Here, you can watch the video of our final presentation in which we performed live for over 200,000+ viewers. Skip to 1:17:20 to see my team, Pink Team, and I introduce Ashore (I'm a demo-er!).
If you keep reading, you can learn more about Pink Team's journey through this whole process. 2.009 is now my favorite class I've taken so far at MIT.
Milestone 1: 6-Ideas
Each team was responsible for generating 6 fundamentally sound concepts based on the theme and presenting these concepts to the class in a 6-minute presentation. This milestone was intended to help us learn how to prepare and present concepts that are valuable to our client and/or company. Each team presented and described the 6 product ideas in a very short amount of time — each idea was presented in "elevator pitch" fashion and had roughly the amount of time you might have to pitch a new idea to an investor or program lead - about 1 min each.
Milestone 2: Sketch model Review
The goal of the strategy presentation was to focus in on two to three concepts that our team had narrowed down and focused on. In this presentation, we obtained helpful design feedback from the class, early in the process. We used feedback from this review to pick the final product concepts to pursue for the design review. The presentation was a first look into presenting concepts in a formal design review format. Pink Team showed well-prepared sketches and/or simple CAD models and first gen (sketch model) prototypes (foam models, mock-ups, etc). Relevant technical, market, customer needs, and benchmarking data were provided.
Milestone 3: Mockup Review
The goal of this design review was to present a well thought through design (CAD models, drawings, specifications, etc) as a pre-prototype check. We used this presentation as a way of validating our design to the class prior to moving forward with a "costly" prototype. This process also showed the evolution of the design, resolution of the critical or key risks, and issues.
Milestone 3.5: Assembly Review
The assembly review was an important step on the way to success in our technical review. The goal of the assembly milestone was to help us develop a clear, detailed, and shared view of our overall product and its architecture. In past years, the lack of a good assembly model very often led to many errors and a high degree of stress as the technical review approached. It was critical to continue exploring design options and performing physical tests for high risk aspects of the design. We worked towards resolving our key technical challenges, as described in the technical review deliverable, at the same time we worked on our assembly and product architecture model.
Milestone 4: Technical Review & COGS Analysis
The goal of the technical review was to demonstrate to the class the state of our functional prototype and to obtain critical feedback. This feedback helped us prioritize improvements and presentation style for the final presentation. This presentation helped prepare Pink Team on how to pitch/present a finished product to a client or potential business partner. Our presentation was about 15-minutes and include the following topics:
* Mechanical design details
* Human factors/form/aesthetics
* System integration
* Details/prototype execution/manufacturing & cost analysis
* Performance quality/safety/reliability
* Go-to-market and communication strategy
* Mechanical design details
* Human factors/form/aesthetics
* System integration
* Details/prototype execution/manufacturing & cost analysis
* Performance quality/safety/reliability
* Go-to-market and communication strategy
Milestone 5: Final Presentations
The final project deliverable was a formal presentation that is traditionally attended by the entire class, and is open to all faculty, students and guests. This presentation provides each team with the opportunity to show their work to a wide audience that included their peer group, academics, industry professionals and even investors! Our presentation was not unlike pitching a product or new ventures concept to potential business partners, investors, etc. You were able to effectively demonstrate Ashore and its value to a diverse audience with different intentions. It was important to remember that members of the audience are of various backgrounds, education levels, etc., and we adjusted our script accordingly. Not only did we demonstrate our working prototype, but we also presented customer data, market information, specifications and background for the product.
Scroll back up for the link to the full presentation!
