Design Thinking and Electronic Prototyping

Course information

Learning outcomes

Knowledge

After completing the course, the students are able to state the key characteristics of design thinking and to explain the role of interactive prototypes in the process. They can also explain the key phases of design thinking process with appropriate working methods and tools.

Experience

After completing the course, the students will have an experience of completing a complete concept design project in a team. They have experience of conducting context studies, interpreting context study materials, generating concept alternatives, specifying a design concept, conducting user tests with a prototype, and presenting a design concept. They have also experience of writing reflective learning diary as well as participating in design critique.

Skills

After completing the course, the students are able to conduct a basic concept design project for a simple electronic product in a team. They are able to present a design concept with contextually grounded arguments.

Content

The course covers design thinking in the context of basic electronic prototyping. The course activities include project work, lectures, lab exercises, and learning diary keeping.

Teacher

Salu Ylirisku

Study material

Course book: Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things (Revised and expanded edition). Basic Books.

Workload

Contact teaching, attendance compulsory

Teamwork

Independent work

Prerequisites

No prerequisites.

Evaluation

Presentations, documentation, diaries, prototype, and teamwork are reviewed according to criteria explicated in detail during the course. Each of these areas will be assessed on scale 0-5.

Teaching time and location

The teaching time and the location of the course can be found at Sisu information system

1. The link leads to Completion methods tab of the course page
2. From the top of the page (Version drop-down menu), check that academic year 2025-2026 is selected  

3. From the blue bar, click Lecture and open the Groups and teaching times tab to see the teaching time and the location of the course. Exam times can be seen by clicking Exam.
    

   Exam instructions at the Open University

The teacher has four (4) weeks to grade the exam submissions starting from the exam date.

Further information

Equivalences to other courses: Design in engineering (ELEC-C9800)

Online learning environment for the course  

MyCourses online learning environment is a tool for both students and teachers for communication and managing everyday course work. You need an Aalto User ID to log in to the course's MyCourses workspace and participate in teaching.

Digital workspace of the course:
MyCourses

More details on completing the course will be available at MyCourses closer to the start of the course.

Registration and course fee

Registration for Open University courses is done via the link below: 
Course registration

Registration for this course starts on 4.8.2025 at 9.00  
Registration for this course ends on 25.8.2025 at 23.59

It is not possible to register before the registration period has started or after it has ended.

The number of participants is limited to 3.

This course is organized by the Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering.

The course fee is paid upon registration for each course at a time and it is binding. Familiarize yourself with registration and payment rules as well as other guidelines for students:
Registration, payments and rules

Activating Aalto ID and Multifactor Authentication

You can activate your Aalto User ID the day after the registration and you should activate it no later than the day before the start of the course.
Instructions for activating your Aalto user ID

Once you have activated your Aalto user ID, also enable multifactor authentication. Some of Aalto University's services require multifactor authentication.

Instructions for using Multifactor Authentication