product design challenge Fall 2017

the theme Any product that uses Computer Science to create it Possible areas: Safety Entertainment Family/relationships Organization Comfort Utility

the challenge You’ll select a problem to solve, and design a solution for it The problem is likely not new/unique, but your product should be Document the process and the solution Present it Prize for the team with the best product based on class feedback

the process Select a problem Design a solution Present your solution

select a problem Research and Brainstorm problems Problems come first! Products that don’t solve a problem don’t sell During Brainstorming, all ideas are good, none are bad Capture everything in PowerPoint, decide what’s good to move forward with later Once you have a list, rank them Practicality Cost Potential market Difficulty Feedback from real people Select a problem to solve based on the rankings

Designing a solution: know your user Consider: Who is your target user? What is their income? Can they afford your product? Is the problem relevant/important for them?

Designing a solution: know the activities Focus on the activities the user wants to do Ask real people, and try the activities yourself Document and rank the activities

Designing a solution: the design Focus on solutions to the most important activities first, then less important ones Affordances - things that are obvious by looking at them Metaphors – it looks and works like this other thing Consistency – Are your controls consistent with each other? With expectations your user may have from other things they use? How do you make your solution unique and desirable? Divide and conquer: Consider whether and when to have individuals on your team tackle the pieces of your problem

Designing a solution: the design What do they expect? What is their mental model that they bring with them? How many, and what choices will they have? What choices do they want you to make for them? How do users interact with it? How does it provide feedback to the user (on actions, information, etc.) What does it look like?

Designing a solution: prototype and iterate Sketch out sample ideas – use paper, Photoshop/Illustrator, Sculptris or other software Do they allow the user to accomplish their goals? Test it out: Talk through in detail what and how the user does EACH STEP of an activity How would you make it simpler? How would you eliminate steps? Go back to step 1, multiple times

Present your solution Create a PowerPoint deck Come up with a great product name Define your user and activities Document the details The problem Target users Core activities/scenarios Interaction/feedback Show the details of the solution Draft ideas / drawings Product description, cost estimate, MSRP Final sketches or drawings

rubric 30pts: Research PowerPoint filled with brainstorming, ideas, research, etc. 70 pts: Summary/Presentation PowerPoint (40) Content – organization, detail, realistic product (10) Design / aesthetics / readability of slides (20) Presentation (individual) Voice: volume, clarity, inflection, speed Eye contact Gesturing, body language