Papers by Margherita Pillan
The role of ethnography in design is amply recognized, especially in the creation of innovative s... more The role of ethnography in design is amply recognized, especially in the creation of innovative solutions, such as those requiring an active involvement of final users, and in the creation of digital products and services. On the other hand, observation on field is a delicate activity that, to be fertile and inspiring, requires empathic connection with the context, and no anxiety to get to conclusions. The paper discusses some critical factors of teaching and performing ethnography in design, and proposes an innovative approach suitable in design and education. It also reports the design insights produced by an extensive observation of human behaviours in domestic environments, aimed to investigate daily activities, and based on this approach. The research focuses on functional and emotional/affective factors of experience at home; it also investigates attitudes and values of Italian users with respect to technology based innovation. The results refer to the realm of home automation.
Volume 2: 41st Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (CIE), 2021
The practice of treating phobias with Virtual Reality-based therapies is a well-established field... more The practice of treating phobias with Virtual Reality-based therapies is a well-established field. Understanding the level of realism required by the therapy to be most effective is an essential matter of study. This research aims to explore the effects of visual realism on the emotional response in subjects with social phobia when exposed to VR-based applications. Social phobias are triggered by the presence of other people, which translated into virtual environments, refers to avatars. Our hypothesis is that patients with social phobia experience different emotional response to humanlike avatars compared to people without social phobia. To try the hypothesis, a prototype-based survey is conducted. Three types of avatars are implemented with different levels of human likeness: low, medium, and high. The analysis of the collected data suggests that for people with social phobias the anxiety is lowest for avatars with high levels of human likeness. This result is in direct contrast w...
The paper concerns how service design is developing as a field, and calls for new paradigms for s... more The paper concerns how service design is developing as a field, and calls for new paradigms for social organization as well as new models for human-to-human interaction. The authors present and discuss the key themes and contributions presented at the conference ServDes 2018 concerning the role of community building in service design (track 7). We reflect on expectations for the call in light of the contributions received. The paper provides an overview of different perspectives in the contributions, including case studies on local and global design experiences and theoretical issues. A main concern is the changing role of the designer in terms of fostering community and identities through meaning-making in service design practice. In conclusion, there is a review of the challenges facing community-oriented designers, along with discussion on the changing paradigms for service design and humanto-human models of interaction.
Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 2019
The series "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" contains publications on theory, appli... more The series "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" contains publications on theory, applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics, business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the areas of modern intelligent systems and computing such as: computational intelligence, soft computing including neural networks, fuzzy systems, evolutionary computing and the fusion of these paradigms, social intelligence, ambient intelligence, computational neuroscience, artificial life, virtual worlds and society, cognitive science and systems, Perception and Vision, DNA and immune based systems, self-organizing and adaptive systems, e-Learning and teaching, human-centered and human-centric computing, recommender systems, intelligent control, robotics and mechatronics including human-machine teaming, knowledge-based paradigms, learning paradigms, machine ethics, intelligent data analysis, knowledge management, intelligent agents, intelligent decision making and support, intelligent network security, trust management, interactive entertainment, Web intelligence and multimedia. The publications within "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" are primarily proceedings of important conferences, symposia and congresses. They cover significant recent developments in the field, both of a foundational and applicable character. An important characteristic feature of the series is the short publication time and worldwide distribution. This permits a rapid and broad dissemination of research results.
Proceedings of the Conference on Design and Semantics of Form and Movement - Sense and Sensitivity, DeSForM 2017, Oct 18, 2017
The paper investigates some critical issues connected to the digitalization of products and syste... more The paper investigates some critical issues connected to the digitalization of products and systems for the domestic environments involving the collection of personal data. The research focuses on the most innovative solutions, such as those based on AI algorithms for speech recognition, IoTs, wearable devices, cloud computing, and the use of smart phones and devices. These solutions require and imply the collection of personal data and their local or remote processing. The paper provides a design-oriented discussion on the features of smart products with respect to the consequences of design choices on complex dimensions of experience such as sense of self, privacy, and personal identity. The paper aims to set out the terms of a discussion about the most critical factors of services and systems involving personal data, and to create references on the responsibilities of designers acting in multidisciplinary project teams. The research is based on ethnography at home and on a critical discussion about case studies. The results highlight the importance of considering privacy and control issues in the design of smart solutions and provide some pointers to be used in the development of smart solutions for home.
2017 IEEE 3rd International Forum on Research and Technologies for Society and Industry (RTSI), Sep 1, 2017
The use of questionnaires at the end of a specific task only evaluates what is expressed by the c... more The use of questionnaires at the end of a specific task only evaluates what is expressed by the conscious mind and, therefore, cannot give a complete representation of the individual's emotional state. By adding data from physiological measures, such as cerebral activity, skin conductance, heart rate and gaze position, more accurate information about cognitive engagement and emotional responses to a given task could be provided. This study aims to evaluate participants' emotional (arousal, valence) and cognitive (memorization effort, attention, pleasantness) responses toward two videos, through the integration of above cited measures. Our findings show that the two tested videos produce two different unconscious reactions (one video causes a significantly higher increase in heart rate and the other one requires higher memorization effort), while producing similar conscious responses (no statistically significant differences were found by analyzing questionnaires' answers). Further, eye tracking device provided a way to investigate reasons behind these differences. The results show that the integration of self-reported and biological measures with eye tracking data could effectively help to understand emotional and cognitive responses during video observation.
The International Journal of Sustainability Education, 2014
In the last decades, Europe has been through important socioeconomic changes and has seen an impo... more In the last decades, Europe has been through important socioeconomic changes and has seen an important influx of incoming immigrants and migrant workers. The paper presents on the case of Italian society, aiming to underline the impact that foreign incoming communities have on the traditional Italian system. The approach of intercultural learning will be introduced, arguing that responsible services supported by communication strategies can strengthen social cohesion and enable the creation of a sustainable hybrid culture. The main question asked is how designers can contribute with their expertise in this process? The argument will be sustained by presenting the case of a service design course in which Master level students from Politecnico di Milano had to work with local NGO's that offer various services to foreigners. The objective of the course was to develop services to support the intercultural dialog. The conclusion explains how traditional cultures have to open up to incoming changes in order to become sustainable. In this respect, the starting point in preventing cultural clashes is to educate the young generation how to negotiate the balance between local cultural heritage and foreign influences through intercultural dialogue.
Traditionally the creative flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992, 1997, 1999) in visual design is linked t... more Traditionally the creative flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992, 1997, 1999) in visual design is linked to the drawing pencils, paper and the drawing board. This practice of getting accustomed with the tools of the trade was part of the designer’s life, shaping their perception of the surrounding environment. This strict link to the use of specific tools is nowadays changed by the computer software, which enables even non-professional designers to have access to sophisticated graphic tools. The intense creative activity that fused together the tool with its user is now decomposed in actions and procedures subordinated to the constraints given by computer. Several literatures have underlined the relation between the computer and its users, focusing on the interpretation of the computer’s usage within the constraints of the defined computer tasks (Winograd and Flores, 1986) (Suchman, 1987). Moreover working within the framework of activity theory, Beguin and Rabardel (2001) emphasize the cont...
Applied Physics A Solids and Surfaces, 1989
Capacitance DLTS measurements have been performed in VPE GaAs MESFETs prepared on Bridgman Cr-dop... more Capacitance DLTS measurements have been performed in VPE GaAs MESFETs prepared on Bridgman Cr-doped and LEC undoped semi-insulating substrates. A band of electron traps not intrinsically related to the VPE growth process and accumulating near the metal (gate)-semiconductor interface was detected in all the sampIes. Deeper regions into the channel were free from any detectable trap. Near pinch-off conditions, a positive capacitance signal was found to dominate the DLTS spectra only in the case of samples prepared on Cr-doped substrates. The hypothesis of this positive transient being related to changes in the occupation of surface states in the ungated surface access regions has been checked by comparing experimental and calculated dependencies of the signal amplitude on reverse gate voltage. Unexplained discrepancies, together with the absence of positive signal in MESFETs prepared on LEC undoped substrates, suggest the possibility of hole emission from hole traps within the bulk of the device.
