Francesca Tosi

The 'beautiful and well-made', the 'know-how', identify a quality that finds its basis and uniqueness in the synthesis between experience and creative ability, between knowledge of materials and processes and capacity for innovation, between individual knowledge, relationship with the territory and integration of local skills. This quality represents not only the irreplaceable heritage of artistic craftsmanship and artisan workshops, known throughout the world for the excellence and uniqueness of their products, but also the foundation of a large part of the Italian production system. Artisan knowledge combined with entrepreneurial skills is, in fact, the original core of the many small and medium-sized companies that are still today an essential component of the Italian production fabric; companies that have long been able to establish themselves internationally thanks to the quality of their products and the versatility of their production. This is the combination of knowledge, creative skills and individual experience rooted in manufacturing tradition – which we can define as industrial craftsmanship – on which the tradition of Made in Italy production and its capacity for innovation are based. This constitutes the heritage of excellence of luxury companies as well as large companies focused on innovation and design, and is widespread in a myriad of small and micro-enterprises with a strong presence in the territory. Working independently or on behalf of large companies, they are able to provide products and processes of excellence with a high level of quality and innovation, on which the competitiveness of the entire local production system depends.

In the current scenario imposed by the economic crisis and the need to rethink the organisation of production systems and relationships, we can identify some new trends that are potentially positive for the development of local systems and individual companies, in which design can act as a stimulus and enhance the potential for innovation that characterises local production systems and, in particular, production systems and companies traditionally oriented towards products of excellence. Design has long been recognised as a tool and driver of innovation, capable of guiding a company's choices both in the creation of new products and in its strategic decisions, particularly with regard to the company's position in the market and the definition of its lines of development, the services it offers and, finally, its customer relations.

The article deals with the relationship between design and artisan craftsmanship, in the context of the debate on technological and formal innovation in the sector of high-end craftsmanship and high-end production typical of Italian manufacturing. The focus is on the role of design as a driver of innovation and a strategic factor for the competitiveness of the production system and, in particular, the role of the human-centred design and design thinking approaches as strategies for the relaunch and innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises. The article concludes with a description of some educational and design experiments conducted in collaboration with artisan companies of excellence.

The search for new ways of fostering healthy lifestyles within our homes is one of the most complex challenges facing the manufacturers of electrical household appliances, or white goods. Such companies are steering their work towards the promotion of new trends within the framework of sustainability, interaction and energy efficiency. The spread of ICT enables the creation of communication systems that connect the domestic appliances to the users and to other appliances, thus enabling the development of new systems of interaction. This is the area of research in which the work presented here is inserted, illustrating the initial results of the POR CReO-FP7 “High Chest” project developed with Whirlpool Europe S.r.l. Manufacturers generally consider the chest freezer as a commodity, in other words a product that performs its functions but does not feature any particular characterisations connected with the producer company. Consequently, to date aspects such as competitive price and profit margin have been given priority over technological innovation and performance. The aim of the High Chest project was to develop a new family of chest freezers that would be innovative in terms of environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and the promotion of eco-efficient behaviour guided by good design. This contribution is focused on ergonomics and design, and more specifically on the user-centred design (UCD) approach and its methods of usability and safety evaluation. “Design is seen as a way of identifying and solving user problems [...]. User-centred design innovation stresses human needs, aspirations and abilities, and strives for holistic and visionary solutions”1. In order to foster eco-efficient behaviour and improve the use of the chest freezer, the characteristics and needs of the users were examined in relation to different profiles in terms of age, habits, capacities, limitations, physical size and the capacity for movement. Expert evaluation methods and methods based on the direct involvement of the users were applied for the definition and development of a new product.

The article deals with the topic of Design for Healthcare, with particular attention to the Home Care sector, framing it within the context of national and international research on the design of medical devices and products and equipment for healthcare and assistance. The theoretical and methodological reference points for the discussion are the Human Centred Design approach and evaluation and design methods based on user involvement.