National Engineering Design Competition (NEDC)

The final design must:

• Use Arduino, Circuit Playground Express, or Micro:bit hardware,

• Use at least 2 sensors,

• Use at least 2 outputs (motors, servos, LEDs, LCD, etc.),

• Not exceed dimensions of 20” x 20” x 20” (50.8 cm x 50.8 cm x 50.8 cm),

• Not exceed a weight of 20 lbs. (9.07 kg), and

• Be packaged in an aesthetically pleasing and functional form factor.

The components listed below will be used to assess the effective implementation of a human-centered design approach in the context of designing for equity, effective implementation of the engineering design process, and the functionality of the prototype.

High school and middle school teams will complete the following four components:

1. Design Brief (.pdf file submission): The objective is to provide a brief, non-technical overview of the entire project. Students must use the provided Design Brief template (see Appendix).

2. Electronic Poster (.pptx file submission): The objective is to provide an overview of the project highlighting key points of the design process including relevant data, present the resulting prototype, and share conclusions and recommendations for further development. Students will prepare an electronic academic poster that will provide an easily understood overview of the project and the prototype. The electronic poster will also be used during the Technical Presentation.

3. Technical Presentation (video submission): The objective is to provide an overview of the prototype functionality including a technical explanation of the mechanical operations, software operations, and integration of the two. Students will deliver a video-recorded presentation and demonstration of the functionality of the prototype.

4. Prototype Pitch (video submission): The objective is to convince the audience that the design meets the user’s needs and has value as a product to address an issue of inequity. Students will prepare a creative, engaging video-recorded presentation to pitch their prototype to an audience, including a group of judges. The presentation should define the problem, show how they address the theme of Designing for Equity, provide a detailed description of the users and their needs, discuss current solutions to the problem and their weaknesses, and provide a demonstration of their prototype highlighting its advantages.

OBJECTIVE:

The Design Brief provides a brief, non-technical overview of the entire project. It is a short document that can be used alone or as support during the presentations to provide the reader with enough information about the project to:

• understand the target user and the challenges they face that inspired the project,

• state the project goals,

• provide a general idea of the prototype and its key features,

• relay the current status of the project,

• convey the expected impact for the user and how perceived inequities are relieved, and

• reflect on the team’s experience implementing the Human Centered Design Process.

FORMAT: Teams must use the Design Brief Template (see Appendix).

REQUIRED ELEMENTS:

1. Problem Statement: Describe the people who will benefit from the project and the challenges they face. Discuss the issues of inequity that the project hopes to address. (100 word maximum)

2. User Research: Discuss key information about the user gathered through your research, interviews, and ongoing discussion with the user throughout the project. The information shared here should be directly related to the user’s needs, insight, goals, and prototype. (200 word maximum)

3. User Insight: Discuss your team’s understanding of the experiences, emotions, and motivations of the user. This insight should inform the rest of the project and help the reader have a deeper understanding of the inequity of the user. (200 word maximum)

4. User Needs: Develop a specific list of the user’s needs produced from the user insight. The needs should be reflected in the project goals. (100 word maximum)

5. Project Goals: List project goals and describe how they are linked to and will adequately meet the user’s needs and address inequities and/or barriers faced by the user. Meeting these goals should be reflected in the key features and graphic(s) provided. (100 word maximum)

6. Key Features of Design: List key features, illustrating that the design will adequately meet project goals. (200 word maximum)

7. Prototype Graphic: Include a graphic that is easy to understand with key features that are adequately labeled. The reader should have a general understanding of how the prototype functions by looking at the graphic.

8. Status of Project: Describe the current status of the project and discuss potential next steps. (200 word maximum)

9. Impact: Discuss how the design addresses inequities for the user and/or removes barriers. This impact should reflect how the team met the project goals. (200 word maximum)

10. Reflection: Show that the team has an increased understanding of human-centered design. Examples of personal growth and insights gained about designing for others and helping them overcome challenges should also be included. (200 word maximum)

Design Brief Submission Instructions:

1. Complete the Design Brief using the provided template (see Appendix).

2. Save the Design Brief as a .pdf file.

3. Make sure the .pdf file name contains the school name and the words “NEDC Brief.”

4. Submit the .pdf file via the MD MESA website no later than 11:59pm on the specified due date.

Late submissions: If the file is received after the deadline, 10 points will be deducted from the score. Files received more than 48 hours after the deadline will not be scored.

