IoT Project Outline

UPDATE AVAILABLE: This project guidebook has been replaced with a new version. This older version will no longer be available after August 1, 2019.

Your project challenge is to design and build an IoT device and web app that could improve or benefit your school community.

Your team will solve the project challenge by applying a user-centered design process that follows an iterative "Learn-Build-Measure" cycle.

User-Centered Design

1. Research Problem Space - Let's start by exploring existing IoT devices and the technology you'll use to build your own smart devices. You will also begin to frame the goals of your team's project by learning about potential stakeholders and generating initial ideas for what problem to solve.

   • Research inputs, outputs, and network connections of smartphone

   • Research design of smart thermostat

   • Research design of another smart device and present to class

   • Practice: Introduction to IoT electronics kit (create Hello World app)

   • Practice: Build and program smart lightbulb and web app

   • Generate project ideas by making observations and asking questions

   • Practice: Build and program smart thermostat and web app

2. Define Problem to Solve - Your team will evaluate its set of ideas for what problem to solve through deliberation and feedback. After conducting additional user research on your selected problem, you will describe your target stakeholders, the current user experience, the value proposition of your solution, and the design requirements for your solution.

   • Evaluate ideas and get stakeholder feedback on top ideas

   • Plan and conduct user research for selected problem

   • Compile data from observations and interviews of stakeholders

   • Construct personas for target stakeholders

   • Construct journey map of current user experience

   • Define value proposition of solution

   • Define design requirements for solution

3. Design Solution & Deliver Proposal - Generate, evaluate, and refine your ideas for a solution. Create a detailed solution design for evaluation by stakeholders. Present your targeted problem and proposed solution for critique by other design teams.

   • Generate multiple ideas for solution

   • Evaluate and refine ideas for solution

   • Create system model of solution

   • Create wireflow of web app for smart device

   • Create storyboard of future user experience with solution

   • Evaluate solution design with stakeholders

   • Present targeted problem and proposed solution for critique

4. Build & Develop Solution - During development, track your team's progress and any issues that arise.

   Construct your smart device by connecting the necessary parts. Plan out and code your device app and web app. Conduct integration testing to ensure your solution works properly. Create a product demo video and product marketing website.

   • Track development progress and issues

   • Build smart device from parts

   • Create Photon app for smart device

   • Create web app to interact with smart device

   • Conduct integration testing of solution

   • Create video demonstrating use of solution

   • Create product marketing website

5. Evaluate & Improve Solution - After creating your solution, test the solution with target stakeholders to gather feedback on improvements to make or additional features to add.

   • Evaluate smart device and web app with stakeholders

   • Evaluate product marketing website with stakeholders

   • Identify possible improvements to solution, and implement as feasible

6. Reflect & Present Project Results - At a public poster presentation, explain your team's design process and demonstrate your solution. Be prepared to respond to questions. Each team member will reflect on his or her contributions and how this project experience impacted future college and career interests.

   • Create project poster

   • Present project solution to public audience

   • Write personal reflection