Creativity and Design Tools as an Emotional Approach to Learning

This paper presents an experience conducted by the IDEActivity research team of the Politecnico di Milano, Department of Design during the CREA International Conference on Creativity and Innovation – a training and resource-sharing event focused on creativity. The CREA event was crafted as a learning activity that allowed participants to delve deeply into the most significant stages of the design process in a very experiential way. The activity was designed as an experience and emotional path intended to introduce non-designers to the main phases and peculiarities of the design process in a very short time. In the event, we employed the IDEActivity method: a dynamic path that includes a series of iterative phases and micro-phases characterised by alternate moments of divergence and convergence allowing for continuous circles of reflection and tuning of the project throughout the design process. The case study presented in this paper shows the potentialities of the emotional involvement of participants, the dynamic use of space, Visual Thinking and a playful approach during a training activity. During the activity, typical and renowned design tools were used along with specialised tools crafted by the IDEActivity Center for the event.