Evolving Connections
Polytechnic Institute of Lisbon
Posthumanism and Graphic Design: An Exploratory Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Katarzyna Chmela-Jones
Two purposes guide this research. The first is to describe the role of Posthumanism in graphic design practice. Secondly, it seeks to explore the connections between Posthuman graphic design practices and the notion of Ubuntu. It is evident that graphic design practices have changed radically over the past few years, yet they have not been properly theorized. Recently, the implications of the philosophy of Posthumanism have further broadened the scope of design practitioners to include outcomes that consider not only human participants. This phenomenological, interpretivist study bridges the gap by conducting research on the existing state of contemporary graphic design practice and aims to identify a current and future agenda for the profession. Through contributions from graphic design practitioners and clients, this study attempts to clarify the state of graphic design practice as part of its cartographic goals. On a theoretical level the study adds to the available literature on graphic design practice in specifically a South African context by presenting a systematic and methodical inquiry into a practice that has been slow to study itself and its applications to build knowledge. The practical value of the study lies in documenting ways of mapping Posthuman practices in the graphic design profession.
Designing for Better Care in Nursing Homes: Improving Staff Experience through a Smart Caregiver-oriented Wearable System
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Angela Giambattista, Elisa L'Angiocola, Camilla Gironi, Loredana Di Lucchio
The demand for medical assistance among the growing aging population has led to a significant impact on the healthcare system, resulting in higher occupancy rates in specific facilities, such as Nursing Homes (NH), and an increased workload for healthcare professionals with significant implications for the quality of nursing care provided. To address this issue, the SPHeaD project presented in this paper aims to enhance the nursing experience both for elderly people and their caregivers by providing a wearable and environmental IoT system to support the monitoring of cognitive and functional impairments in NHs. By integrating smart technologies into healthcare, this research is expected to provide better care conditions by leveraging a novel caregiver-oriented approach and to contribute to the field of healthcare service design for the aging population by leveraging wearable sensors and Artificial Intelligence. The methodology used was human-centered design, which began with an analysis of the needs and preferences of all stakeholders to ensure an effective solution for both patients and medical/nursing staff. After identifying the main issues of elderly healthcare management in nursing homes and which parameters require more monitoring, the research led to the definition of a hardware and software prototype, focusing on multiple sensor integration and user-friendly interfaces. The resulting system will undergo testing in relevant environments and evaluation from the entire e-healthcare supply chain. The results obtained serve as a foundation for the creation of a technology development plan that adheres to quality standards and considers the possible scalability of the system.
Chair It: The Creative Interplay of Learning-by-doing View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dina Filipa Neves Ferreira, Paulo Freire, Leandro Rodrigues, Ana Sofia Magalhães, Fábio Cunha, Ana Teresa Lopes Rocha, Carina Marques, Júlio Londrim, Ana Margarida Ferreira, Inês Raquel Martins de Almeida
Based on the collection and analysis of images of the works of reference designers such as Ilya Chashnik, Yakov Chernikhov, El Lissitzky, Piet Mondrian, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Eileen Gray, Mies Van der Rohe, Marcel Breuer, Josef Albers, Alvar Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Charles & Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen and Marco Zanuso, from artistic and design movements such as Constructivism, De Stijl, Bauhaus or Organic Functionalism, students developed exploratory and gradual furniture exercises, which culminated in innovative chair solutions. These exploratory exercises, initially promoted according to reverse engineering practices, allowed the promotion of new but consequential creative combinations based on existing materials on the market and in compliance with the aesthetic-formal, structural and ergonomic rules of the products and artistic expressions under investigation. The final solutions presented in this paper show an evident and effective practice of design-driven innovation and the operative and emotional value of students learning by doing and experience.
A New Special Gift: The Unique Natural and Human Environment of Covilhã and the Circular Economy as Creative Sparks View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Valentina Beatriz Mimoso Raimundo, Inês Pombo, Marta Clemente, Ana Margarida Ferreira, Inês Raquel Martins de Almeida, Dina Filipa Neves Ferreira, Francisca Pina Araújo
Bearing in mind the creation of unique gifts that materialize the University of Beira Interior distinctively, several research tools and creative processes were developed, allowing, from context research to the cultural and symbolic expression of the place, the materialization of ideas according to circular logic, the achievement of innovative and exclusive solutions in the context of contemporary gift design. Through the sensitive analysis of the city of Covilhã, a Portuguese city in Beira Interior, and the search for its symbolic elements, it was possible to build a unique conceptual framework that supported the new proposals to be produced with the new technologies available, under the perspective of Circular Economy, in the various stages of the product life cycle. This new framework for the project demanded a strategic dimension from the students and a new ability to perceive their design and innovation practice from a broad and systemic perspective, which resulted in a demanding exercise, highly conditioned by the characteristics of their ecosystem, but revealing their creative capacity and effective exploitation of opportunities and resources identified by each one.
