Design to create value: Made in... Paraguay for transition

The profound digital transformation currently underway, in every field and across the globe, undoubtedly leads to the creation of new forms of value (Roco & Bainbridge, 2013; Helmer et al., 2021). In this highly dynamic world, characterized by continuous global evolution and a high level of competitiveness, keeping pace is not merely a goal but a necessity. The enhancement of a country requires an integrated and systemic approach: design and its transdisciplinary nature play a crucial role as a strategic lever and driver of innovation, capable of creating short, medium, and long-term scenarios for value creation, thus initiating a real cultural, economic, and social transition (Tromp & Vial, 2022). This contribution, which presents part of a project by the EDME research group at Politecnico di Milano, aims to identify opportunities and possible development paths for the state of Paraguay, a country chosen for its strong growth potential (Cepal, 2022) and its emerging digital transition as a driver of innovation not only in the South American context but also internationally (Cepal, coordinator Oviedo E., 2021). Starting from the analysis of the current state of the art and trends in macro-identified areas, a comprehensive vision is presented from which to derive objectives for initiating and guiding the future development of the country while fully respecting and enhancing its indigenous culture and history. Through case histories (smart mobility, smart cities, Healthcare 4.0, digital experience retail, smart agriculture, smart industries, smart tourism, smart services, etc.), the evolutionary trends of various sectors are presented to identify possible opportunities and strategic action lines. The key points of analysis for each area will be digitalization and perceived values (social/communicative values and economic/productive values). Moreover, the common denominator, also at the methodological level, is “Design for the Common Good,” which encourages the development of cross-cutting innovations that transcend the limits of specific interventions to create new value on a systemic scale (Botta & Junginger, 2021). The necessity of operating on a large scale places the concept of “infrastructure” at the center, conceived as the architecture and platform for managing the evolution that must permeate every aspect of the country’s social, cultural, and economic life, also involving the activation of networks among diverse stakeholders who are engaging in new relationships for the first time (Träskman, 2022). The objective is to define representative scenarios of possible guidelines to be developed into targeted design activities aimed at positioning and enhancing the country’s image, expanding economic integration, and stimulating the activation of new relationships that contribute to the cross-fertilization of technology and knowledge. A secondary but equally important objective is to raise awareness that guiding industrial choices within cultural pathways, behavioral trends and tastes, and lifestyle and consumption patterns in a turbulent and rapidly changing landscape requires transdisciplinarity, meaning the innovative transfer of skills across different fields and sectors.