An important aspect to take into consideration for this project is that we will not actually make a final functioning product that will be distributed to the public. As this project is a group coursework that is part of an assignment we must instead set out some parameters for success that are dictated by the assignment specification, and do not end in the commercial distribution of a product. To ensure that our project is on course and will fulfil the assignment criteria we have written out some ‘success criteria’ that we will aim to complete by the end of the assignment. These are taken directly from the marking scheme, and also our specifications of our project. Our portfolio will address these issues throughout:

1. To have submitted a project brief (approx 200 words) that summarise our project and how we will go about organising its different stages.
2. To have kept a running blog (portfolio) of our activities as a group throughout the assignment process, on which each member will post work and research associated with the project.
3. To have evidence of participating in meetings with their appointed project mentors, and with other members of the group throughout the assignment process. These can be found throughout the blog entitled ‘Meeting Summary’.
4. To have submitted a reflective summary by each member of the project team at the end of the project.
5. To present a summary of our project followed by a Q&A session at the end of the assignment.
6. To have a project that uses design appropriate social network solutions and interface or extend the designs of existing social network infrastructures.
7. To have written evidence of being able to identify and analyse social network characteristics in the portfolio.
8. To have written evidence of being able to identify and interpret domain and societal requirements for the deployment of social network solutions in the portfolio.
9. To have evidence of group work and group organisation throughout the entirety of the project.
10. To have evidence of clear stages of planning and research throughout the project, with equal contributions from all members in a number of topic areas that may include design, research, graphics, and technical issues.
11. To produce a finalised description of our project at the end of its course, which includes explanations of its different features, the methodology used to select these features, and a realistic prediction of how this product may be used by the target audience.
12. To have clear evidence of market and user research which have been used to underpin the design and technological choices of the project.
13. To have clear evidence of tailoring our project based on research undertaken, literature reviews and expert opinions.
14. To have submitted a portfolio that demonstrates a social networking solution to a gap in the market which has been undertaken in a professional and well organised manner, and in an original way.
15. To have a product that has been developed to the point of needing further testing and qualitative research (which requires funding more than our means, and more time). This means that the product, at its completion, will have extensive background research, design stages, and engineering designs and may only be improved through further testing to the wider public which we ourselves are unable to do. This is a realistic goal for our project as it demonstrates an ability to produce and work on a product to a high standard, but also realistic time management as this product has a limited time and is run alongside other courses and coursework.

These success criteria will be revisited at the end of the project, entitled Success Criteria Revisited, and an analysis matrix will be added to show which criteria have been met. This will provide a clear indication of the aspects we will aim to provide throughout the assignment process, and will help to guide our planning, research, and final product.

This post represents that coherent structure and story are present in the portfolio which uses the entry and tags mechanism of the blog system. It tells the story of the project by explaining individual roles clearly, explaining why these were decided, and what outcome they will produce later on in the project. 

This post also represents that the group has chosen appropriate criteria for the success criteria that directly links to the marking criteria, and subsequently shapes the steps and outcome of the product. The success criteria were chosen intelligently and realistically to produce a project of professional quality, leading to a successful product. 

Written by Briony.