In partnership with Hamk, from Finland, the event took place at the beginning of this month, at Feevale Campus II

Based on a partnership between Feevale University and Häme University of Applied Sciences (Hamk), from Finland, students from the Institution participated in the first Design Factory Challenge, at the beginning of April. Promoted by Feevale Design Center with the support of some professors, the event brought together, in four days, more than 60 academics from Design, Fashion, and Architecture and Urbanism courses. The students joined a competition with a multidisciplinary approach to solving problems presented by the Administration Manager of the Hospital da Criança Conceição de Porto Alegre, Diego Kurtz.

The executive explained to the students that the hospital serves around 280 children per day, with the majority in the age group between 1 and 3 years old. The main points shared with the students were related to the patient's journey, that is, the experience of children and their caregivers from the moment they arrive at the hospital:

• Difficulty understanding the emergency care table (Manchester Risk Classification, which ranges from absolute emergency to non-urgent)
• Unwelcoming and unfriendly environment for children and their caregivers (long waiting times with uncomfortable chairs, crowded spaces and no interventions that provide any entertainment/distraction for children)

From this, the 10 groups formed were invited to think of solutions that could simplify, relief and welcome children and their companions. With support from teachers, students were able to take advantage of spaces to create and prototype their proposals, such as the Technological Workshop, the Fashion Laboratory, and the Maker Space, which has 3D printers.

The final pitch, which took place at Hub One for Creativity and Innovation, Feevale Techpark's Novo Hamburgo unit, was evaluated by a panel made up of the hospital's Administration manager, Diego Kurtz; by the supervisor of the Feevale Projects and Fundraising Center, Camila Alves da Silva; and by the director of the Institute of Creative and Technological Sciences, João Mossmann. The winning group – composed of students Camilly Pedroso and Larissa Schmitt (Fashion); Cindi Sperb, Isadora Desimon and Taiara Mayer (Architecture and Urbanism); and Milena Klein (Design) – proposed an educational toy that can be attached to the back of the back of the waiting room chairs. The artifact allows children to stay on their caregivers' laps and play at the same time.

According to the coordinator of the Design Center, Juan Almada, the first edition of the Design Factory Feevale Challenge allowed for multidisciplinarity, collaboration and the promotion of innovation based on design culture.

In research carried out with students, the main positive points were the approach to a real problem, the available structure, the interaction with other courses and the opportunity to generate a proposal with social impact”, he states.

A new edition is scheduled for the second academic semester and will be open to all courses at the University.

Partnership with Finnish institution in Design

Feevale University has had a partnership, since 2006, with Häme University of Applied Sciences (Hamk), in Finland. The Nordic institution, recognized for its teaching quality, has a Design Factory unit, in which academics are immersed in a culture of problem solving based on design, with the process of problematizing, defining, idealizing, prototyping, and testing new ideas. ideas. Seeking to bring this network and the partner institution closer together, professor Juan Almada, coordinator of the Design Center, was recently visiting the spaces and following an event promoted by Hamk Design Factory, in order to understand ways of implementing this culture and similar activities at Feevale.

The purpose is to strengthen ties with the Design Factory Global Network (DFGN), a global network of higher education institutions, research organizations and companies that collaborate to promote innovation and entrepreneurship through Design Thinking and rapid prototyping. Founded in Finland, DFGN aims to create an interdisciplinary and creative environment where students, researchers and professionals can work together on challenging and intercultural projects.