Creativity and Design

Course Goals

In line with the general educational objectives of the degree course, the course aims to provide students with

• An operational definition of the concepts of creativity, design, strategy and innovation
• The tools to develop and practically use individual and group creativity
• The characteristics, constraints and processes of design
• The function of innovation in corporate competition
• The design strategy models
• The use of design strategy for product and process innovation

Course Objectives

• Preparatory phase to operationally define the guiding themes of the course,
• The most common methodologies for managing creative processes: the different types of brainstorming, thinking styles (from divergence and convergence processes to design thinking), morphological analysis, lateral thinking, affinity maps, etc. these methodologies will be applied through practical exercises, paying attention to the conditions that facilitate or limit individual and group creativity.
• The relationship between creativity and design can be developed on several levels that will be proposed and explored:
  • Creativity for the formal definition of a product
  • Creativity aimed at the supply system by integrating technologies and functional research
  • Creativity applied to different approaches to design to achieve strategic innovations
• Design Strategy will be deepened through the discussion of cases, and will be applied through a multivariable exercise "Housing models: from the profile of possible users to the layout and integrated services".

Teaching Methods

• Lectures
• Critical discussion of the topics covered
• Discussion of cases
• Group projects

Assessment

• Group work (70%)
• Written exam with closed questions (30%)