Context, Need or Opportunity - the circumstances that form the setting for the idea.

The context, need or opportunity is the background information. It's the situation that forms the setting for your idea. You should be able to copy and paste the context from your inquiry and depending on where your inquiry lead, you may need to adjust. Remember this can be a story, a sentence, a paragraph, a statement.

EXAMPLES

• "I'm always forgetting to water my plants. So, I want to make a little device that sits in the pot and tells me when it's thirsty. The plan is to design a little circuit with a moisture sensor and a few LED lights that change color—green for happy, red for thirsty. I'll probably design a simple case for it using CAD and 3D print it" 

• "Instead of just a basic light strip, I want to build a set of interactive LED panels that can react to what's happening in my game. I'll use a small microcontroller like a Raspberry Pi or Arduino and program it to change colors and create cool patterns based on the audio from my computer. I'll use CAD to design custom shapes for the panels, like triangles or hexagons, and the mounts to attach them to my wall. This would be a big project involving both electronics design and a lot of programming."

• "I want to build a treat dispenser for my dog, but I want to make it smarter. Instead of just pressing a button, I'll use a small camera (like a Raspberry Pi camera) and some basic code to detect when my dog is in front of the dispenser. The dispenser will only give a treat when it 'sees' my dog. This would be a cool way to combine a physical mechanism with a camera sensor and a bit of programming. I'll need to design the mechanical parts for the dispenser in CAD and then get the electronics and software to all work together."

Problem and/or Issue

What problem/issue have you identified through your research. Use the below bullet points to help you write it:

• Describe the problem/issue, giving the basic facts about it.

• Explain what has gone wrong.

• Specify the causes or the origin of the problem

• Describe the significance of the problem/issue (short term & long term)

• Give the appropriate data and state the sources.

• Specify who is involved and in what capacity.

• Discuss who initiated action on the problem, or what caused you to look at this.

EXAMPLES

• "I've identified a problem with plant care: it's easy to forget to water your plants on time. This leads to them becoming unhealthy or dying, which is frustrating. My project will solve this by creating a simple device that monitors the plant's health and tells you exactly when it needs water." 

• The issue I've found is that most RGB LED lights are just for basic lighting and aren't very interactive. I want to solve this by building a custom panel that reacts to music and sounds from my computer. The goal is to create a dynamic light display that truly enhances the gaming or music experience.. 

• "A common problem in pet training is the inconsistent timing of rewards, which can slow down a dog's learning. I'm going to solve this by designing a dispenser that uses a camera to automatically give a treat at the exact moment a dog performs a certain behavior. This will make training more reliable and effective for both the pet and the owner."

Answer in bullet points:

• What type of outcome is it? (game, animation, website, app, interactive media, etc.)

• What will it do at a high level?

• How does it answer the Big Question?

Proposed Digital Outcome Examples

• “An electronic system that helps users practise reaction speed, coordination, sequencing, or decision-making using buttons, lights, sound, timed prompts, and score or performance feedback ”

• “A portable electronic system that provides prompts, feedback, monitoring, or alerts to support focus, hydration, routines, or awareness during daily activities. ”

• “An electronic system for a bedroom, classroom, or study space that monitors environmental conditions such as temperature, light, air quality, or noise, and provides feedback to the user through a display, LEDs, buzzer, or wireless notifications.”

• “An electronics outcome that helps a user remember a routine, medication, or scheduled task using timed prompts, visual indicators, sound, and user acknowledgement”

Scope - involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines.

The scope is the work performed to be able to deliver the outcome with its specified features and functions. The scope involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines. 

It should keep you (and the team) on task. A scope statement is the document listing these boundaries, and articulates project details, provides a project roadmap, helps focus you (and your team members), and prevents projects from expanding. 

The better a project has been “scoped” at the beginning, the better you can manage change as well as complete the project effectively. This is extra important with engineering problems due to scope creep becoming exponential due to the complex nature that you are working with.

EXAMPLE

The goal is to design and build an electronic device that solves some kind of real-world problem. The completed device should have a distinct purpose, a unique physical appearance, and an well-designed electronic circuit.

