Week 12 - Software Development

December 2, 2014

Overview

Design is not a theoretical exercise. It doesn't matter if you have the best design in the world if it never ends up getting used by a real person. Perhaps the most complex and critical part of the product development experience is the transition from design to code. This week, we'll hear some stories from a designer/developer on what makes successful projects and discuss how to break down a seemingly large system into buildable chunks.

Assignments Due Today

Class Activities

Release Planning (~15 minutes)

So you have a piece of software designed. Now what? Here are a few techniques that are useful when trying to actually get the software built.

Release Planning (~30 minutes)

In your groups, break down the design of an e-mail client (i.e. Gmail) into functional chunks.

Web Architectures and Technology (~15 minutes)

We will go through a few common web architectures and technology choices.

The Impact of Architecture on Design (~20 minutes)

As a group, discuss how the different architectures presented will impact your designs.

Assignments Due Next Week