Class Project Overview¶
Context¶
You will be doing a class project for the remainder of the semester. You will form teams of 4-5 students and work with one of 7 partner organizations that each serve a variety of disability communities. Each of these organizations will come to class during the last week of September and the first week of October to introduce themselves and explain what ideas they've got for you to work on.
Project Types¶
There are two kinds of projects, each with their own requirements:
- Accessibility Evaluation and Improvement
- Application Design and Evaluation
An accessibility evaluation and improvement project will evaluate a pre-existing application or web site from the partner organization for accessibility by their target clientelle. You will engage with several members of their clientelle to do an in-person evaluation. Then you will design improvements and conduct a usability evaluation on the results. Your deliverables are an updated application design or web site as well as a project report describing the results of the initial accessibility study, the re-design process, and the evaluation of the redesign.
An application solution design and evaluation project will create a new application solution for an accessibility problem from the partner organization. You will engage in a co-design process with classmates and clients of the partner organization, develop the new application, web site, or tool, and then evaluate your application with additional clients of the partner organization. Your deliverables are the new application solution and a project report describing your co-design process, design mockups, final design, application documentation, and a writeup of the evaluation of the application.
Stages¶
The project will proceed in six stages.
- Project Pitches
- Team Formation and Team Contract
- Project Specification
- Project Milestone 1
- Project Milestone 2
- Project Report and Presentation
Note
The first 3 stages are the same for all kinds of projects.
Project Pitches¶
In this stage, you will develop a novel project idea for one of the 7 partner organizations and pitch it to the class in a 2-minute presentation. These ideas can be unique and need not be one of the ideas proposed by the partner organization. These pitches will serve to help you find teammates from the class interested in working for the same partner organization or on the same kind of project.
Team Formation and Team Contract¶
Once you have chosen your team members, you will come together to discuss one another's backgrounds and skills, negotiate your team norms, and write up a team contract. These include communication standards, time expectations, division of labor, a definition of equitable contribution, and procedures for managing conflicts within the team.
Project Specification¶
Before your team begins work, you must first determine what you want to do. You will schedule an initial project meeting with the partner organization to identify and negotiate requirements for your accessibility evaluation/design improvement, or accessibility solution project. You will also agree on project deliverables and their format. Once completed, you will come together as a detail to document the requirements in the form of user stories, a UI mockup, a declaration of your technology stack, and a detailed project timeline. In addition, you will create a website for your project to host your milestone deliverables for the partner organization to follow your progress. Finally, you will fill out a simplified IRB application which we will evaluate to help you manage the human subjects ethical considerations of your intended project.
Note
At every stage of this project and prior to any meeting with your partner organization, you must post any project updates on your project website. All posted content must be made fully accessible as you learned how to do in HW1 and HW3.
Accessibility Evaluation Projects¶
Project Milestone 1¶
You will begin studying the existing application or web site with at least 5 people with the target disability.
You will meet at least once a week with a representative from your partner organization to demonstrate progress and communicate with them about questions or concerns that arise during this milestone. If you need help to find people with the target disability with whom to evaluate your project, you can ask your partner organization.
Project Milestone 2¶
You will begin designing and implementing your redesign. You will evaluate it with at least one other person in class who is not on your team.
You will meet at least once a week with a representative from your partner organization to demonstrate progress and communicate with them about questions or concerns that arise during this milestone.
Project Report and Presentation¶
You will finish by evaluating your redesign with an additional 3 people with the target disability as well as a representative from your partner organization.
At the end of the semester, you will give a 12-minute team presentation about your project, its design, a demo, and its evaluation. All team members must participate in the presentation.
You will also write up a project report on the web (make sure it is accessible) summarizing everything you have done for the project, along with a demo video illustrating your work.
After classes end, but before grades are turned in, you will arrange a time with your partner organization to present your work to them and pass on the project deliverables in a form they can use. The partner organization will fill out a survey evaluating your performance throughout the semester. The survey results will be factored into the grade you receive.
Application Solution Projects¶
Project Milestone 1¶
You will begin building the application and pilot test it with at least one other person in class who is not on your team.
You will meet at least once a week with a representative from your partner organization to demonstrate progress and communicate with them about questions or concerns that arise during this milestone.
Project Milestone 2¶
You will continue building the application and evaluate it with at least one person with the target disability.
You will meet at least once a week with a representative from your partner organization to demonstrate progress and communicate with them about questions or concerns that arise during this milestone. If you need help to find people with the target disability with whom to evaluate your project, you can ask your partner organization.
Project Report and Presentation¶
You will finish by having 3 people with the target disability as well as a representative from your partner organization pilot test your application.
At the end of the semester, you will give a 12-minute team presentation about your project, its design, a demo, and its evaluation. All team members must participate in the presentation.
You will also write up a project report on the web (make sure it is accessible) summarizing everything you have done for the project, along with a demo video illustrating your work.
After classes end, but before grades are turned in, you will arrange a time with your partner organization to present your work to them and pass on the project deliverables in a form they can use. The partner organization will fill out a survey evaluating your performance throughout the semester. The survey results will be factored into the grade you receive.