Capstone Success Tips
Seniors in engineering around the country are about to start their capstone experience. For many of them it will be the biggest project they have ever undertaken. As a previous capstone student and coach here are some articles that will help your project be successful.
Interdisciplinary Teams - It is likely you may have never worked as a team like this and it can be tricky to manage. This article will help you navigate team dynamics and have a more productive team.
The Human Element of Technical Projects - As engineers we often talk in purely quantitative terms, but there is more to projects than numbers. We need to care about the people we design for and the people on our team. This article will help you strike that balance between quantitative and qualitative.
Sharing Your Design Work - The goal of your capstone project will likely be to create a design. It is really easy to slip into thinking the goal of the project is a prototype. An engineer’s goal is to create a design that will be transferable to someone else. This article will help you think about how to share your design with others.
Groupthink in Design Thinking - Disagreement is uncomfortable, and it is usually easier to go with the flow and agree. The problem is that going along with what everyone else says can lead to a worse design. This article will help you avoid groupthink.
Making Products that Don’t Suck - Getting feedback on your design will sometimes hurt, but it will lead to a better design. This article will teach you the importance of getting feedback by showing you how Pixar uses feedback and design reviews to create their movies.
Enjoy your time in capstone, it was one of my favorite experiences in school. Even though it was challenging and managing team dynamics wasn’t always perfect, my capstone experience gave me the confidence to go out and create products of my own.
