In the last decades, globalization led to a new era of cross-cultural design collaborations. Team’s cultural heterogeneity is an added value since it guarantees a high variety of viewpoints. Nevertheless, it possibly causes a lower mutual understanding, because people could have different biases and mental models. The objective of the dissertation was to propose a design tool aimed at improving mutual understanding in
these teams. A biases-sharing tool, Mybias, was designed to solve the issue and tested during two workshops. Data analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the tool during cross-cultural collaborations. By sharing their biases using the designed layout, participants have built mutual understanding, with a consequential improvement in teamwork dynamics. Mybias is therefore a unique tool developed for cross-cultural teams, which helps designer to share their biases and to create common ground since from the very beginning of the design process. The research suggests new practical solutions to improve cross-cultural teamwork.
Student:
Francesca Mattioli
Teacher:
Silvia Deborah Ferraris
Academic Year:
2016/2017