Thesis Design Sprint (15cr)

Qualifications

The prerequisite for starting the thesis is that the student has completed or is currently completing the study unit Methods for Research-based Development Work (or the study unit Research and Development Methods) or has equivalent competences that have been recognized as part of the degree through a demonstration of competence or credit transfer.

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- present justified suggestions for development in relation to working life
- conceptualize phenomena related to working life based on research results
- use appropriate research and development methods in order to produce new knowledge
- act in development projects cooperatively and in a responsible manner with working life and other partners
- evaluate personal activities and solutions critically
- understand concepts in an extensive scale and present topics logically with justification

Teaching methods

The Design Sprint workshop is a five-day process that uses Design Thinking and Service Design principles to quickly develop and test potential solutions to future challenges. Project teams of experts in cybersecurity, digital service business, UI/UX, business and other relevant fields work together to define problems and pain points, generate ideas, and create prototype solutions. They then test these solution proposals with users and clients, as well as with customer data, to develop the solutions. 

This approach enables organizations to quickly identify and validate applications, thereby reducing the risk of implementing ineffective applications. To reach this target the application ideation and planning conduct user testing and and/or cyber security measures designing. 

Design Sprint helps organizations accelerate their businesses and cybersecurity efforts. It improves the effectiveness of their digital services, digital marketing, and security measures while reducing the risk of cyberattacks and improving information security.

The study unit is conducted entirely online via the MS Teams platform and does not require on-campus attendance.

The study unit includes scheduled online meetings and guidance sessions, all held between 8.30 AM and 4.30 PM on weekdays. The first meeting and last meeting (presentations) will be recorded and can be viewed on Teams afterwards.

The study unit begins with an introduction to practical matters and a presentation of the project assignments by the partner company.

Over the following three weeks, students will familiarize themselves with the partner company, its competitive landscape, and relevant digital service business and/or digital marketing themes. During this period, they will complete as teamwork knowledge base that builds the necessary theory foundation and required know how for the next phase, Design Sprint Workshop week.

The fourth week of the study unit is the Design Sprint week. During the intensive week, students work in project groups on a real-world development project using the Design Sprint method. The week concludes with presentations to the partner company, Nordic Sales Crew.

MS Teams is used throughout the study unit to support all activities: meetings, communication, study materials, assignments, and submissions all take place on Teams.

The study unit demands both individual work and collaborative work in project teams (company project assignment challenge). Active participation and full commitment during the Design Sprint week are essential.

Students receive personal feedback on their assignments from teachers. Feedback from partner companies and peer reviews are also utilized.

Participation in both the first MS Teams session and Design Sprint Week is mandatory.

The use of artificial intelligence is permitted/recommended. However, students must clearly explain in their reports how artificial intelligence has been used and for what purpose.

Time and location

Company meeting:

09.09.2025 11.30 - 13.00 Company intro, Themes, assignments, project teams.

Design Sprint week: 29.9.-3.10.2026.

Design Sprint Workshop week:
29.09.2025 08.30 - 16.00 Mapping – Vision building
30.09.2025 08.30 - 16.00 Sketching – Ideation and concept development
01.10.2025 08.30 - 16.00 Fieldwork – interviews, surveys, and prototype creation with prototype testing by the clients and users
02.10.2025 08.30 - 16.00 Finalizing the concept solution and prototype according the testing results, testing continuing, pitch rehearsal
03.10.2025 08.30 - 16.00 Final iteration and pitch presentations

During the Design Sprit workshop week, there will be joint meetings for everyone on MS Teams.
Project teams will work in face-to-face meetings, online, or in a hybrid format.
The company will provide online sparing and support on MS Teams.
Thesis reports will be completed by the end of November.

Learning materials and recommended literature

Knapp, J. 2016. Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days.
Banfield, R. 2015. Design Sprint: A Practical Guidebook for Building Great Digital Products
Stickdorn, M. 2018. This Is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World
Marc Stickdorn, Markus Edgar Hormess, Adam Lawrence and Jakob Schneider 2018.This Is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World
Marc Stickdorn, Markus Edgar Hormess, Adam Lawrence and Jakob Schneider
Google Ventures. 2016. The Design Sprint. https://www.gv.com/sprint/

Co-operation with working life and/or RDI

Nokia Corporation - Network as Code in Any Industry, Agentic AI in Massive R&D Context and Cyber Range for Business Continuity Preparation

Forms of internationality

Google Ventures. 2016. The Design Sprint. https://www.gv.com/sprint/
Nokia Corporation: Development Themes: Network as Code in Any Industry, Agentic AI in Massive R&D Context and Cyber Range for Business Continuity Preparation:

Student workload

The Design Sprint week workshops requires full-time participation during scheduled hours from 8.30 AM to 4.30 PM.

Content and scheduling

During the study unit, students work in project teams to solve real-world challenges in digital service business and/or digital marketing using the Design Sprint method, a fast-paced, user-centered development process widely used in modern business.

Although the focus is on digital service business and/or digital marketing, students also learn practical teamwork skills and gain important experience in agile development methods, Design Thinking, Service Design, creativity-driven and data-driven innovation processes, and problem-solving skills that are needed and in demand in various industries.

This course is intended for students who are seeking positions in the development of digital service business and digital marketing, growth hacking, or Service Design in digital service business in the field of UI/UX development.

Further information

The study unit corresponds to the requirements of Bachelor's level education.

Evaluation scale

H-5