The Premise
Reimagine De'Longhi's portable cooling (Pinguino) to respond to climate, energy, and lifestyle shifts — not by reinventing the hardware, but by creating new value through behavioral and emotional engagement.

Role: Systems Designer & Service Designer
Academic x Industry Project for De'longhi
Politecnico Di Milano, 2025

Strategic Design Case Study: Reimagining Pinguino by De'Longhi

The challenge and responsibility of designing systems that address both - Business and environmental sustainability goals

My Contributions

Developed core HMWs, rebriefs, behavioral change framework, and journey mapping.
Designed and validated the emotional storytelling layer (Pinguino mascot logic).
Built system flows and logic that tie user behavior to product performance, feedback, and environmental impact.
Framed the concept within circular economy and experience-driven design strategy.

Strategic Impact

For Users: A more conscious and playful cooling experience.
For De’Longhi: Differentiation, retention, and data-backed impact without cannibalizing hardware sales.
For Environment: Reduced overuse, better habits, scalable seasonal engagement.

Process & Methodology

Brief Reframing – Reinterpreted the challenge through a sustainability and behavior-change lens.

User-Centered Research – Defined personas and patterns based on secondary sources, trends, and contextual usage.
Opportunity Framing (HMWs) – Converted needs and pain points into structured design provocations

Insight Clustering & Synthesis – Distilled key tensions, behaviors, and opportunities

Concept Ideation & System Mapping–
Co-developed and refined ideas focused on emotional and service innovation

Journey and Narrative Design - Mapped service touchpoints, emotional flows, and behavior loops.

KEY INSIGHTS

Paying for consumption and ownership encourages responsibility by connecting actions to and promoting sustainable behavior awareness.
Naming objects boosts their value through personal connection.
Gamification works when it taps into motivations, driving emotional engagement and lasting behavior change.
Comfort is behavioral: people tend to overcool due to misperception.
Narrative and micro-interactions can promote eco-conscious behavior.
Users lack emotional connection or accountability to their A/C usage.

The Concept:
A Gamified Companion Integrated into the Existing Climate Control App for Pinguino

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Key Features

Awareness

Helping users recognize the true impact of their cooling behavior.

Real-time energy consumption visibility
Bite-sized facts and nudges
Perceived vs. actual temperature game

Education

Enabling users to understand how energy can be saved and managed over time.

Smart tips based on usage patterns
Seasonal and contextual learning prompts
Avatar-based feedback on decisions

Behavior Change

Turning knowledge into daily sustainable action.

Missions that encourage good habits
Progress tracking through “CoolScore”
Emotionally responsive mascot

Engagement & Retention

Sustaining attention and care through play, feedback, and reward.

Gamified points and badges
Seasonal journey of the Pinguino
Personalized impact reports and end-of-season reflection

NEXT STEPS

Expand to a Full-Stack Seasonal Climate Subscription

1) Develop “De’Longhi Climate Comfort-as-a-Service”: a flexible rental model for:

Summer: Pinguino portable A/C + fan
Winter: Heater or dehumidifier
All year: Air purifier, humidifier

2) Offer tiered subscription plans with smart logistics (delivery, pickup, maintenance).

3) Use gamified app rewards (badges, CoolScore) as discount tokens or service credits.

The Premise Reimagine De'Longhi's portable cooling (Pinguino) to respond to climate, energy, and lifestyle shifts — not by reinventing the hardware, but by creating new value through behavioral and emotional engagement.

Role: Systems Designer & Service Designer Academic x Industry Project for De'longhi Politecnico Di Milano, 2025

Strategic Design Case Study: Reimagining Pinguino by De'Longhi

The challenge and responsibility of designing systems that address both - Business and environmental sustainability goals

My Contributions

Strategic Impact

Process & Methodology

Brief Reframing – Reinterpreted the challenge through a sustainability and behavior-change lens.

User-Centered Research – Defined personas and patterns based on secondary sources, trends, and contextual usage. Opportunity Framing (HMWs) – Converted needs and pain points into structured design provocations

Insight Clustering & Synthesis – Distilled key tensions, behaviors, and opportunities

Concept Ideation & System Mapping– Co-developed and refined ideas focused on emotional and service innovation

Journey and Narrative Design - Mapped service touchpoints, emotional flows, and behavior loops.

KEY INSIGHTS

Paying for consumption and ownership encourages responsibility by connecting actions to and promoting sustainable behavior awareness.

Naming objects boosts their value through personal connection.

Gamification works when it taps into motivations, driving emotional engagement and lasting behavior change.

Comfort is behavioral: people tend to overcool due to misperception.​

Narrative and micro-interactions can promote eco-conscious behavior.​​

Users lack emotional connection or accountability to their A/C usage.​

The Concept: A Gamified Companion Integrated into the Existing Climate Control App for Pinguino