Project ownership and student performance in user-centered senior design projects

Introducing an external user in the capstone design course can be beneficial for the students, but also brings several challenges. The user, who takes on the part of a customer that wishes to take possession of and use the designed product, helps ensure that the project is relevant, usable and within budget and timeline. He or she participates in setting specifications for the product and modifying them along the process. However, in a process that is likely the first design experience of that magnitude for most students, the presence of a user may increase the complexity of the project, and the associated stress levels. In this paper, we report on the perceived levels of project ownership and associated problems in a cohort of 14 senior electrical, computer and bioengineering students through their senior design project, which involved a user with disabilities for whom the student team was designing an assistive technology device. Initial findings show that the presence of the user limits the perceived faculty influence on the project, and that, despite reported problems in communication between the students and the user, technical challenges are thought to be the main inhibitor for a bigger sense of project ownership from the students.