Students solved a company problem with a digital product management project

Almost every Estonian knows the SmartID application created by SK ID Solutions. But how could the company expand abroad? It was this question that SK ID Solutions presented to the students at the Digital Product Management Programme Sandbox project course at the Institute of Computer Science.

After an initial introduction to the problem, our interdisciplinary team of students got to work. The students' work process started with a problem assessment, followed by brainstorming, interviews with potential users and the creation of a digital product prototype. In the meantime, there were also meetings with the company representatives, necessary direction changes, and prototype testing. The students' work was supervised and observed by our expert lecturers. 

Company representative Erko Umal shared his words of praise: "Our experience was very positive right from the start. It was clear that the lecturers and students were really into it." According to SK ID Solutions, participation in the project gave them many new ideas in addition to the finished prototype. "Companies usually solve problems in their field as they see fit, but in this project, the problem is solved as the students perceive it. Thanks to this, the solutions can be much more creative," explained Umal.

In addition to receiving the prototype, the participating company is also able to introduce themselves and their work to the university and students. Umal added: "Our field is so complex that it can seem intimidating at first. It was all the more pleasant to see how much more knowledgeable the people who participated in the project became."

We are looking for companies to submit projects for the Machine Learning course, Data Science course, Digital Product Management course, and Software Project course by 6 September.