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  • Final Report

    Final Report (DL 30.05)


    Objective
    The Final report is synthesized project documentation to report your project to your partners. The report includes your research and proposal with final conclusions (critical reflections).

    A compilation of your learnings and activities across the course, using the 4 blogs reflecting on Human-centred research, Systemic analysis, Design intervention, and Final proposal. 

    Please check the evaluation criteria (Rubrics) to help you write a fantastic report.

    Submit your Final report here

    NOTE THAT WORKLOAD FOR THE FINAL REPORT HAS BEEN CALCULATED AS 8h PER STUDENT 

    Guide to contents

    • 10-15 pages 
    • Sections: Executive summary (1 Page); Human-centred research (1-2 Pages); Systemic analysis (1-2 pages); Design intervention (1-2 Pages); Final proposal (1-2 Pages); Conclusions (1 Page) 
    • Executive summary (1 Page): It summarizes your proposal in such a way that conveys what it is, why it is relevant, for whom, by whom, and the benefit it provides to tackle your challenge. 
    • Human-centered research (1-2 Pages): A presentation of your topic, particular angle, and stakeholders involved. Brief description of your methods (observations, workshops, secondary/desktop research, analyses, etc. ) and your sample (number and interviewees', roles,...). 
    • Systemic analysis (1-2 Pages): Brief description of your methods (system maps, affinity diagram). A presentation of your insights, supported with evidence (data from desktop research, quotes from interviews, pictures from observations…). 
    • Design intervention (1-2 Pages): This section could include a reflection on your choice of the type of intervention, you can include as reference leverage points or other frameworks that helped you to identify your intervention. You can include your ideal scenario (What you are trying to change) in this section or in the next one. 
    • Final proposal (1-2 Pages): Describe your final proposal (your solution). Key elements can include 'why?', 'what?', 'how?', etc. Convey the value of your proposal to your key stakeholders (how does this solve the problem?) and how would this work for the "owners" of your solution – those responsible for using it, and delivering it. 
    • Conclusions (1-2 pages) see below
    • Interview protocols, transcripts, lists of sources, etc. can be included as an appendix.
    • Consider including images from your research, analysis, and diagrams – use captions to describe the images and give photo credits.
    • Pay attention to special terms such as 'affinity diagram', etc.. If you used novel methods for research or group work, do reflect on these!
    • You can cut &paste the blog post that you wrote into the report!  However, shape the text in relation to your final proposal - how did you discover or conclude something that led to the final proposal?

    Final Conclusions (Critical reflection)


    • 'Reflection' means that besides a description of what you did, you also present an in-depth analysis of the project learnings. That is your own point of view. E.g. your perspective on using the design approach in your challenge, or your personal insights on the subject matter. 
    • 'Critical' means that with this reflection you also evaluate what worked or what didn't with arguments and justifications as of the reasons why, and consider how to use this learning in the future.
    • Critical reflections trigger your own thinking and the thinking of others
    • Reflections can be written using your personal voice "we".  You can use different writing styles such as questions as a way to pose reflections in an open-ended manner.
    • To help you elaborate and disseminate reflections in your writing, we highly recommend you to check the below file "How to write critical reflections", with "Levels of reflections" by Mezirow (1998) and Gibbs "Reflective Cycle" (2001).

    Format

    • A4 vertical
    • 10-15 pages is an ideal length, there is no maximum page limit (including all, cover text and images). Do not go overboard!!! The cover page should include the names and contacts of group members (so that your stakeholders have these).
    • Each group should write 1 report. If parts of your research were done in the supergroup, you can duplicate that information in each of your reports.
    • Remember your audience for the Final Report is your commissioners as well as teachers. 
    • Include a table of contents. For your bibliography, chose and be consistent with a standard format such as MLA or other.
    • Turn in your report as PDF (max 15GB), if you would like to include .mov or other files, then ZIP all together in 1 file)
    • Submit your Final report here
    • Name of the file, follow this example : DfG22_FinalReport_1A 
     
    Copyright

    • On your cover page of the report, include the copyright notice: “Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 2018 Name1, name2, name3, and Design for Government course at Aalto University”. 
    • Words, phrasing, and imagery included in your public materials can be used according to the terms of the copyright, therefore also by your ministry. Do not include confidential information, if such information is important for the report you can send it as a separate Appendix clearly marked with who can access the material. Remember that you cannot use materials copyrighted by others and to give citations for any quotes or images from others. 

    Circulation

    • When all Reports are approved, we will send these to each set of ministry contacts cc'ing you. 
    • You are welcome to follow up and make direct contacts with your stakeholders as you like! You may propose to continue the project on a professional basis or as a master's thesis project...

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