Topic outline

  • During the course, the teams work on the given brief, first by making sense of the topic, doing desktop and field research, outlining findings and insights, engaging stakeholders to co-design and delivering a solution proposal. This project work corresponds to 60% of the evaluation and grade.

    During the course, there will be regular tutoring, lectures and activities that support the project work.

    The main deadlines (DL) for presentations and deliverables:

    • Mid-Term Review on Friday 1st October 2021: 
    1. Summary of your project process (research methods, etc)
    2. Your understanding of the brief (topic, actors involved and their perspectives, organisational challenges and your framing of the problem space, e.g. customer journeys, service map) using your initial findings based on field studies, interviews, observations, desk studies etc, and on literature and lectures.
    3. Potential direction you aim to follow, possible design interventions to improve the service. Note: No solutions at this point!


    • Final Presentation on Wednesday 20th October 2021:
    1. Summary of your project process (research methods, etc)
    2. Synthesis of your findings supported with literature references and research evidence
    3. A visual example of your proposed design intervention to improve the service, justified according to your findings.
    4. Further development or implementation considerations. (e.g. who should make this happen in the organisation? Service roles to deliver it?...)

    Intermediate assignments and deadlines (DL):


    1) LIST OF RESEARCH NEEDS AND VISUAL PROBE (DL 15.09 – No submission), On Wednesday 15th September morning you will meet the project owners to discuss the briefs. Each team will have 1.15h with their project partners to address your questions. In teams, we ask you to:
    1. Familiarize yourselves with the given brief, read background materials and generate your first interpretations of the brief, context and people that you should be thinking about. Write down what else you need, such as access to resources and people to contact to. 
    2. Prepare a visual probe (to use online) to help you build a shared understanding on the project brief. This should work as a conversation starter to discuss drivers, scope and desired outcomes of your project brief (e.g. timescale) (examples on Day 1 Slide deck)

    2) PRELIMINATY RESEARCH PLAN (DL 17.09) Make a preliminary research plan: Who and How do you want to engage with the stakeholders of your project? What do you want to learn with them? When do you want to engage them given the course timeframe?
    Please find more detailed instructions below on the attached file

    3) MID-TERM REVIEW (DL 01.10) prepare a (15. Min) presentation.
    (See above)
           


    Final deliverables and deadlines (DL):


    PRESENTATION (DL 20.10) prepare a (15. Min) presentation to be shared with project partners.
    (See instructions above). The content includes the same requirements as the REPORT. Animations and videos as well as prototypes, tools alike, are highly encouraged – i.e.  not just power-points

    REPORT (DL 22.10)  – approx. 8 A4 Pages portrait orientation with similar content but more detailed including the following:

    • Title (the team/brief), students' names
    • Introduction, i.e. your interpretation, of the brief/problem & context
    • Your approach and the methods used
    • Description of the intervention (solution) – scenario / customer journey / service evidence / scenario/ visualizations (i.e. illustrate the concept through visualization, blueprinting highlighting different stakeholder roles as appropriate)
    • Highlight of the research findings and insights that justifies the solution-> Should be backed up with literature and/or other secondary research and first hand user/user/stakeholder insights gained.
    • Considerations for further development / implementation (e.g. service or organisational roles, development roadmap,...)
    • You can include attachments if needed. 
    • Remember to add Aalto logo, Designing for services, Department of Design and your own email contacts.


    • Please use this file as a guidance for you to prepare the plan. Format is up to you, Word, PDF… 
      Submission date: 17.09 via MyCourses, feedback will be given on the next Monday tutorial.