Capstone

In my role as teaching faculty at the Drexel University College of Computing & Informatics, I oversee the Capstone experience for our Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction/User Experience (MS-HCI/UX).

This page contains information for future Capstone students.

Project Overview

The Capstone is your chance to synthesize and further practice everything you’ve done so far in your master’s degree program. In this two-quarter sequence, you’ll carry out a research or design project of your choosing—aligned with your learning and professional goals. The overarching aim of this project is to equip you with something to showcase your skills as you take your next step in life. For some, that means a UX portfolio piece; for others, part of a Ph.D. program application; for others still, an experience to speak about during job interviews—and so on.

The information in the Project Proposal Guidelines document will help you in preparing your proposal, which is due at the end of Week 1 in your first quarter of Capstone. You can begin working on your project as soon as your proposal has been approved by the Capstone course instructor. Ideally, that will happen during Week 2 of your first term of Capstone, but in some cases there may need to be more back and forth between you, the instructor and any others involved. It is best to start planning your project before the Capstone quarter begins.

Read the current Project Proposal Guidelines document.

Select Past Projects

To complete the Capstone project, students write up a case study sharing their project goals, process and results. Here you can find a selection of past students' case studies.

Research Projects

In a research project, the overarching goal is to learn about something, enhance humanity's understanding of a topic, build knowledge, etc. Oftentimes the results lead to implications for design or policy, but design is not the main goal of such projects. Here's a selection of recent research projects done by Capstone students.

Design Projects

In a design project, the main goal is to create a new product or service, or to improve an existing one. Often design projects involve research, but it is done in the service of making informed design decisions, rather than contributing to human knowledge. As such, the research done in design projects is often highly targeted and contextual to the project at hand (rather than more broadly generalizable). Here's a selection of recent design projects done by Capstone students.

Capstone Symposia

Every December and June, we host a Symposium for Capstone students to share their work with friends, family and the rest of the Drexel community.

Here you can find recordings of our previous Symposia: