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Eva Vanessa Bruno

Eva Vanessa Bruno's picture

Research Assistant
Department of Architecture and Design (DAD)

Adjunct lecturer/Adjunct instructor
Department of Architecture and Design (DAD)

Profile

Keywords

Advanced design
Business model innovation
Entrepreneurship
Innovative materials
Strategic design

Biography

Postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Architecture and Design. I hold a degree in Design and Visual Communication, a Master’s degree in Systemic Design, and a PhD in Management, Production and Design. During my research career, I collaborated with Japanese (Nagoya City University), Dutch (TU Delft), and Finnish (LAB University of Applied Sciences) universities. My research develops along two interconnected lines. Since 2020, I have I examined the enhancement of local production culture and territorial know-how through design-driven business model transformation, especially in industrial reconversion and production diversification. Design is understood as a strategic innovation lever that translates existing competencies into new market opportunities. The research explores methods for embedding design culture within manufacturing firms and for positioning designers as strategic actors capable of influencing business decisions and generating competitive value. In parallel, I focus on the communication of innovative materials not yet on the market, particularly within European projects. Communication is framed as a strategic component embedded in R&D processes, supporting materials across different TRL. Through qualitative tools such as focus groups, surveys, and sensory analysis, I investigate users’ and professionals’ perceptions to shape narratives, engagement strategies, and technology transfer pathways.

Research topics

  • My main research line focuses on the enhancement of local production culture and territorial know-how through design-driven processes aimed at transforming business models, with particular attention to industrial conversion and production diversification in manufacturing companies. The objective is to activate strategic innovation dynamics that build upon consolidated technical skills, established supply chains, and material cultures embedded in specific territories, reinterpreting them in a contemporary perspective and redirecting them toward new market opportunities. Within this framework, design is understood not only as a product-development activity, but as a strategic lever capable of translating ideas, competencies, and entrepreneurial visions into competitive added value. The research investigates methods and tools to support manufacturing firms in structured pathways toward the integration of design, fostering a cultural shift that embeds design approaches into decision-making and organizational processes. These support pathways are conceived as gradual processes based on strategic assessment, co-design activities, experimentation, and validation of new value propositions. Particular attention is given to transition contexts, in which companies face sectoral crises, market contraction, or technological obsolescence. In such cases, industrial conversion and production diversification become crucial strategies for organizational resilience. The research examines how the adoption of design-driven methodologies can support the redefinition of competitive positioning, the exploration of new customer segments, and the experimentation of alternative production activities, while leveraging existing assets and distinctive capabilities. At the same time, the research expands to investigate methods and tools for implementing design culture as a form of strategic innovation within manufacturing organizations. This includes the analysis of organizational models, governance practices, and interdisciplinary integration mechanisms that enable the structural embedding of design into corporate processes. In this perspective, the role of the designer is examined not only in relation to product and service development, but also in connection with business strategy formulation. The integration of designers within companies is studied as an enabling factor for innovation, capable of influencing, and in some cases directly shaping, strategic decisions concerning product portfolios, revenue models, partnerships, and market positioning. The research therefore aims to define operational frameworks and impact assessment metrics to evaluate the contribution of design to business performance, contributing to the development of replicable models for embedding design as a core competence in the transformation processes of manufacturing firms.
  • Since 2024, my research activity has focused on the study of communication strategies for innovative materials that are not yet available on the market, with particular reference to European-funded research projects. The focus is on high-tech and sustainable materials developed within advanced research contexts, whose scientific and technical complexity requires mediation strategies capable of translating properties, potentials, and limitations into accessible content for heterogeneous audiences. Within this framework, communication is not considered a final dissemination phase, but rather a strategic component integrated into the research and development process. The objective is to intervene during intermediate stages of technological maturity, when the material is still at a prototypical level, in order to understand how it is perceived and which narratives are most effective in building trust, desirability, and cultural legitimacy. A structured communication approach at this stage makes it possible to increase awareness of contemporary innovations, reduce cognitive barriers to adoption, and facilitate subsequent technology transfer to the market. This research line is positioned at the intersection of materials science, communication design, and perception studies, adopting an interdisciplinary approach. The underlying hypothesis is that early-stage perception significantly influences future processes of acceptance and appropriation by both professionals and end users. Understanding expectations, resistance factors, symbolic associations, and evaluative criteria is therefore essential to guide communication strategies and define coherent application scenarios. From a methodological perspective, data collection and analysis rely primarily on qualitative tools, complemented by structured ones. Focus groups represent a central instrument: through moderated discussions among diverse stakeholders (designers, architects, companies, researchers, and potential users) it is possible to uncover mental representations, attributed values, perceived risks, and opportunities related to the material. Surveys enable the extension of the investigation to broader samples, generating comparable data across aesthetic, functional, environmental, and ethical dimensions. Sensory analyses further explore the relationship between physical-material properties (such as transparency, texture, weight, and perceived temperature) and emotional responses, providing insights that support the development of communication narratives aligned with perceptual experience. The outcomes of these investigations are translated into operational guidelines, communication tools, and strategic recommendations for research consortia and industrial partners. The overall aim is to develop replicable communication models for emerging materials, capable of accompanying innovation throughout its development cycle. This approach contributes to strengthening the dialogue between scientific research, industry, and society, fostering responsible innovation processes and promoting a more informed and conscious material culture.

Skills

ERC sectors

SH8_6 - Architecture, design, craft, creative industries
SH1_11 - Innovation, research & development, entrepreneurship

SDG

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production

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Teaching

Teachings

Master of Science

MostraNascondi A.A. passati

Bachelor of Science

MostraNascondi A.A. passati

Research

Centres

Publications

Publications by type

PoliTO co-authors

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