Milestone 4

Milestone 4.1: Optimization

Optimization has been a significant part of our group's effort within this project.  Not only have we worked tirelessly to create a functional prototype that accurately represents our final product, but we have also gone back over and reviewed the hardware, software, user experience, and our innovation and design process. A primary goal for our group was functionality, but for a finished product, this cannot be achieved at the expense of usability. As such, we have coded various iterations of our application to create a friendly atmosphere and easy-to-use interface. On the hardware front, simply getting the prototype to work as intended took hours of research, troubleshooting, and re-wiring until we were able to control the physical circuit via a mobile application. Given the many technical aspects of our product, it required a lot of skill and coordination from the group as a whole to get to where we are now. 

The technical optimization achieved by our group was only made possible by maintaining a positive and goal-oriented mindset among our group members. For a product to be successful, the team has to be successful first.  As a group, we were able to find success through trial and error.  Initially, we all had different skill sets but did not know how to apply them correctly.  Over time, however, we were able to learn more about each other's strengths and weaknesses so that we could help each other or offer help when we felt it was needed. By adopting a mindset of collaboration and combining our technical skills with our soft skills, we ultimately found ourselves very comfortable working together which made the overall process much more optimized, smooth, and enjoyable.  

Milestone 4.2: Delivery

Milestone 4.3: Management

Throughout the development of VEL (Virtual Energy Logger), our team has exhibited a consistent commitment to communication and collaboration. Regular meetings with our advisor every 2 weeks provided valuable guidance and feedback, while class sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays facilitated ongoing discussions and progress updates. Friday mornings  in Senior IDE were dedicated to collective efforts, focusing on tasks such as IDE assignments, fostering a sense of teamwork and productivity.

Despite encountering challenges, our team remained resilient and adaptable. While setbacks necessitated a near-complete restart, the core ideas behind VEL persisted, enabling us to create a satisfactory prototype. Leveraging the expertise of industry professionals, we actively sought feedback, refining our design and implementation based on their insights. We take pride in the collaborative spirit and perseverance that fueled our journey, ultimately leading to the development of a solution poised to address the pressing challenges of energy management in households and businesses.