How is it like to absolve Aalto Product Development Project? – A student assistant perspective
Hi everyone! My name is Dominik Storinský, and I am a 3rd year Electrical and Automation engineering student at Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK). I also work as a student assistant in Valkeakoski Design Factory for a second year now. Where I develop the premises and opportunities for students at my campus. This year I decided to deepen my understanding of Design Thinking. Thanks to Aalto Product Development Project (PdP), I got to work on projects that not only are interesting but also can improve the life around us!
Now, you might be asking, what is an Aalto PdP? Aalto PdP is a 9-month long course where HAMK students can enrol and work alongside real-world companies and solve problems for them, with a budget of 10 000 euros. And if that doesn’t sound exciting enough. You get to meet people from all around the world, even cooperating with different universities. And as a cherry on top, you can earn up to 15 ects! So, join me in this blogpost, where I will take you through my journey.
Ready, Set, Empathize!
Well, not quite. Like in every Design Thinking process it is important to understand your challenge and the vision of the sponsor. This way you can make sure you are solving the problem that was stated. Our company this year was Lindström, a work-garment related company. Task was to find how can we improve the workwear to enhance workers performance.
As you can probably tell, the whole topic is out of my field of study, yet the added challenge of not knowing was exciting. So, we started digging for information. Firstly, our team conducted 2 visits to Lindströms facilities. The visits where meant that we understand the bacbone of Lindströms operations and logistics chain. It was much more complex than we imagined. Next, we called dozens of companies to gain insight on what they would like to have in a workwear for their employees and then asked all the people in Aalto DF to understand what they would appriciate if their work wear had.
We tried to understand everything. EVERYTHING! One of the most important outcomes was that unless it does not bring a benefit to both company and user, the company that Lindström delivers their garments to would not even consider it. And with this knowledge, our team moved into the next stage of development.
A shooting idea, wish for something!
Once we thought we knew enough, we started ideating on possible solutions. A great point for this was PD6, a short and more intense version of the Aalto PdP. There we went through „the whole course” in a chaotic, funny span of 6 hours. With these crazy generated ideas, such as a built-in display to monitor workers posture that ties to an exoskeleton (with many more features), we started discussion within the team on what should we build. The rules from the sponsor were simple – As long as it’s washable, anything goes. So, after many rejections and failed prototypes, either because they did not bring much value or were too impractical. We have finally thought of something that could use the existing Lindström infrastructure, while being easy to implement. The prototype we would be building.
Let the work begin…
Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one. That was what happened in our case. We realized that after a meeting with the Lindström team, where they showed us a new product that was launched. It was an RFID tag scanner that detected people which tried to steal the garments. So, we revisited one of our old ideas of using the workwear as a key tag. Which we discarded in the beginning because we thought it was so obvious. But our sponsor got really excited about it. That was the point where we started shifting our focus towards that.
Complications
If Product development in Aalto PdP was a walk in the park, it would not be fun, would it? Our team faced many complications, from poor communication to loss of motivation. That managed to slow us down, but we knew we had to keep going. The project became especially difficult after losing 2 members mid-project. The rest of the team knew it is important to support each other more than ever. This was really complicated for me, as I was the only engineer left in the team! That meant that I had to travel weekly from Valkeakoski to Espoo, sometimes even staying there overnight. But not to worry, everything is paid for by your team’s budget.
But as the project went on, we started asking, “Is it worth it? “. „Why am I even doing this? “. It was difficult, and the motivation kept dropping. No one realized how big of a commitment the project was, but we could not give up.
It finally all came down to the Aalto PdP Final gala. Where the rest of our team had to scramble and finish what we had started. Now, it all would have been much easier for us too if we had started the preparations sooner. But due to complications we had, the final gala preparation week was intense. We had to stay awake until 3 am at some points to make sure the prototype was ready for users. Luckily for us, we managed and delivered the final product.
Final thoughts of Aalto PdP
The PdP was a long and difficult project, but the satisfaction of seeing your prototype come to life after all the hard work you put into it is indescribable. I know I will not forget the hard times me and my team went through. Also the great moments that happened and the hard work we left behind. Aalto PdP is a unique experience, which I would do again if I could. The whole project gave me an understanding of how important communication is in the team. How few dedicated members can save the team from total collapse.
I also managed to improve my product design and made connections with important people. They helped me prepare some new material for new courses that will be part of DF Workshops soon (stay tuned!). Aalto PdP is a commitment. It can take a lot of time at some points, but it all pays off in the end. So, if you are still thinking about joining, do not hesitate to go for it. You can thank me later.