School of Engineering and Computer Science Te Kura Mātai Pūkaha, Pūrorohiko

SWEN303 2024 Group Project - Part 1 - Prototyping

Change Log 

CHANGE LOG
07.05.2024 In the Project 1 Rubric for Part 4. Design Review updated "tools" to "methods and tools", where tools represent the templates mentioned in the lectures and associated links. 
07.05.2024 Changed "For this part of the project there will be 1 group reflection report." to "For this part of the project there will be an individual reflection report."
30.04.2024 added links to Group Project GitLab groups: https://gitlab.ecs.vuw.ac.nz/course-work/swen303/2024/project1/t<group number>
28.04.2024 added details about video link: "The link can be in a text file in your group project repo and or in the individual reflection report."
25.04.2024 "present the results of the evaluation which" -> "present the results of the evaluation to your group which" 
25.04.2024 "Group Reflection but submitted as an" changed to -> "_Individual Reflection Report_ some ideas"
24.04.2024 Added suggested workload
22.04.2024 Group Project Part 1 release date.

Group Project Part 1 Due: 23:59 Friday 31 May 2024 (End of Week 12)
Weight: 25%
Suggested Workload: 25 hours (see Course Outline)
Submission System: https://apps.ecs.vuw.ac.nz/submit/SWEN303
Extensions see notes on Slip Days and Extensions.

1. Description: Part 1 - Prototyping

This group project follows on from the designs created in Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 that is building an app that helps flatmates manage their expenses. For Part 1 of the group project, your group needs to create a functional prototype and a video showing the prototype. For Group Project Part 2, you will be testing the prototype developed in Part 1.

2. Project Group Formation

You need to work in the same group for Part 1 and Part 2. Groups between 5-6 members will be permitted. You can't do this assignment completely individually. Read Animal Roles Explanation to understand working in groups. Then please complete the role, and group members form. Deadline: 2359 Sunday 28 April 2024. Otherwise the lecturer will form teams for you. An ECS GitLab Group will be made for your group and you can create a project to work from and submit. All other GitLab projects will not be acceptable. See ProjectGroups for group formation and user testing for Group Project Part 2.

The GitLab groups are located here: 
https://gitlab.ecs.vuw.ac.nz/course-work/swen303/2024/project1/t<group number>

3. Design Review: Evaluation of the Prototypes

Each group will be formed from students who have their own personas, tasks, and designs related to the same project area. The first task is to evaluate the designs that have been proposed by the members of the groups. This evaluation will be a heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough or some hybrid of the two, which you will document. You will present the results of the evaluation to your group which will guide which features of the original designs your group will bring forward to the submitted prototype.

4. Creating a testable prototype

This will be a digital prototype using, at a minimum, clickable areas which transition to different parts of the prototype. This prototype could have more functionality if you want to include it, however, it is possible to get full marks using a program such as Figma (recommended), Adobe XD, or Balsamiq. The prototype will be high enough fidelity for effective user testing, which will be done in Group Project Part 2.

5. Video and Documentation

As part of the documentation, we want you to create a video showing the prototype. The video will show the main functionality of the interface and try to emphasise the interactions particularly when some of the interactions might be complex or hard to describe in text. You need to submit a link to a video (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo) showing your system in action, a screencast with subtitles or voiceover would be appropriate. The link can be in a text file in your group project repo and or in the individual reflection report. DO NOT COMMIT your video to GitLab (i.e. upload).

6. Submission Requirements

You will be submitting a link to the gitlab.ecs repository for your group. For this part of the project there will be an individual reflection report.

6.1 Required Content

  1. Background to the project. This should explain some details about your group application, such as what aspect of the managing finances for a flat you will develop in this prototype.
  2. Personas. Use the persona of Alex Singh described in Assignment 1 and update where necessary. You are welcome to create new personas for this project.
  3. Designs ideation. This shows the different designs (wireframes and user flows) that were created for Assignment 2. Copy and Paste from the previous projects is fine.
  4. Design review. Discusses the evaluation of these designs and pros and cons of each design using an "expert" evaluation technique of Heuristics or Cognitive walkthrough, or another system that you find and describe. ( with individual contribution to reviewing identified )
  5. Prototype. This is the first full design of the interface for user testing. With a description similar to Assignment 2, but updated to include input from the group. And all the interactions fleshed out
  6. Video showing the prototype (min 30seconds max 5mins). DO NOT COMMIT your video to GitLab. Instead submit a link to a video (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo)
  7. Individual Reflection Report some ideas to reflect upon (will add some ideas as people ask):
    • Reflection on merging of the designs
    • Best and worst parts of the prototype
    • Listing of your individual contributions
    • Discuss your group roles from the Animal role types and how your group worked together
    • Discuss what you learned from doing the design review evaluation methods
    • What you learned doing this project
    • any other reflection ideas you may have ...

Please submit your assignment into the following submission assessment items:

7. Assessment Criteria

Group Project Part 1 - Prototyping is worth 25% of the course grade, with 10% out of the 25% total a group mark. From the Required Content section there are four main components that are graded for Part 1 of the group project:
  • Part 4. Design Review (30%) (Individual mark)
  • Part 5. Prototype (40%) (30% Group mark and 10% Individual mark)
  • Part 6. Video (10%) (Group mark)
  • Part 7. Reflection (20%) (Individual mark)

We will be using a rubric for this assignment, see GroupProjectPart1Rubric.

The assessment will consider both presentation and content. The presentation will be based on how easy it is to read, correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, clear diagrams, and so on. The remaining content will be assessed according to its clarity, consistency, relevance, critical engagement and your demonstrated understanding of the material in the course. We will not mark you down because you missed a detail that covers a fairly minor situation, but we will if the missing detail is important to the strength of your argument.

Gitlab is compulsory for this assignment. Students should use gitlab to document their process during the development of this assignment. Documenting work will make it easier to show who was responsible for which tasks.

8. Q&A

Print version | Backlinks |