Insegnamento a.a. 2025-2026

The course develops around two main themes.

Innovation through Ethnography

·         Understanding how ethnographic observation and human-centered research can fuel innovation.

·         Detect key trends, set scenarios and action plans.

·         Mapping needs, behaviors, and cultural signals to identify new opportunity spaces.

·         Translating field insights into concepts, prototypes, and emerging business models.

·         Tools and frameworks for exploring, framing, and validating ideas in uncertain contexts.

Entrepreneurial and Corporate Innovation

·         How to transform ideas into structured innovation processes and new ventures.

·         The difference between incremental innovation, radical innovation, and organizational transformation.

·         How established firms can build internal incubators and innovation platforms, separating exploration from exploitation.

·         The role of leadership, organizational culture, and experimentation in enabling continuous innovation.

• Understand how innovation emerges within both new ventures and established organizations.
• Recognize the principles and value of ethnography and human-centered research in identifying unmet needs and opportunity spaces.
• Comprehend the different phases of the innovation journey, from insight generation to business model definition and organizational integration.

• Apply ethnographic and observation-based methods to uncover user insights and translate them into innovation concepts.
• Design and structure innovation processes and incubator models inside organizations.
• Develop strategic and creative thinking skills to turn insights into actionable business opportunities.
• Use innovation tools and frameworks to experiment, prototype, and validate new ideas in dynamic and uncertain environments.

• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

Business cases are discussed to identify theoretical frameworks from real situations, therefore students are expected to read the assigned cases prior to the related sessions so to engage in active discussions in the class. Students will take part in a team project that will require them to develop a business idea in the digital domain and some key elements of the business plan.

In addition to face-to-face lectures, case studies, and interactive class activities, we expect to have guest speakers to share their experiences on digital entrepreneurship.

ATTENDING STUDENTS

To be attending students is necessary to attend minimum 75% of classes in presence.

Interaction is key to maximize learning within the course. Attendance is recommended and class interaction and participation will be evaluated. Students are also required to take part in a team project which will make up part (70%) of the final grade. A final written exam will evaluate students' overall understanding of the topics (30%). The final grade will be computed as follows:

Class participation will be evaluated at the team level. Students are expected to divide into self-formed teams of 3 to 5 students. Each team needs to pick a name and elect a team spokesman, to whom the instructors will address any specific communication. During the course, the instructors will evaluate class participation based on the voluntary contribution of teams to class discussion.

Design Thinking is a dynamic and innovative problem-solving approach that empowers individuals to address complex challenges creatively. Students embark on a transformative journey that goes beyond conventional problem-solving methodologies. The primary learning purposes and outcomes from such a course are:

1.Creative Problem Solving. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking equips students with the ability to approach problems with a creative mindset.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students can be evaluated based on their capacity to generate unique solutions, demonstrating a departure from traditional problem-solving approaches.

2. Empathy and Human-Centric Solutions. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking emphasizes understanding and empathizing with end-users to create solutions that truly meet their needs.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment. Evaluation may include assessing how well students integrate user perspectives into their proposed solutions and whether empathy is a driving force in their designs.

3. Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Skills. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking fosters collaboration, encouraging students to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students can be evaluated on their ability to collaborate, communicate, and integrate diverse perspectives into their design processes.

4. Iterative Prototyping. Learning Purpose: Iterative prototyping is a key aspect, allowing students to refine and improve their solutions through continuous feedback.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students might be assessed on their iterative approach, understanding how well they incorporate feedback and evolve their designs over successive iterations.

5. User Feedback Incorporation. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking teaches students to value user feedback as a crucial component of the design process.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Evaluation could focus on the effectiveness of students' mechanisms for gathering user feedback and their demonstrated commitment to refining designs based on this feedback.

6. Complex Problem Decomposition. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking involves breaking down complex problems into manageable components for analysis.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students can be assessed on their ability to deconstruct complex challenges, identifying key elements and relationships in a given problem.

7. Communication of Design Concepts. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking emphasizes the importance of clear and compelling communication of design concepts.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Evaluation may include assessing students' presentations, reports, or visualizations, focusing on how well they communicate their ideas to various stakeholders.

In the final written exam, questions can be designed to assess these specific learning outcomes, ensuring that students not only grasp the theoretical concepts of Design Thinking but can also apply them in practical problem-solving scenarios, allowing students to showcase their acquired skills and understanding of Design Thinking principles.

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Assessment of non-attending students is based on an individual project (50%) and a final written exam (50%) that probes the studentʼs understanding of the concepts inherent to the methodology of Design Thinking.

Design Thinking is a dynamic and innovative problem-solving approach that empowers individuals to address complex challenges creatively. Students embark on a transformative journey that goes beyond conventional problem-solving methodologies. The primary learning purposes and outcomes from such a course are:

1.Creative Problem Solving. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking equips students with the ability to approach problems with a creative mindset.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students can be evaluated based on their capacity to generate unique solutions, demonstrating a departure from traditional problem-solving approaches.

2. Empathy and Human-Centric Solutions. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking emphasizes understanding and empathizing with end-users to create solutions that truly meet their needs.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment. Evaluation may include assessing how well students integrate user perspectives into their proposed solutions and whether empathy is a driving force in their designs.

3. Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Skills. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking fosters collaboration, encouraging students to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students can be evaluated on their ability to collaborate, communicate, and integrate diverse perspectives into their design processes.

4. Iterative Prototyping. Learning Purpose: Iterative prototyping is a key aspect, allowing students to refine and improve their solutions through continuous feedback.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students might be assessed on their iterative approach, understanding how well they incorporate feedback and evolve their designs over successive iterations.

5. User Feedback Incorporation. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking teaches students to value user feedback as a crucial component of the design process.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Evaluation could focus on the effectiveness of students' mechanisms for gathering user feedback and their demonstrated commitment to refining designs based on this feedback.

6. Complex Problem Decomposition. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking involves breaking down complex problems into manageable components for analysis.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Students can be assessed on their ability to deconstruct complex challenges, identifying key elements and relationships in a given problem.

7. Communication of Design Concepts. Learning Purpose: Design Thinking emphasizes the importance of clear and compelling communication of design concepts.

Teamwork and final Exam Assessment: Evaluation may include assessing students' presentations, reports, or visualizations, focusing on how well they communicate their ideas to various stakeholders.

In the final written exam, questions can be designed to assess these specific learning outcomes, ensuring that students not only grasp the theoretical concepts of Design Thinking but can also apply them in practical problem-solving scenarios, allowing students to showcase their acquired skills and understanding of Design Thinking principles.

• Handouts distributed throughout the course.
• Cases as in the syllabus.
• Readings as in the syllabus.
• Suggested reading: the textbook will be communicated at the beginning of the course.

• The textbook will be communicated at the beginning of the course (it is mandatory and will substitute for Handout materials).
• Cases as in the syllabus.
• Readings as in the syllabus.