Project 2: General Product 15 credits

About the course

The overall aim is to provide students with practical experience in designing a product or system that caters to a broad user group, addressing products and services such as within healthcare facilities, public transportation or public services. The course provides a platform to explore approaches and methods in the context of design ethnography and participatory design within a service design perspective. Students work in groups throughout the course. The final results can include software-hardware products, services, or organisational frameworks. The course comprises three modules.

Module 1: Foundations (3 credits) 
This module reviews the theoretical foundations of ethnographic design research and participatory design, and it provides exercises in practical ethnographic and participatory methodologies for service design contexts. The goal of this phase is to develop knowledge about users and the user context for future design solutions and to establish relationships with users, so they can be involved in the next stages of the design project. This entails engaging people interacting with equipment, environments, services and other people rather than individuals interacting with a single isolated product or product group.

Module 2: Project (9 credits)
In this module a design project is performed via identifying opportunities to delivering proposals, using ethnographic and participatory methodologies and with a service design orientation. During this module, students arrange periodic participatory design sessions with their respective user groups to explore concepts using various ways and materials to engage people in the design process. Students will further refine and evaluate their designs within a service design perspective, exploring service design tools and methods. Project results are presented in the form of visual synthesis of fieldwork and participatory design and may include sketch models, representations of service elements, and screen-based digital presentations. 

Module 3: Sensemaking (3 credits)
This module is about understanding the project in relation to interaction design for a general, broad target group and includes training in academic writing.

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This course is part of a programme

This course contains occasions that are included in a degree programme at Umeå university and applies only to those of you who are admitted to the programme. You will receive information about application times and what applies to you from your institution.

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Spring 2026
- Project 2: General Product
  
  Spring 2026 / Umeå / English / On site
  
  Application opens 15 September 2025
  
  Save education at universityadmissions.se
  
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  Starts
  24 March 2026
  
  Ends
  7 June 2026
  
  Number of credits
  15 credits
  
  Type of studies
  On site
  
  Study pace
  100%
  
  Teaching hours
  Daytime
  
  Study location
  Umeå
  
  Language
  English
  
  Application code
  UMU-52310
  
  Eligibility A Bachelor's degree or equivalent first-cycle qualification comprising of at least 180 ECTS or a corresponding qualification from an internationally recognized university. Specific entry requirements are: 60 ECTS in the field of Design. Student must have passed all previous master courses in the Interaction Design (IxD) program at Umeå Institute of Design or the equivalent. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B/6.
  
  Selection
  Is only given within the programme DAIDM. Guaranteed place.
  
  Application
  The online application opens 15 September 2025 at 09:00 CET. Application deadline is 15 October 2025.
  
  Application and tuition fees
  As a citizen of a country outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees for studies at Umeå University.
  
  Application fee: SEK 900
  
  Tuition fee, first instalment: SEK 80,325
  
  Total fee: SEK 80,325
  
  Details about tuition, fees and funding

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