Problem Definition, Research, and Requirements Stage
The first and foremost phase of the design process is the problem definition, research, and requirements stage. The purpose of this stage is to develop the often abstract desires of the client into a tangible, measurable product goal. This process involves clearly stating what the problem is (problem definition) and what the final product may or may not contain (requirements), both of which are set by the clients' needs or desires. The third portion of this stage is conducting the necessary preliminary research to ensure the team is well informed on what the project will entail.
Activities
- Met with client, Dr. Elmer Grubbs, to receive initial project briefing.
- Formulated a clear and concise problem statement, along with defining project requirements and constraints.
- Selected Dr. Elmer Grubbs as our faculty technical adviser.
- Performed extensive research on the topics necessary for this project, including:
- Virtual reality
- Virtual reality headsets
- Motion tracking hardware
- Softwares to create a virtual reality environment
Milestones
- Developed problem statement and project requirements.
- Selected faculty technical adviser.
- Finalized hardware and software selection for this project.
- Produced two large deliverables for the client, as well as the EE476C course, including:
Tools
Although the final hardware and software components of this project were selected, during this phase no tools were utilized outside of the most basic office based softwares, including:
Although the final hardware and software components of this project were selected, during this phase no tools were utilized outside of the most basic office based softwares, including:
- Microsoft Office Tools (Word and PowerPoint for documentation and presentations)
- Google Services (Gmail and Google Drive for communication and collaboration)
Design Decisions
During this phase, the primary design decision that was made was the selection of the finalized list of hardware and software to be used in the project. Although we recognize that this decision is not generally made this early in the design process, the nature of this specific capstone project allowed us to do so.
Our team decided on the following:
Our team arrived at these decisions through extensive research into various alternative options, as well as through an established precedent from the pre-existing version of this project, including existing code off which to build, as well as Dr. Grubbs and NAU already possessing the selected hardware.
During this phase, the primary design decision that was made was the selection of the finalized list of hardware and software to be used in the project. Although we recognize that this decision is not generally made this early in the design process, the nature of this specific capstone project allowed us to do so.
Our team decided on the following:
- The Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 will be the virtual reality headset used on this project.
- The Windows Kinect will be the motion tracking device (along with its accompanying software) used on this project.
- The Unity Game Engine will be the software used to create the virtual world on this project.
Our team arrived at these decisions through extensive research into various alternative options, as well as through an established precedent from the pre-existing version of this project, including existing code off which to build, as well as Dr. Grubbs and NAU already possessing the selected hardware.
Design Work
Although no builds, analysis, or simulations occurred during this phase of the project, as stated in the above section, the final parts (hardware and software) were selected for the project. This includes:
Although no builds, analysis, or simulations occurred during this phase of the project, as stated in the above section, the final parts (hardware and software) were selected for the project. This includes:
Testing
Because this is the first stage of the engineering design process, it is too early to have developed any results or products and, thus, no testing was done during this phase.
Because this is the first stage of the engineering design process, it is too early to have developed any results or products and, thus, no testing was done during this phase.
Challenges
During this phase, there was one singular technical issue. To properly complete this project, both team members, Liam Burke and John Miscevich, required administrative access on various computers owned by Northern Arizona University's engineering department. The issue was resolved by contacting the university's IT department and having a back-and-forth correspondence until both team members had the administrative access they required.
During this phase, there was one singular technical issue. To properly complete this project, both team members, Liam Burke and John Miscevich, required administrative access on various computers owned by Northern Arizona University's engineering department. The issue was resolved by contacting the university's IT department and having a back-and-forth correspondence until both team members had the administrative access they required.