ISE390
Final Project
Your semester project will consist of a thorough analysis of the architecture of a recent computer-based product. It should demonstrate a thorough understanding of that product. You should select a product that is of some interest to you and one that is fairly recent. Typical products include laptops, navigation devices, smart phones, game controllers, etc. Projects can also include advanced components, where the component are typically licensed to product developers with differing sets of features (e.g., a graphics processor). There can be no duplicate projects among the student teams, so the first team to request a project topic will be assigned the topic (if otherwise appropriate). You can elect to work on the project as part of a team composed of up to three students.
The major part of your project will be the class presentation. You should plan for a 30 minute presentation, which includes a presentation
of approximately 25 minutes and 5 minutes for questions and answers. Be prepared to take questions during the entire presentation. Presentation time slots will be assigned to the first requestor from among the available time slots listed on the course home page.
Expectations
Your presentation and set of slides should demonstrate the following:
- A brief introductory summary of the product that includes its purpose.
- An understanding of the technology surrounding the project, specifically every element in the spec sheet.
- An understanding of the cost drivers in the system. That is, which of the components are the most expensive.
- An understanding of the implications of the product components. For example, you should be able to comment on subsequent improvements to the product based on trends in component technology.
- A comparison with similar products. If the product is more than a few years old, you should compare the product with current generations of the product.
Schedule
The project consists of a set of deliverable items, listed below, culminating with your presentation in class.
| Date |
Deliverable |
| 3/27 |
E-mail Moussa and I with the information identifying the product you will analyze (name and version number is sufficient). You should also identify your
partners (if any) in the project.
To help in choosing a project that is not already selected, you can refer to a table of previously approved projects. |
| 4/3 |
Send Moussa and I a brief (1 page) MS Word or PDF document that describes the importance of the product and the more important product components. Mention the commercial use of the product
and licensing arrangements, if any. Also, attach or reference the product spec sheet that you will use as the basis for your presentation. |
| 4/17 |
Send Moussa and I a PowerPoint file that shows the slides you intend to use. The slides may not be complete, but they should demonstrate the structure
of your presentation. Most of the slides should include the major points that relate to that slide topic. |
| 4/26 |
Send Moussa and I the near-final PowerPoint file you will use in your presentation. |
| 5/2-5/11 |
In-Class presentations |
| 5/16 |
Presentations (by appointment: 5:15-10:00) |
Hints
- Be sure that your slides and presentation satisfy the expectations listed above.
- Be sure to start with a technical spec sheet. Sometimes product manufacturers provide a spec sheet that is really just a summary of features, not components.
- Be sure to include specific performance numbers in your presentation, including data rates, memory capacity, secondary storage capacity, resolution, and any other specification important to your product.
- Your presentation and slides should be targeted at an audience of technical professionals. Think of it as a presentation you will give to fellow workers once you begin a full-time job following graduation.
- To make sure you effectively communicate the information about your project, you should create very professional PowerPoint slides. You will find that using a standard PowerPoint template helps in that regard.
The PowerPoint Techniques document should help with your planning. The
TLT department at Stony Brook offers classes on PowerPoint, so I suggest you enroll in one of the sessions if you are not a skilled user
of PowerPoint. You can get more information on the TLT Web site.
- Most presenters plan on about 1 minute per slide, so you should plan on about 25 slides in your presentation. Be sure to include page numbers in your slides.
- Do not plan to read your presentation, either from your slides or from notes. It is important that you convey a deep knowledge of the material in your presentation.
- When you request the project presentation date, be aware that presentations in-class are more difficult (both because of the larger audience and the lesser time to prepare), but extra points (up to 5) will be assigned to your final score due to the increased degree of difficulty.
- Points will be deducted from your final project score if you are late in submitting any of the project components listed in the table above.
- You may find the ifixit Web site helpful in understanding the components in your product.