Design step 1 is the beginning of all the steps in our capstone project. In this step we completed many different tasks that allowed us to get familiar with our group, market, and what principal of engineering we will be dealing with. There are two parts to design step 1.
Step 1, Part 1:
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Step 1, Part 2:
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Both of these parts to step one totaled in around 2 weeks worth of work from my group and myself. There were many challenges with this part of the design process, and I expect there to be more in our future. Under the unique circumstances we are in during this project, I find that we are put to the test to see how we handle pressure and collaborating with others. Compartmentalizing all of the work that we need to get done and managing out who is completing what, has been extremely helpful in taking some of the edge off this seemingly crushed capstone. We want to put our best foot forward, so this means giving 110% of our time and thought to creating a practical and useful product. One of the major issues we saw was the scheduling times to meet with each other. My group and I have very different, busy schedules so finding time to meet and discuss our project was very difficult. However, this is an extremely important part of the design process to collaborate with others and work together so this project does not become a complete burden. The way that we worked to solve this problem was taking time to discuss our amiability before we started work for the day. This was very helpful to talk in real time during class with each other and let us have the opportunity to openly discuss what we were learning or if we had questions with one another. I also found that the gantt chart we developed gave us an opportunity to discuss time management, which has been very valuable to us during this first step.
Design Step 1, Part 1
We hit the ground running during this semester, and after the first day we were already jumping head first into our projects. My group and I all expressed interest in audio engineering as our scope for the project. To team up, my group and I decided privately that we wanted to work together. We officially signed up, and began discussing what part of audio engineering we would focus on. Our mentors for this project were ones that we found through mutual friends and connection from extracurricular activities. The mentors who are going to help us for this project are:
Emanuel LaCarrubba - Audio Engineer, Sausalito Audio
https://www.secretsofthepros.com/mannylacarrubba/ [email protected] |
They will meet with us via Zoom, and be available over email to discuss our project, give us feedback, or answer some questions we have on technical or general issues.
The next step after finding mentors in our area of interest was to brainstorm for our project. To brainstorm we used a Padlet to connect our ideas, create posters, and in general as a brain dump for all of our thoughts. This is going to be a living document, meaning that we will be continuously adding more information to it as the project progresses to document our process and all of our work.
The next step after finding mentors in our area of interest was to brainstorm for our project. To brainstorm we used a Padlet to connect our ideas, create posters, and in general as a brain dump for all of our thoughts. This is going to be a living document, meaning that we will be continuously adding more information to it as the project progresses to document our process and all of our work.
To the left is an image of the Padlet that my team and I have created. This is somewhere that we can virtually dump all of our thoughts and connect different posts. It helps us collaborate, since we are distance learning, and see images/graphs of data next to some of our ideas. It is very accessible and easy to use. This is a living documents we will continuously be coming back to this as the project progresses to add to it. |
The next part of the part 1 process was to develop a management plan for our project. To do this, my group and I created a Gantt chart online using the site Toggl Plan. Here we add due dates, assignments, and any other information that is coming up in the near future to stay on track and organized. We assign different members to each task to divide our workload and make the work more manageable. Every new step of the design process, we add the new due dates to the Gantt chart. This means that the chart is a living document, and we are constantly adding new tasks to it. This is a helpful tool we have to manage our time and make sure we do not miss any due dates, since we do have such limited time.
In this part of the design process, we also created a digital logo for our "company." We wanted to create something that would have apply on words for audio engineering, and design a logo that would also be simple enough for people to comprehend. We decided on incorporating cables and wires into the image, and put the team name we agreed on in the middle, Ampliteam. If it was too detailed or outlandish, it would take away from the overall message of our team and be distracting. We used online software and vectorized the final image. This logo will act as a seal on our official reports/papers.
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This is our final logo for Ampliteam
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Design Step 1, Part 2
The second part of the first design step involved more writing and researching then the previous part, which was more centered around setting up our project.
Possible Problems to Solve
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There are many problems in the music industry and with audio equipment, such as filters, audio clarity, accessibility to instruments and equipment, soundproof rooms, progression software, and audio consistency. These are all valid problems facing the music industry, but we decided to focus on the audio consistency aspect. The problem we’re trying to solve is that live audio during performances is often unbalanced, and we would like to create a solution for that.
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After defining our problem, our next step was to research possible clientele. To do this we did a full Human Centered Design Research proposal. In this paper we evaluated the different kinds of clients who would want our product, empathized with their needs through research and personal experience, and solidified our path moving forward. Understanding problems through human needs is fundamental to what we do, we start with the users and what they care about and need.
Needs and insights are only things that you can find by talking to and observing people.
Needs and insights are only things that you can find by talking to and observing people.
- What do people care about?
- People care about things that apply to them. They want to purchase products, and continue to purchase products that they have easy access to. People care about price more than quality most of the time, meaning they want products that are cheap and accessible to them. They also care about products that cater to their needs to solve big problems or issues they face.
- What is important to them?
- It is important that the product is reasonably priced and can help make mundane tasks in their lives easier. Most everyone is all about finding the easiest possible route with the mindset, work smarter not harder. This is something to keep in mind while making our product that it helps people and answers a problem or makes life easier in some way for them. People also find saving time important.
