Customer Development Projects
Customer development projects are real-world assignments done in cooperation with Laurea’s partner companies. They are designed to match the course credits and focus on digital business.
Students can also suggest their own project ideas—if they have a suitable company and topic in mind.
What you will learn?
This part of the course helps you build key work-life skills, such as:
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Project management
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Teamwork and communication
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Working with clients and understanding their needs
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Managing your time, tasks, and responsibilities
How do I work in a project? What is my role?
Project Methodology
In project work, your role depends on what you and your team agree on. You are expected to:
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Take responsibility for your own tasks
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Stay organized and meet deadlines
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Communicate clearly with your team
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Keep others updated on your progress
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Handle uncertainty and adapt when needed
This is good practice for real work situations, where roles and goals may evolve as the project moves forward.
Want to Learn More?
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Read about how project work is used as a learning method in the Way of Working section
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See more about how projects are planned and run in the Project Methodology documents on Google Drive.
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Watch helpful videos and explore example projects below 👇
Eve's comments on Digital Living Lab
Eve's comments on Digital Living Lab
Digital Service Creation methodology - intro
Digital Service Creation methodology - details
Project Management: Waterfall and Agile Methods
How are digital services developed? What are the things to consider?
Digital Service Development
When developing a digital service, you need to think about several things:
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Technical solutions
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Business strategy
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Service design and user experience
Each project is different, but there are some common principles that can help guide your work. You can find useful frameworks and guides in the Content Picks section to help you get started.
How to ensure the project goals are achieved? How to manage the project?
Project Management Tool: Trello
To succeed, your team needs to know:
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What needs to be done
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Who is doing what
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What the current progress is
To help with this, we use Trello — a simple tool for managing tasks, deadlines, and communication.
Trello is used in all Digital Living Lab projects for agile project management.
You can find step-by-step instructions and tips for using Trello below. 👇
Trello Video Guides
Trello - A Quick Overview
Getting Started With Trello (Demo)
How to use Trello for collaborative group work
How to start?
Getting to Work
Once your project group is ready, your topic is confirmed, and your Trello board is set up, it’s time to move forward.
Step 1: Contact your client and ask for a clear briefing. This will help you understand the project's goals and expectations.
Step 2: Start exploring the topic. You can find useful resources in the Content Picks section.
Step 3: Begin taking notes. If this is new to you, now is a great time to practice! Note-taking helps you organize your thoughts and track progress.
Need a Project?
If you don’t have a project yet, reach out to a course coach to learn about available options.
Example Projects
Here are some examples of what students have worked on in the past:
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Website development (structure, content, analytics)
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Setting up an eCommerce store
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Creating digital marketing content (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok)
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Planning and launching digital campaigns
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Designing robot interactions for healthcare or trade fairs
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Configuring routes for logistics robots
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Producing interactive 360° videos or virtual tours
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Developing app or web app mock-ups and prototypes
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Filming and editing drone videos
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3D printing of product prototypes
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Setting up IoT devices (e.g. urban farming or traffic counters)
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Producing eLearning content (interviews, product demos)
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Video, photo, and podcast productions, and publishing in different social media platforms