Study Guide

Learning outcomes

- The student understands the basics of productization and commercialization of digital products and services and can apply them in practice.
- The student understands the concept of Digital Venturing and the phases of the process and is able to utilize the Digital Venture Building model developed by the Institute of Design in the design and development of new products and services.
- The student is able to apply design thinking and understands how strategic foresight and speculative design can be used in the development process of digital innovations.
- The student is able to utilize user-centered design, data-driven insights, and AI as part of digital product and service development – from ideation and research to prototyping and testing.
- The student is able to apply the basics learned in the studio in practice and work in a multidisciplinary team in the development process of a digital product or service.

Implementation and methods of teaching

The course is carried out in multidisciplinary teams where students solve real development challenges in collaboration with industry partners and within a business context, using design thinking, strategic foresight, and digital development methods. The work is supported by workshops, expert lectures, peer feedback, and reflection. The studio is guided by a design director, and the learning process is supported by an AI-assisted learning environment. The work is documented and concludes with a final presentation, which forms part of the course assessment.

Timing and attendance

The course includes scheduled regular meetings, but during the group work phase, teams lead their own projects independently within the framework of the given plan, assessment criteria, co-creation, and follow-up. The total workload must correspond to 15 ECTS credits, i.e., 405 hours. A minimum of 80% attendance in scheduled sessions is required to successfully complete the course.

Learning material and recommended literature

Recommended orientation literature:

• Henry Chesbrough: Open Innovation
• Tim Brown: Change by Design
• David Kelly: Art of Innovation
• Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur – Business Model Generation
• Wally Olins: On brand
• Eric Ries: The Lean Startup
• Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby: Speculative Everything

Additional materials will be published on the course’s Moodle page, and further readings will be announced during the course.

Contents

Productization and Commercialization of Digital Products and Services

Students learn to build and validate new digital product and service concepts. The work takes place in a real business environment, where students develop solutions in multidisciplinary teams for real company challenges and test the feasibility of their concepts in practice.

Digital Venturing and Innovation in Practice

Students learn the principles of Digital Venturing* and gain the skills to engage in innovation activities driven by entrepreneurship and business needs. They apply the Digital Venture Building model developed by the Institute of Design, which combines design thinking, strategic foresight, speculative design, and data-driven agile product development.

*Digital Venturing refers to the systematic development of new digital business – from idea (or other starting point, such as open innovation) to go-to-market simulation. The process includes team and capability formation, evaluation and selection of funding instruments and options, product conceptualization, technology selection and architecture, utilization of data and AI, productization (including branding and naming), and commercialization (business models and market entry).

Utilizing AI and Data in Business Development

Students gain hands-on experience in applying a context-specific language model in innovation work (a large context-bound language model developed by the Institute of Design) and decision-making. They learn how generative AI accelerates development processes and information gathering, supports analytics, and enhances the market relevance of new concepts.

Additional information for students: previous knowledge etc.

The Digital Venture Building Studio offers an unique opportunity to develop digital products and services in real company collaboration and within a venturing-oriented environment. Participants work on real business challenges that combine innovation, commercialization, and the building of new ventures.

The studio operates in multidisciplinary teams that bring together design, business, technology, and strategic thinking. The working environment encourages creative problem-solving, rapid experimentation, and continuous iteration, enabling each venture concept to progress from idea to go-to-market simulation.

No prior experience in venturing or entrepreneurship is required, but the course does demand motivation and commitment to the development process.

This studio provides a hands-on learning environment where participants don’t just study innovation – they actually do it.

Assessment criteria

Participation in teaching and guidance, team work, and the quality of the final outcome

Assessment scale

1-5