- What do they need?
- People need access to products and they need to know that they are reliable. Purchasing a product is a big step and having a product that is cheap, reliable, and something that would help them save time and money is important. People need something that makes their life easier.
We believe that marketing our product to amauture musicians would be the smartest move. This is a large client base that has a wide variety of genders and age, but there is a common interest and need for this product. By focusing on this client base we can find unique and specific ways to advertise our product and make sure that it appeals to the clients. As supporters and participants of the arts, we all can attest to the needs that these clients have and what kind of problems they want to solve to make their lives better. This is also a broader term, meaning that with the exclusion of professional musicians our product would apply to most of the people on our brainstorming list.
Then, we were faced with the daunting task of deciding on a product to fix audio consistency. Our product is a XLR cable with a built in pre-amp and limited EQ functionality. In other words, we are creating an EQ graph wire extension that would go before a speaker preamp in order to balance audio.
Then, we were faced with the daunting task of deciding on a product to fix audio consistency. Our product is a XLR cable with a built in pre-amp and limited EQ functionality. In other words, we are creating an EQ graph wire extension that would go before a speaker preamp in order to balance audio.
We also created a survey to collect more data during our research phase. The initial survey we created was far too short and had huge questions, that in hindsight we should have fixed before distributing it to students. Some of the data we collected in this first survey was helpful, however most of it was unusable. We took notes from our teacher and mentor to create a new survey. In our revised survey, we found much more success. The data was extremely helpful and is something that we are going to reference and use to modify our final product. This research we collected from online, surveys, and personal experience was very helpful as we now have a more solid picture of what our product will be and whom we can market it to.
Below is the final Human Marketing Research paper that my group and I created. It contains more detail on the points covered above. The links to our initial and revised survey we distributed to the school can also be found below.
After researching our clients, identifying a problem, and coming up with a solution/product we had to start working on the engineering part of our capstone project. To do this we created an initial demands and wishlist that we discussed how we wanted to ideally proceed with our project and development. After, we bang to revive input and data from our surveys that we had sent out. The next step was to refine our initial demands and wishlist according to the information we found out from our survey. We need to cater this product to the people, and we need to take their feedback and their needs into account. Below you will find the initial demands and wishlist, as well as our revised version that includes insight from our surveys.
Our Initial Demands and Wishlist
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Our Revised Demands and Wishlist
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The final assignment we had for design step 1 was to formulate an initial proposal of our project. This proposal encapsulated all of our work and information we had collected so far in the beginning steps. It is a formal report, where we discuss our thought process, time line, and other components of the capstone holistically. It goes into detail about where we plan on going with our product and what the future looks like for our next design steps. Below you will find the Ampliteam Initial Project Proposal.
Reflection
This first design step was crucial for my group, as how we handled these first few weeks would set the tone for the rest of our semester. Two skills that I think I utilized well in this part of the project were time management and communication. The first skill that I used well was time management. My whole group has been amazing keeping up to date with all of the incoming deadlines, and we make sure to turn in our best work. One specific example of when I utilized this skill was a few days after we set up our Gantt chart. I noticed that we had finished all of our assignments, and I saw all the ones we had completed and the ones I completed myself. I was proud that we had done our best work, and met all the deadlines. It has not been an easy feat, but we are all working day by day to use the most of the time we have. The second skill that I performed well was communication. A specific example of when I utilized this skill was our last Zoom meeting of this part of the design process. As we scheduled our meeting, I made sure that the Gantt chart was updated for our next steps and that everyone knew what we had to finish for the week. Talking virtually is not the same as meeting in person, but I really think that I have improved my communication skills because of the circumstances. We were prepared for the week ahead, and had an extremely productive meeting.
Two skills that I am going to improve upon in the future are critical thinking and leadership. The first skill that I stilled to work on is critical thinking. An example of when I saw my lack of critical thinking was when we were adding to the Padlet on the first day. I felt very lost and did not have much to contribute to the ideas for products. Audio engineering is still an area that is new to me, and I was not very prepared to suggest solutions or possible product ideas. Critical thinking is a crucial skill to have in engineering, and being creative with the circumstances is also very important. In the future, I will use my new knowledge of audio engineering to contribute ideas and help solve problems. We are in the midst of an unconventional circumstance, and we need all the creative/critical thinking possible to help us. The second skill that I want to further improve upon is leadership. An example of when my lack of leadership proved to be a problem was when we had our consultation meeting with one or mentors. I realized that I was not talking much, and although I do not need to be the absolute leader of the group, I felt obsolete and unhelpful. In order to succeed my whole group needs to be more confident and become our own leaders. The mindset we all have and our outlook is very important to how we proceed. In the future I will be more active in conversations and use my past expertise to be a reliable leader for myself and for my group.
All in all, this was an extremely informative step in our design process. I learned more about a new profession, different fields of engineering, how to use online software and so much more. We had valuable learning experiences of how to design and create a product and what worked and did not work in our project. I am hopeful and excited for what the future holds for my group and our project. It is an ambitious goal that we have set for ourselves, but I believe that we will conquer what is in front of us.