Project Proposals

The proposal isn’t just an idea; it’s a plan. It represents a plausible path all the way from a beginning to an ending. It should include every detail which can be worked out through research and discussion without actually fabricating or testing a prototype.

This process requires thinking through the entire process even in the presence of unknowns and contingencies. Ideally, it raises all the questions which the project might encounter, even though more will be discovered during the process, and then provides tentative answers.

Please submit your proposal as a blog post to the 16-223 WordPress. Only one post need be submitted per group, but be sure to include the names of all contributors on the authors list (not necessarily in the post text).

Proposal Checklist

  1. Narrative description.
    • Title.
    • Short summary: how does it create delight or wonder?
    • Preferred installation location in museum.
    • A brief narrative description of a typical visitor experience.
    • What would be a hallmark of success? What kind of observable behavior do you expect to see?
  2. Technical outline.
    • Short summary of the first-draft technical solution.
    • What kind of materials, structure, and mechanism?
    • What kind of sensors, actuators, and algorithms?
    • What are the key technical challenges?
  3. Timeline. Please duplicate the 16-223 project schedule template Google Sheet and map out every step of the project. Please specify dates for the following milestones:
    • Any proof-of-concept test to clarify known unknowns.
    • Design of custom parts.
    • Purchasing of special materials or parts.
    • Fabrication of custom parts.
    • Mechanical and electrical assembly.
    • Programming.
    • Lab testing and debugging.
    • Note: on-site testing dates are fixed (see Fall 2018 Calendar).
  4. Project management.
    • Designated individual responsibilities, as applicable.
    • Objectives for any proof-of-concept demonstration.
    • Objectives for the first on-site test.
    • Known unknowns and contingencies. What cannot be decided now but may be revealed by a proof-of-concept test? What will be the possible alternatives from which to choose?
  5. Budget outline.
    • A detailed bill of materials. Please list as many fabricated and purchased parts as possible on the BOM (Bill of Materials) tab on your copy of the 16-223 project schedule template
    • Identification of any special materials to be purchased or obtained.
    • Approximate cost estimates and total spending.
    • If you exceed the amount promised from the course budget, please explain how the group will negotiate out-of-pocket spending.
  6. Sketches. These are not production drawings; they may be hand-drawn. The purpose is to identify approach and structure, not necessarily fabricate parts.
    • Isometric or perspective view of the overall device or installation. Please include scale and units.
    • Detailed two-view or three-view sketches for any mechanical elements (structure, bearings, linkages, motor drives, circuit boards, etc.) Please include scale and units.
    • Visual depiction of the project in context, as appropriate.

General Proposal Prompts

A good proposal will answer as many of the following prompt questions as pertinent:

  1. What is your big idea, in a sentence or two? How does it address the museum context?
  2. If you apply why-how laddering, can you identify an essential underlying question? What is the simplest abstraction of your idea?
  3. Who is the audience? This might include user, viewers, or passive bystanders. What is the experience of the audience? What might they remember?
  4. Are there existing projects you have referenced? Please include citations.
  5. How do you propose to divide the tasks among the team? What roles will you each undertake and for which parts?
  6. Proof-of-concept. Nearly every proposal plan leads to a set of key questions which form the primary hurdles. What’s a quick experiment to tackle the most difficult part first? Either the unknowns will resolve into a feasible development plan or you can fail fast on one approach and revert to another. Either way, you won’t have wasted effort on secondary development which becomes obviated by a problem. The proof of concept will usually be a partial prototype, and in many cases it can be modified into a full prototype if successful.
  7. What features do you specifically propose to ignore? E.g., a project involving a wearable device could focus on sensing and actuation but choose to ignore battery operation in favor of a wired supply. In general, we’d prefer you keep your workload under control by emphasizing interesting behavior or interactivity over fit and finish.
  8. What features do you specifically propose to test? How will we know if it worked?
  9. What qualitative or quantitative metrics can we apply to gauge the success of the prototype?