being visually narrated.
Sustainable Mobility as a Sport
Authors: Schillaci Domenico , Di Dio Salvatore , Filippi Mauro 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn recent years many studies focused on steering behavioural change to face the climate crisis. A significant part of these opted to deal with mobility habits, i.e. prompting citizens towards more conscious and sustainable choices. One widely used approach involved game techniques to hack the habit loop by exploiting the similarities that keep players hooked. In this context, narrative can be key in engaging people’s emotions. It can facilitate the integration of game elements and emphasise the tension that arouses emotional reactions and fuels the desire to play. Several examples of games with distinct narratives exist in the context of individual mobility.After conducting several field research, it emerged that mere game mechanics of ‘prizes for sustainable travel’ would not have been able to generate lasting behavioural change besides severe scalability limitations.The proposed research originated from previous work and focused on creating an entirely novel narrative able to change the experience of moving around the city by leveraging those values that encourage people to rethink their daily choices. These reflections lead to MUV, a digital game that turns sustainable urban mobility into a sport and citizens into athletes competing in various disciplines such as walking, cycling or public transport. According to their performance, they can level up from amateur to professional, gaining fame and honours. This approach demonstrated significant engagement and impact results, particularly concerning CO2 savings. Therefore, the ‘mobility as a sport’ narrative proved crucial to involve citizens actively, make them feel part of a cohesive movement and nudge them to build greener and healthier habits.
Provocation Through Narratives: New Speculative Design Tools for Human-Non-Human Collaborations
Authors: Casnati Francesca , Ianniello Alessandro , Romani Alessia 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn a complex and changing world, design is called to act to nurture and provoke critical reflections regarding wicked, complex, and interconnected issues, becoming a sensemaking agent that, exploiting its speculative methods, uses narratives as an inquiry tool, as a co-design tool, and as a provocative tool. Through the presentation and analysis of a provotype designed by the authors, the research aims to define new speculative tools for human-non-human collaborations and highlight how design narratives may be involved within more-than-human discourses.
Designer as Drama Manager: Understanding the Roles of Narrative Within Design Processes for Change
Authors: Ciancia Mariana , Piredda Francesca , Bertolo Maresa 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis paper aims to propose and stimulate a critical debate on the multidisciplinary aspects of communication design, focusing on the contribution, mutual learning, and synergy of audiovisual storytelling, transmedia design, and game design. We assume the narratives as the common ground for developing design processes and practices for addressing complex socio-economic challenges.In particular, we focus on the role of design within inclusive and co-design processes proposing the narratives as a framework and the co-created stories as both contemporary cultural expressions and design practices. In light of case studies and examples from our research and educational experiences at the School of Design and Department of Design (Politecnico di Milano), we propose to look at the designer as the drama manager of the design processes, capable of facing the challenges of tomorrow. In doing so, we discuss the gap between authorship and agency that occurs whenever design operates in social innovation contexts, collaborating with non-designers – artists, experts in other disciplines, or people and communities at the margins of society.