Hasso-Plattner-Institut
Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Hasso Plattner
 

Global Team-based Innovation (GTI)

Global Team-based Innovation is a course mainly for master students of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI). The students apply Design Thinking methodology to tackle innovation challenges post by prominent global companies collaborating in interdisciplinary teams with students from other leading global universities. Within the course, HPI is a partner in ME310 (projects with the Stanford University) as well as the SUGAR network (projects with other global universities).

Application

If you want to participate in the 2020/2021 projects, please find all relevant information at the newcoursepage at the chair for Design Thinking and Innovation Research, which is now offering the course.

The course in a nutshell

Students from Potsdam and leading global partner universities tackle design innovation challenges posed by global corporations. The course is focused on teaching students the innovation methods and processes required for designers, engineers, and project managers of the future. Through the projects, students go through an intense and iterative process of need finding, ideation, and rapid prototyping to create and evaluate new concepts. Company involvement provides the reality check necessary for teams to improve their innovation abilities. A professional coach, corporate liaisons and faculty advisors support the teams. Projects typically involve systems integration and include a mix of mechanical, electronic and software design. The results of all projects are real prototypes that have a user-centric design, are economically viable and technically feasible. For more information, watch the explanation of Prof. Larry Leifer on Tele Task.

Team Structure

Each team consists of 6-8 globally distributed students (3-4 students in Potsdam / 3-4 students at the global partner university) who are required to stay in frequent dialog and have one weekly meeting with their coaches and a regular status call with the corporate liaisons. Video conferencing systems and a dedicated project room are provided. The number of participants is limited by the team size.

Corporate Partners

In the course, the student teams tackle open design challenges of real companies, which are operating in various industries including consumer electronics, automotive, telecommunications, healthcare, aeronautics, software, household products, transportation, and government.

Projects

Over the course of nine months, a multidisciplinary student team from at least two universities tackle an open design challenge posed by a corporate sponsor. With fresh minds, openness for crazy ideas and guided by a human-centered design process the student teams are well equipped to derive innovative solutions for their design challenge. In addition to an exceptional learning experience, participants get the chance to work with market-leading corporations. At the end of each year, students present their solutions in booths at the EXPE Design Fair or EXPO.

During the project, a team of four HPI students and four colleagues from the Paris d.school created an amazing solution for a challenge that was simply made for ME310: Create the perfect bathroom for elderly people. 

Supported by their industry partner, the french furniture company Lapeyre, the team started to observe and understand the everyday struggles that seniors face within the bathroom. The one that stood out most: doing your morning and evening routines is challenging with age, as more steps are required and standing up for prolonged periods of time is exhausting.

Based on this finding, the students conceived multiple possible solutions and tested them in the form of low-fidelity prototypes with people in retirement homes or even their own grandparents. It quickly became apparent that the main idea, a retractable chair that can be conveniently hidden underneath a coverable sink, solves all the identified pain points and should therefore become the final solution. This final, almost production ready prototype was then built with the help of Lapeyre engineers in France.

After highly praised presentations at the EXPE events in Stanford, Paris, and Potsdam, Lapeyre continued to develop the idea and now sells an almost identical version of the final prototype through their french stores.

Project Archive

Students in earlier projects virtualized the car manual for Audi, and created a gesture-based magic wand for Siemens to control machines, robots, and production lines. Other teams worked on the issues of globally distributed knowledge work or invented a video conferencing solution that creates a feeling of collaborative data analysis that combines state-of-the-art in-memory database technology with an intuitive multi-touch interface. Project challenges varied from innovative electrical toothbrushes to full-scale airports of the future.

Participant Profile

We expect attending students to fully commit to their team and allow two days a week for this course. Candidates should present with in-depth technical knowledge, be passionate about the task at hand, and prepared to dedicate their creative energy to the team's success. Participation is only possible for master students. If you plan to start your master's studies in the winter term 2019/20, you can already apply and receive your acceptance notification along with the official confirmation from the HPI administration.

Please note that you cannot simultaneously enroll in this course and an HPI Master's Project during the summer term 2020.

Benefits

  • 9-month course of extensive ideation, engineering, innovation, and user interaction
  • Relevant design challenge from a leading company
  • Self-reliant interdisciplinary teamwork partnering with a renowned university from around the world
  • Intensive tutoring within a creative space in dedicated project rooms
  • Budget for prototyping

Grading

  • Individual participation during lectures, group meetings and in project work (20%)
  • Milestone presentations (20%)
  • Milestone documentations (20%)
  • Group project result (40%)

Further Information