Sustainable Experience Design (5cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Schedule

Course dates: 13 March – 5 May 2026

13 March - 17 April Virtual preparation / Online sessions
13 March 15:00 (Finnish time) Info session + lecture
27 March Task 1, Apply the pyramid to a case/event - presentation.
Short report. Work presented on 20 April
10 April Task 2: Individually benchmark 5 events from your own country and read each other’s work
20–24 April Intensive week, activities in Pasila, Helsinki 9:00 – 16:00
24 April Deadline for team portfolio including assessment
3 May Task 3 Key Learning Notes
5 May Rounding off 15:00 (Finnish time) on Teams

Implementation methods, demonstration and Work&Study

BLENDED

Intro

Our Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) offers a unique opportunity to dive into the world of Experience Design through a combination of online learning and intensive in-person collaboration.
Designed for students from diverse disciplines and countries, the course blends theory, practice, and intercultural exchange to help you master the tools and processes that create impactfull experiences.

Materials

Tussyadiah Iis P. 2014. Toward a Theoretical Foundation for Experience Design in Tourism Journal of Travel Research 2014, Vol. 53(5) 543 –564.

This is Service Design Thinking by Tim Brown (pdf- on course platform)
Sustainable and Eco-Conscious UX Design – AccScience Publishing (2025) https://accscience.com/journal/DP/articles/online_first/4932

Baydeniz. E., Özdogan, O. N. 2024. New perspective on sustainable practices in the events. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (2024) 16 (4): 531–542. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-06-2024-0126

Pelham, F. 2011. Will sustainability change the business model of the event industry? Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (2011) 3 (3): 187–192.
https://doi.org/10.1108/17554211111142149

Teaching methods and instruction

This is a blended intensive course with pre-intensive online sessions and tasks, a five-day intensive course at Haaga-Helia UAS Pasila, and post-intensive assignment and online session.

Methods: experiential learning, problem solving, coaching and teamwork. We’ll apply blended study, virtual self-study and lectures.
The methods evolve around Design Thinking and Service Design.

There are 15 places on this course for Haaga-Helia students. Apply to the course by filling in the registration form by 23 January. We will select the participants by January 30 2026.

Working life connections

The course entails commissioned project work in teams based on a real-life business challenge.

Exam dates and re-exam possibilities

No-exam.

Internationality

The course participants represent three universities in three countries:
FHWien der WkW, Vienna, Austria
Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands
Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland

In the following years, this blended intensive course will be given in Vienna and in Breda.

Completion alternatives

No alternative ways of learning for this Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Course.

Learning assignments

Task 1: Apply the pyramid to a case/event - presentation. Write a short report (1-2 pages)
Work presented on 20 April in class. Deadline: 27 March.

Task 2. Individually benchmark 5 events from your own country and read the others’ work.
Deadline: 10 April

Task 3 Team protfolio that includes documents on creating a concept to solve the commissioner’s business challenge. Creating or developing a service using experience design theory and tools, considering sustainability and creating a viable business concept, Sales pitch, and team evaluation. Deadline: 24 April

Task 4 Key Learning Notes (KLN): a written report, based on theory you have learned through
reading course literature combined with your own reflections. The theory you use should be
relevant in terms of the subject matter and the course competences. Deadline: 3 May

Assessment methods

Pre-IP Task 1 10% Team work
Pre-IP Task 2 10% Individual work
Intensive week Final concept team portfolio and work 70%
Post-IP Individual reflection 10%