The Final Project represents a significant opportunity for students to undertake original, independent work that reflects their individual interests and design capabilities. Supported by both internal and external advisors, each student follows a comprehensive design process involving research, concept development, prototyping, and thorough documentation.
Over the course of nine weeks, this cohort explored a wide array of topics, including artificial intelligence and creativity, play, pain management, loneliness, and grief. These projects are the result of in-depth inquiry and iterative development, grounded in both personal relevance and societal context.
The culmination of this process is an exam in the form of a presentation to peers and a distinguished panel of experts. This year we were honoured to have Josh Walton, Luis Arnal, Amit Aggarwal, and Gune Itaaliander on the panel.
The work was exhibited at our studio in Bergamo - a space that embodies the energy, ambition, and collaborative ethos of the CIID community. The exhibition enabled visitors to engage directly with the prototypes, interact with the graduates, and gain insight into the concepts and methodologies that informed each project.
Jose Chavarria is an Interaction Designer and Creative Technologist with a background in Industrial Design Engineering. He's a CIID alumni and has been working in the Interaction Design field since 2015.
Jose started as an Interaction Engineer and later became an R&D Lead at a design studio in San Jose, Costa Rica where he created interactive art installations. He then joined CIID as resident faculty, managing the digital fabrication lab and mentoring students.
After that, he worked as a Creative Technologist and Strategist for an architecture firm, designing AR and VR solutions, digital products, and interactive installations.
Jose's work has been recognised by the Core77 Design Awards in 2021 for Speculative Design and Costa Rica Design Week in 2022 for Interactive Design.
Passionate about human perception and Life-Centred Design, Jose aims to create technology solutions that benefit all forms of life, not just humans.
But in short, he builds stuff and wears hats.
