X. Key Takeaways

There has been a number of achievements and learnings through the project that can inform the future works in Aalto University. The main takeaways from these achievements and learnings that can inform the future service development in Aalto University can be categorised into those related to process, research finding and service concept.

Process: The power of online co-creation.

First of all, we learned so much of the power of co-design process. From the identification of the problems to the design of service details, the input from the students debunked many of our hypotheses, pushed us to reconsider, and provided a lot of learning. Their ideas were a rich source of inspiration for the construction of the service proposal. Aalto University has the privilege of enjoying the collaboration with students in designing services and strategies, for example by organising student workshops through student associations to develop a future campus vision. This is great, but it sometimes seems to be the case that collaboration only happens as a form of consultation. This project highlights the effectiveness of working with students from the beginning of the project throughout to the actual design and delivery.

As a space-based project, the situation under pandemic that has inevitably led to a predominance of online activities, was a challenge. However, we believe that this rather expanded the possibilities of the co-creation process. Online marketing, including social networking interactions, has enabled us to reach people who would otherwise be difficult to reach. The fact that people have become accustomed to communicating through online tools such as Zoom has contributed to gaining more insights in a more efficient way. Of course it was difficult to get a sense of the atmosphere on the project site, but we were able to get a glimpse of the nuances by asking local students to take and share videos. In addition, the two online co-design workshops we held made it clear that the online workshops have the potential of providing more insight than the physical workshops in that the workshop facilitators are able to follow individual moves.

Research: Students for student wellbeing.

When we think of mental health, we tend to think of people who are depressed or suffering from mental illnesses. It is true that treatment for these people is very important and should not be neglected. However, what has become more apparent through the research is the importance of taking preventative measures to avoid such serious situations. In this respect, we were fortunate to discover early on in the design process that mental health is deeply rooted in the everyday lives of students. The students themselves recognise that it is not something special that they do, but the small successes that they build up in their daily lives that have a significant impact on their mental health. It was also very useful to see where the difficulties lie in realising these desirable routines, despite being aware of them.

Another important finding from the research that can inform the future service development at Aalto University is the students' willingness to try new things. The students we met through this project were not simply waiting for someone else to provide them with a service. Throughout our conversations with the teachers, we could also sense that the students were willing to try new things. We believe that this finding is a very important asset for creating and developing new services in university settings.

Service concept: Simple, and effective.

The service we have designed together with Aalto community is not something that requires a complicated system, nor is it in a large scale. Some people may feel that this is not enough. But there is a big lesson that tiny intervention of mere time guidance, small social pressures and the support for spontaneous connections can have an impact on mental wellbeing. We believe that it is valuable to keep this learning into consideration when implementing a health and wellbeing service, especially if it requires huge complexities and cost.

Lastly, the proposed service provides a platform for students to connect, learn and develop together. It harnesses the diversity of the student and foster interactions between them in an effective way because they share the common goal of study success. By looking very closely with students, we are convinced that this model of platformization that utilises the common interest of students could be an useful reference for the future development of university strategies and services.

» Online interactions under pandemic have broadened the opportunity for collaboration and co-design.

» Students themselves will be the key enebler for dealing with student mental wellbeing on campus.

» A simple service that harnesses resource on campus can be an effective solution for student wellbeing issue.