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of the electronic poster is to provide an overview of the project, highlight key points of the design process, discuss relevant testing and data collection, present the resulting prototype, and share recommendations for further development. The electronic poster is an important element that as a stand-alone product should help an observer quickly understand the overall scope of the problem, the resulting solution, and next steps of the project. As a visual aid during the oral presentation, the poster can be a powerful tool providing important graphics and highlights of the solution.

FORMAT:

Each team must create an electronic poster in PowerPoint. The size of the electronic poster must be 48” x 36” (W x H). All information should be contained on one single slide that has been resized to 48” x 36” (W x H).

REQUIRED ELEMENTS:

All sections should use as few words as possible to adequately present the information. Any section requiring written explanation should be succinct. Generally, it is encouraged to use bullet-pointed lists instead of text in paragraph form.

The electronic poster must include the following:

1. Title: Posters should include a title at the top. This section could include:

a. A take-away for people who read the poster.

b. An identifier for the project.

2. Team Section: Must be present and include the following:

a. School name.

b. Grade level (Middle School or High School).

c. State (optional at state and local events).

d. Team members’ names.

3. Logo: An Official MESA logo must be included (contact your state office for an official logo).

4. Problem Statement: This defines the problem to be addressed. This section could include:

a. Description of problem(s) addressed by prototype.

b. Description of users for whom the prototype is designed.

c. Scope of the project and any priorities in design.

5. Objective: This defines how the problem is being addressed. This section could include:

a. Primary objectives being addressed.

b. Any secondary objectives being addressed.

6. User Requirements: This section describes the needs of the user and how the prototype meets those needs. This section could include:

a. Graphic explaining requirements.

b. Bullet-point list of requirements.

c. High School Teams Only: Address any implicit requirements. For example, if your client wants to live in Alaska the entire year, an implicit requirement is that your design needs to work in below-freezing temperatures.

7. Prototype: A picture/schematic of the prototype. This section could include:

a. Short descriptions of important pieces of the prototype using callouts or short lists.

b. Highlights of the device and labeling of main parts.

c. Unique elements of prototype.

8. Design Process: A graphic that shows the team’s design process, including specifics. A general Engineering Design Process is NOT allowed. It must be specific to your team's design process. This section could include:

a. Flow chart with steps for the team’s iterative process.

b. Engineering Design Process with specific steps outlined.

9. Design Iteration: A graphic or list that shows multiple iterations of the design process with changes made in each adaptation of the prototype. This section could include:

a. Flow chart that shows changes for iterations of the prototype after testing.

b. Bullet-pointed list that shows changes for iterations of the prototype after testing.

10. Testing Process: A graphic or list that describes how the team tested the prototypes. This section could include:

a. Specific tests used.

b. Tests with users.

c. User feedback.

11. Visual Data (Minimum of 2): The relevant data that helped drive the prototype. This section could include:

a. Line graphs.

b. Circle graphs.

c. Bar graphs.

d. Tables.

e. Descriptions of successes and failures of the prototype.

12. Visual Element: A graphic that describes any other important factors/elements in your prototype. This section could include:

a. Decision tree.

b. Design matrix.

c. Key elements not addressed in other sections.

13. Results: The end result of the prototype. This section could include:

a. Summary of results.

b. How the prototype improves the user’s capabilities because of the prototype.

c. Changes to the user’s experience in the world.

14. Conclusions: Description of the final takeaways for the user. This section could include:

a. Success and/or failure to meet primary and secondary objectives.

b. Next steps for project.

Electronic Poster Submission Instructions:

1. Complete poster in PowerPoint.

2. Make sure the .pptx file name contains the school name and the words “NEDC Poster.”

3. Submit the .pptx file via the MESA website no later than 11:59pm on the specified due date.

Late submissions: If the file is received after the deadline, 10 points will be deducted from the score. Files received more than 48 hours after the deadline will not be scored.

OBJECTIVE:

The video-recorded Technical Presentation allows judges the opportunity to determine student knowledge of their project, gain information about the design process the students used during the project, and determine the viability of the design for the user. A technical presentation has a different focus than a pitch; therefore, this presentation should be different from the Prototype Pitch component of the National Engineering Design Competition.

