Year-long study of Italian design, specifically in Rome, Florence, Milan, and the Tuscan hilltowns, through in-field ethnographic research and interviews with top designers and design studios.
To understand Italian innovation in art, design, culture, and architecture, so that we can apply what we've learned to our own design processes, and then pass on our knowledge and experiences to future groups.
1) Researcher — Interviewed residents of Rome, Pitigliano, and Florence, to understand their distinct lifestyle patterns.
2) Videographer — Filmed every moment for use in our research.
1) Observed patterns in architecture using A Pattern Language.
2) Collected data with inspiration from IDEO's Method Cards.
3) Documented with video.
1) Synthesized raw interview data into presentations.
2) Edited footage for use in the short films and the hour-long photo/video/motion slideshow.
A series of presentations, information models, videos, photographs, and research papers, all housed in the Italia Design website.
January-May 2008 — Brainstorming, researching, all-nighters, and presentations.
Tuscan hill town information model — Example of the type of prep work we did before the trip.
Roman youth — Kiks, Rob, and I interview young graffiti artists in Testaccio, a working-class district in Rome. (Photo: Robert Wesley White). For the full interview and other research tidbits from Testaccio, click here.
The Pitigliano Team — Kiks Chua, Azmina Karimi, me, and Yoshi Shinto, the lead research team for Pitigliano (pictured behind us). (Photo: Kiks Chua)
Last minute prep — Before we enter the town, I hand out role assignments and maps to the entire group. (Photo: Simon Shum)
The artists — We meet a group of installation artists who give us insight into youth culture in Pitigliano, a predominately senior town. (Photos: Kiks Chua). For the full interview, along with interviews with other local Pitiglianese, click here.
The result — 4 months of pre-trip research, 2 months of in-field work, and 4 months of post-trip polishing, all packed into one large, comprehensive website containing all of our presentations, videos, interviews, photos, and papers. Click here to visit.