The project will involve two primary parts: electronics design and Computer-Aided Design (CAD). I need to have the circuit schematic and component selection completed within a specific date. Next, I will have the CAD design of the actual casing done within another date that will provide time for testing and optimization.

The most costly items for this project will be for the electronic parts (like microcontrollers, sensors, and LEDs) and the materials for the enclosure (like filament to 3D print or acrylic to laser cut). The final deadline for the operational working model is [final date].

Purpose - the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. 

What is the reason you are proposing to create this digital outcome? There needs to be a reason why your end users/target audience needs your outcome. 

EXAMPLES

• The purpose is to design and build a smart electronic device that helps prevent plant neglect. The final product will have a moisture sensor to monitor soil conditions and visual indicators to clearly show when the plant needs watering. It will have a durable, custom-designed enclosure created using CAD and a 3D printer. The goal is to make plant care easier and more consistent for the user.

• The purpose of this project is to build an interactive lighting system that enhances the entertainment experience. My research shows that many existing LED products are not very responsive or customizable. The smart LED panel will solve this by using electronics to react to music and sounds, creating an immersive atmosphere for gamers and music lovers. The custom-designed panels, created with CAD, will allow for a unique look that can be tailored to the user's specific setup. 

• The purpose of this project is to create a smart device that improves the effectiveness of positive reinforcement training for pets. My research indicates that inconsistent timing of rewards is a major issue in pet training. The automated pet treat dispenser will solve this by using a camera to automatically and consistently reward the pet at the correct moment. This device will use a combination of electronics design and CAD for the mechanical parts, providing a reliable and efficient training tool for pet owners. 

End Users - the person or people that an outcome is designed for.

Who is going to use or benefit from the digital outcome? Who are you aiming at developing your product for? Try to aim it at someone in a group you have access to and be specific, don't say “everyone”. When you are developing a target group for your product it can be very useful to pick a group that you have ready access to that you can engage with during the development process.

EXAMPLES:

Resources - are materials, energy, services, people, knowledge, skills, time equipment, hardware, software and expertise

What do you have access to in order make your product:

• Who is part of your team? (does your project have the complexity to have mulitple people) Check with a teacher

• What skills do they have?

• How much time do you have to make it?

• What software are you going to use?

• What hardware do you have access to? 

These resources could be things that you have access to at home, school, local libraries, club facilities, or anywhere else.

This helps you to judge if your idea is in scope, is it do-able with the given resources.

Feedback

It's always beneficial to check in with people and get some feedback on your project idea. Talk to a range of people like:

• Friends & Family

• Classmates

• Teachers (who also have expertise in certain areas)

• Industry Experts

They should be able to understand what you are aiming to create. Listen carefully to the questions they ask you. Is there something you haven't thought about? What direction are they looking at it from? Have you missed something in your Project Brief and you need to have a look at before you move into design OR is it something you need to look into further when you design OR is it not relevant for your project (but you should be able to say why its not).

You need to understand how this feedback affects the direction you are now going to take when you starting designing.

Justification

You may need to justify why your product is a good idea. Some possible ideas you can use to justify why it is could be:

• What feedback did you get

• Expert Opinion

• Market Analysis

• Academic Research

• Similar Products

• How it relates to the requirements

FOR EXAMPLE:

• "I am going to make an automated pet treat dispenser because..."

Consistent, well-timed rewards are crucial for effective pet training, but human trainers are not always available or perfectly timed.

• "I am going to make an automated pet treat dispenser but..." 

I need to consider designing a reliable and safe mechanical system because a malfunctioning dispenser could cause frustration for the pet and owner, and potentially harm the pet.

• "I am going to make an automated pet treat dispenser so..."

 I can provide a consistent and effective training tool that makes the process easier for pet owners and helps pets learn faster through immediate positive reinforcement.

• Strengths (why this is a good proposal):

• Weaknesses/limitations (what might not work well / what could be improved):

• How I will reduce the weaknesses / next steps:

S&W Example

• Strengths: Clear target audience; achievable scope; requirements link to research; accessible by design.

• Weaknesses: Limited time for complex animation; risk of message feeling preachy; limited testing sample.

• Next steps: Keep MVP short; test storyboards early with target users; add humour/realistic moments; schedule at least 2 feedback cycles.