Students will organize and deliver a focused, coherent video-recorded presentation to provide an overview of the development of their design (including research, experimentation, iterations, and conclusions), the technical components of their design, and the functionality of the prototype. The presentation should provide an overview and demonstration of the prototype functionality as well as include an explanation of the mechanical operations, software operations, and the integration of hardware and software.

FORMAT:

The presentation, including demonstration, can be a maximum of 10 minutes in duration and must be supported with appropriate visual aids. Students can use their choice of materials including, but not limited to, their design brief, electronic poster, prototype, and other relevant materials as support during the presentation. Displays and speeches must be the original work of the students.

REQUIRED ELEMENTS:

The video-recorded technical presentation must include:

1. Background Information:

a. Who is the user and what are the user’s needs?

b. How does this project fulfill the user’s needs?

c. How does the design address an issue of inequity?

2. Engineering Design Process:

a. What was your team’s methodology and process?

b. What were any major challenges and any correlating solutions?

c. What were the major design choices and how were they influenced by the user?

d. How did the results of testing inform iterations of the design?

e. How did the iterations of the design evolve during the project?

3. Description of Design:

a. How does the design function mechanically?

b. How is the selected microprocessor integrated into the design?

c. How does the software function?

d. How does the device receive input and produce output?

e. What is the rationale for selected materials and technology?

4. Conclusion and Recommendations:

a. What is your final assessment/evaluation of your prototype?

b. What is the potential impact of the product on the user’s life?

c. What are the next steps for the implementation of your project?

d. Are there any suggestions for improvement and/or redesign?

5. Prototype Demonstration:

a. Teams must have a working prototype. If not, some areas cannot be scored.

b. Teams must be able to adequately discuss their prototype design, including unique features of the design, and demonstrate the function of the device.

c. Teams should demonstrate the usability of the prototype and how it meets the needs of the user.

Video-Recorded Technical Presentation Submission Instructions:

1. Upload video to YouTube as an unlisted video.

2. Create a document containing the school name, team member names, MESA School Coordinator name(s), and a link to the video on YouTube.

3. Make sure the document file name contains the school name and the words “NEDC Tech Presentation.”

4. Submit the document via the MD MESA website no later than 11:59pm on the specified due date.

Late submissions: If the file is received after the deadline, 10 points will be deducted from the score. Files received more than 48 hours after the deadline will not be scored.

Objective:

The objective of the Prototype Pitch is to convince the audience that the design meets the user’s needs and is equitable in its design. Students will prepare a creative, engaging video-recorded presentation to pitch their prototype to an audience, including a group of judges. The pitch should define the problem; provide a detailed description of their user and their needs; discuss how their product is innovative; and provide a demonstration of their prototype including highlighting its advantages.

Format:

The video-recorded pitch must be between 5 and 7 minutes in duration.

Required Elements:

The video-recorded pitch must include:

1. User Introduction and Problem Addressed:

   1. Describes the user.

   2. Describes the problem the team is solving and its impact on the user.

   3. Describes how design requirements keep target users in mind.

   4. Discusses how user input supported design choices.

   5. Discusses how user feedback supported design changes.

2. Product:

   1. Defines the proposed solution through the prototype.

   2. Describes how the solution promotes equity in the user’s lives.

   3. Explains the originality and innovativeness of their design.

   4. Presents the advantages of the prototype.

3. Demonstration of the Prototype:

   1. Explains key features and functions.

   2. Explains how design meets user’s criteria for look, feel, and functionality.

   3. Explains how a microprocessor is integrated using non-technical terms.

4. Overall Quality of the Presentation:

1. Effectiveness of speech organization and delivery.

2. Audience engagement – ability to hold audience’s attention.

3. Presentation skills – the team is prepared and their voices can be clearly heard.

4. Introduction and participation of team members.

5. Team’s interest – explanation of why the team chose this project and why is it important to them personally.

6. Closing statement – the speech ends with a final statement that summarizes the user, problem, and solution in a memorable manner.

Video-Recorded Pitch Submission Instructions:

1. Upload video to YouTube as an unlisted video.

2. Create a document containing the head coach’s name, team name, team member names, MESA School Coordinator name(s), and a link to the video on YouTube.

3. Make sure the document file name contains the school name and the words “NEDC Pitch.”

4. Submit the document via the MD MESA website no later than 11:59pm on the specified due date.

Late submissions: If the file is received after the deadline, 10 points will be deducted from the score. Files received more than 48 hours after the deadline will not be scored.