This paper analyses the contribution offered to the different domains of fashion design by techno... more This paper analyses the contribution offered to the different domains of fashion design by technological innovation, and it focuses on the aesthetic and formal effects due to the adoption of high-techs in product solutions, on the trends induced by the pervasive adoption of new technologies, on the related transformation of needs and social behaviours. The technological solutions under exam include innovative fabrics, some wearable devices, and electronics based wearable products. Through the analysis of some emblematic garments and products available in the market, the authors highlight how the fashion world is not able yet to fully exploit the many possibilities offered by technological innovation, and some formal limits of the existing design approaches. Advanced technologies have not yet unleashed the creative skills and imagination of fashion designers; some style clichés seem to frame the industry and hinder the creation of new formal languages and products. On the other hand,...
The read-out of cryogenic detectors for nuclear and particle physics, requires compatible front-e... more The read-out of cryogenic detectors for nuclear and particle physics, requires compatible front-end electronics operating at low temperature. GaAs MESFETs exhibit suitable DC and noise characteristics at the temperatures of interest (77 K and 4 K). Since at cryogenic temperatures the electrical characteristics of the GaAs MESFETs differ significantly from those typical of 300K, a new model must be developed to employ computer circuit simulation during the design.
Advancements in technology enable cross-device interactions and the creation of complex ecosystem... more Advancements in technology enable cross-device interactions and the creation of complex ecosystems of Internet of Things (IoT). Networked systems support the creation of services for multiple purposes such as smart transportation, health care, wellbeing. The spreading of services based on personal data is shaping current socio-technical systems; it induces innovations that are changing everyday scenarios and behaviors, posing ethical issues that should be taken into account since the very first phases of the design process. As designers, we need to understand the user experience with respect to the usual requirements of usability, acceptability and desirability of the new solutions, and manage delicate issues related to the impacts of these solutions on individuals and communities. This requires knowledge and dedicated design tools enabling designers to make conscious design choices during the design process. In this paper, we present an anticipation method aimed to support awarenes...
Within the last three decades, we have witnessed development of many theories on design approache... more Within the last three decades, we have witnessed development of many theories on design approaches that render the process more solid and, thus, practiced by non-designer professionals. What is common for all of the design processes is that there is a moment of translation of research insights into design recommendations, and this point, however, has never been very explicit and it is rather seen as a fuzzy edge between switching between two activities. Within this article, we focus on this fuzzy edge reasoning to the extent this point can be demystified and explicit, or when it should remain fuzzy, reflecting on creativity and importance of engaging design professionals within the process. The discussion is based on a case study of students' works from the UX Design course taught by the authors, where we refer to design tools as tangible concrete support that renders the design process more solid.
The connected objects, also named as smart devices, are now very popular and influential in our l... more The connected objects, also named as smart devices, are now very popular and influential in our lives; their design is a hot issue for education in universities around the world, notably, in China, where some universities are updating their programs, and are evolving from traditional Industrial Design to Interaction (IxD) and User Experience Design (UX Design). To this respect, we observed a gap between the IxD and UX Design methods as they are presented in most academic literatures, and the design processes employed in the professional activities; we found this gap as evidence not only in China but also in Western countries. In this context, this research aims to study how to effectively include IxD and UX Design methodologies in the programs of Industrial Design academic courses of an art backgrounded university, so to raise the ability of students to design connected objects, while maintaining the skills that are characteristics of the traditional Chinese design schools. In this ...
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Papers by Margherita Pillan