Contributos para uma avaliação do investimento em design no sector agroalimentar
- Name
- Maria Pias
- Year
- 2017
- Institution
- Lisbon School of Architecture Universidade de Lisboa
- Supervisors
- Fernando Moreira da Silva
- Discipline
- Design
- Scope
- Agriculture
- Taxonomy
- Praxiology
- Type
- Theoretical/Practical
- Language
- Portuguese
- Wordcount / Pagecount
- 80,500 / 230
- Joint supervision
- No
The return on investment in design in SMEs in the Portuguese agro-food sector
Research Process (6 methods)
x
Agro-food SMEs financial data
Agro-food SMES
Model to assess the return on investment in design.
Promotion of Silves region Orange
Group of experts
| # | Name of Method | Research Phase | Research Approach | Researcher Role | Object of Study / Participants | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Literature review | Exploratory | Qualitative | x | x | x |
| 2 | Document analysis | Generative | Quantitative | x | Agro-food SMEs financial data | 22 |
| 3 | Questionnaire | Generative | Quantitative | x | Agro-food SMES | 18 |
| 4 | Tool development | Generative | Qualitative | Design process | Model to assess the return on investment in design. | 1 |
| 5 | Usability test | Evaluative | Qualitative | Participatory | Promotion of Silves region Orange | Unspecified |
| 6 | Questionnaire | Evaluative | Qualitative | x | Group of experts | 7 |
Knowledge Transfer & Exchange
Knowledge Exchange (PhD Process): Produced with input
| IK&T | Academia | Design Practice | Society |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context | No | No | No |
| Vision | No | No | Yes |
| Means | No | No | No |
Recommendations (4)
Adopt a design-investment evaluation model for agro-food SMEs that combines strategic orientations and performance indicators, rather than depending exclusively on financial ratios that many firms cannot provide.
- Scope:
- Meso → Macro
- Time Horizon:
- Short → Medium
- Evidence Strength:
- Indicative
- Feasibility:
- High
Frame agro-food design projects around the nutritional qualities of the offer and the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, linking design action to healthy-eating literacy and sustainable value creation.
- Scope:
- Macro
- Time Horizon:
- Medium → Long
- Evidence Strength:
- Indicative
- Feasibility:
- Medium-High
Integrate design from project definition through evaluation, treating it as a management capability that shapes products, services, communication, and spaces rather than as a late technical add-on.
- Scope:
- Meso → Macro
- Time Horizon:
- Short → Medium
- Evidence Strength:
- Indicative
- Feasibility:
- Medium-High
Continue piloting, refining, and disseminating the model with agro-food firms and municipalities, using real product and territorial-brand cases to build evidence and encourage adoption.
- Scope:
- Macro
- Time Horizon:
- Medium → Long
- Evidence Strength:
- Indicative
- Feasibility:
- High