FSK-3010 Market-oriented product development and innovation - 10 stp

Innovation and new product development are critical to the success of individual organizations, industries and societies. In an increasingly dynamic environment, being first to market or being able to exploit market opportunities with innovative goods or services is essential. The interplay between market demand, problem solving and technical requirements is an extremely complex process whether the innovation is new to the world or an incremental development of existing products.

The aim of the course is to enable students to understand, perform and evaluate critically the crucial tasks in the innovation process from idea generation to implementation. The course takes concrete innovation challenges presented by companies as its point of departure, and groups of students work on the problem/challenge formulated; they identify customer needs, develop and test prototypes, perform preliminary testing, market assessment and pre-launch activities. Students will be evaluated on their ability to reflect theoretically and their ability to understand the theoretical implications of their choices during the group work.

When you have passed the exam, the candidates are expected have acquired the following knowledge, skills and competences

Knowledge and understanding about:

• Understanding the phases of the innovation process - following the structure of a design thinking process
• Understanding the benefits and challenges of team work for innovation

Skills in:

• Ability to identify user needs in the discovery phase
• The use of various methods to identify user needs, including digital sources and tools such as online communities and mobile probing
• Ability to work creatively with ideation tools
• Ability to develop and test prototypes in the experimentation phase
• The use of various methods for testing early prototypes, including using digital visualization tools, e.g. video and wireframes
• Team work

Competence in:

• Theoretical reflection on the opportunities and challenges of an innovation process/project
• Translating theory into practice through hands-on experience and reflection on practical experience with theory

4 hour written individual exam (60%) and group term paper (40%). The grading scale is A-F, where A-E is passed, and F is failed.

Coursework requirements: There will be a two week home assignment where groups of 3-4 students work together. Evaluation: Pass/ Fail.

A re-sit exam will be arranged in the next semester.

The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.