Assignment 1: Project Group and Idea — Grade Value: 25 points

Due Thursday January 7, in class

assignment

Your first assignment is to form your project group and select your initial idea. While you should expect your idea to evolve over time, you must pick an idea to which you are willing to commit.

The deliverables for the assigment are:

1. A list of group members (including preferred e-mail addresses), a tentative group name, and a one paragraph (4-5 sentence) sketch of your project idea. Include what problem you are attempting to address and how you plan to address it. E-mail this to cs294h@cs.stanford.edu
2. Each group member should register as a user on github.com; include each member's github user name in your e-mail submission. Each member must also join the cs294h-w10 Google group.
3. Be prepared to give a short presentation in-class on Thursday. Your slides must follow the template described below. Have your slides (either PDF or Powerpoint) available online or ready on a USB thumbdrive or similar device.

slide template

Your group will give a short presentation in class on Thursday. Your slides should adhere to the following format:

• Slide 1 - Title Slide: Group name and members. Use this slide to introduce yourselves.
• Slide 2 - Problem Slide: In a single sentence, state the problem you plan to address.
• Slide 3 - Project Idea Slide: In a single sentence, state your proposed solution.
• Slides 4-6 - Comparison Slides: Give three examples of related projects against which to compare your idea. Your slide might contain a representative image of a salient aspect of the other project or service.
• Slide 7 - Difference Slide: State how your idea is novel and different from what already exists.

notes about comparison

Web search is your friend! Describe your idea in keywords, put them into a search engine, and look at the search results. This activity is similar to what business folks call “competitive analysis” and academics call “related work.” Find as much as you can. Some things you find will be quite related (e.g., a typical reaction to your idea might be “Oh, you’re doing a Facebook for pets!”), but it is important to interpret “related” broadly. It may be that a carrot-peeler or a measuring cup is your inspiration for an elegant and ergonomic design.

From your search, select three products or services to analyze in more detail. Briefly analyze each one, looking at the important design elements and what they imply for your own project idea. Select visuals (screenshots, sketches, etc) that will help you explain what you've learned.