Design thinking, from theory to practice, with the first Tool Course of P3 – OFFICINAE RAISE

On March 28, 2025, at 9:00 am, at Talent Garden, Giardini Baltimora 1, the first of the three Tool Courses of the P3 – OFFICINAE RAISE project, an integral part of the RAISE Training Program, coordinated by Spoke 5, was successfully held.

The course included an initial introduction by Nicoletta Buratti (UniGe), Miriam Molinari (IIT, Spoke 5) and Francesco Vitellaro (UniGe), followed by a lesson on Design Thinking, by Danilo Rolle (Creative Lead and Design Manager with experience in agencies, multinationals and start-ups) and Simone Arecco (Digital Products & Experience Design Director of the Global Marketing team of Costa Crociere).

The two teachers presented the importance of seeing the design process as a form of communication, between those who design and those who then use digital services and products. They then highlighted the theme of creating stories and therefore the storytelling techniques.

Design thinking was then presented as an approach and a non-linear method, to generate new ideas and solve problems. Various tools available to creative groups were illustrated, from the ideation phase to the user test phase, with users in real contexts.

After this theoretical and methodological part, Francesco Boano (Chief Technology Officer of Next 14) described some application cases of design thinking in the high-tech sector, with a focus on applications related to artificial intelligence, for example in the shopping sector and the analysis of data on consumer behavior.

The second part of the course was dedicated to a practical design thinking activity. Alessandro Cricchio (CEO of Talent Garden Genova) and Matteo Camia (Founder & CEO of Fancy Factory) introduced the activity on practical cases and the students, divided into teams, received their support in the role of mentor. The activities were also supported by additional experts: Riccardo Prosperi (CFO and Innovation Manager of Talent Garden Genova and co-founder of Boschi Vivi) and Paolo Guria (founder and CEO of UnconventionalMinds).

The various cases were inspired by the needs and technological solutions that emerged within the RAISE project, organized by Spokes.

The course ended at 6 pm, but with the possibility for students to continue working on site in the spaces of Talent Garden Genova.