Social psychology and life design meet product design: how to craft a purposeful path, creating roadmaps for meaningful career futures

Young people are growing up in a complex and constantly changing world. Its continuous transformations pose significant challenges for the entire population but are particularly impactful for young adults. During the transition from tertiary education to the labor market, they often struggle to envision their future and to imagine their professional careers, so reducing their personal well-being. However, actively reflecting on the future enables individuals to explore multiple possibilities, define their goals, and anticipate as well as better manage upcoming challenges. For these reasons, a group of Social Psychologists of the University of Milano Bicocca and Designers of the Polytechnic University of Milano developed a university course entitled Life Design that was launched in the 2018/2019 academic year within the Integrated Product Design program at the School of Design of the Polytechnic of Milano. The present paper describes the Life Design course, outlining for each topic the corresponding theoretical framework, the specifically designed activities, and the expected outcomes in terms of awareness and skills development. The course is grounded in the most recent and well-established theoretical models in vocational guidance psychology, with particular reference to the literature of the Life Design Research Group. Its main purpose is to prepare future graduates to navigate contemporary complexity and ontological uncertainty. The course aims to equip students with both psycho-social theoretical frameworks and related practical tools based on the development of smart skills, enabling them to better understand the socio-economic context, analyze its dynamic characteristics, and effectively respond to its consequences.