CONFERENCES
E&PDE 2026 - 28th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education
The Conference will bring together representatives from education and industry interested in sharing new perspectives on design education.
Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
DESIGNING REFLECTION: LEARNING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN SMALL CRAFT-BASED DESIGN FIRMS
Mattioli, Francesca; Bruno, Carmen; Melazzini, Michele; Pei, Xue; Gramegna, Silvia Maria; D'Itria, Erminia
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Buck, Lyndon; Brisco. Ross; Bohemia, Erik
Author:
Mattioli, Francesca; Bruno, Carmen; Melazzini, Michele; Pei, Xue; Gramegna, Silvia Maria; D'Itria, Erminia
Series:
E&PDE
Institution:
Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Page(s):
445 - 450
DOI number:
ISBN:
978-1-912254-24-8
ISSN:
3005-4753
Abstract:
Sustainability transitions in small craft-based design firms require competences that integrate technical knowledge, reflective capacity, and organisational awareness. However, training within industry–academia collaborations often remains expert-led and focused on knowledge transmission, overlooking reflective and organisational learning. This limitation is particularly critical in SMEs, where tacit knowledge, cross-role dynamics, and hierarchies shape how sustainability is interpreted and enacted. This paper examines a training programme developed within the Ecodeck project, which employs narrative, visual artefacts, and collaborative reflection to foster inclusive organisational learning and metacognitive processes. Grounded in Anderson and Krathwohl’s Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing, the programme translates intended learning outcomes into an immersive, screen-free experience in which participants act as active protagonists. Through paper-based tools, mapping activities, value cards, and collective reflection, participants analyse sustainability competences, articulate values, reconstruct past organisational actions, examine external cases, and define future strategic directions. The study, conducted as an interventionist single-case in a small Italian fashion firm, shows that participants progressed from recognising competences and practices to critically analysing them, evaluating alternatives, and articulating shared strategic intentions. Narrative and visual reflection facilitated the induction of tacit knowledge and supported dialogue across organisational roles. These findings highlight the relevance of a design-driven, taxonomy-based, learner-centred approach, extending beyond SME training and offering a transferable pedagogical model for sustainability education in engineering and design.
Keywords:
