How do u choose a design project / Final-year project?
1) Self-appraisal:
U must realize and understand your own interests, likes/dislikes, sense of direction, constraints, etc. Use these as the guidelines to choose the projects or to do anything in life for that matter.
2) Nature of the projects:
Every project has unique characteristics. What does it intend to accomplish? (Goals) What does it require of us? (Knowledge, Tools, Time, Means) What help or assistance is available? (People, resources, literature)
3) Literature review:
Find resources on the projects in libraries, Internet, people, etc. What has already been done / finished? (so that there's no need to redo) What aspects have been researched and what other aspects that have not been researched or adequately researched? (any loopholes, unsatisfactory / unanswered questions) Do u need to:
i) innovate a completely new entity
ii) modify an existing entity
iii) apply / use an existing entity in different ways
4) Problem-Method:
There are 4 scenarios:
i) Old problem - old method (like tutorials, examples, exercises)
ii) Old problem - new method (modify existing entity)
iii) new problem - old method (apply existing entity in new ways)
iv) new problem - new method (innovate new solutions)
5) Project planning strategies:
Use well-established project management techniques. These include and are not limited to :
i) Divide-and-conquer:
Divide and subdivide the project into many separate parts that are easily managed, checked and integrated later on.
ii) Set up and attain Milestones:
Identify and make sure u reach the milestones for the project components along the way in order to keep progress and maintain scheduled routines.