This is your final group project, to be completed in your assigned groups and presented as per the Critical Path. Individual work will not be accepted. Please note the following:

• Presentations will take place in a boardroom simulating a real-life business meeting. There will be no class held during the scheduled boardroom meetings, you are advised to use the rest of your class time to work on your group project, you will continue to have access to our lab
• You can find an example of a professional meeting agenda here, use this as a template and change the details to fit your meeting specifics
• At the end of the first meeting, you will be provided with feedback and direction for the following phase
• Each group has been assigned a specific time slot to meet with the Prof in the boardroom. Check Blackboard for a list of the groups and the time slots for each presentation
• Plan to present for 10 minutes, to allow for questions and feedback

Your Web Development Company

• You and your colleagues have started a web development company, your first step is to give your company a name!
• Your job is to create an information website for your client using WordPress.com
• A WordPress account will be created for each group, and all group members will be added with the “Admin” role. Do not create your own account, I will create it to ensure I have access to the dashboard

Your Client: DBSA

Your client for this project is the Digital Business Student Association.

They need to revamp their current website.

Your task is to create a NEW website for the DBSA. You can use any of the content they already have on their current website above. Do NOT create your own WordPress account for the website, this has already been done here.

About the DBSA (from their website): The Digital Business Student Association (DBSA) was established in 2015 by a group of students in the Bachelor of Commerce –Digital Business Management degree program. It is a student run organization that collaborates with faculty members, students, professionals, and the Faculty of Business at Humber, to provide various workshops and events on the growing trends in the technology industry.

Tips for the meetings:

Treat this as a business meeting, with your Professor representing the client:

• Start by distributing copies of the Agenda to each team member, no need to go over the agenda (or present it)
• Put away you cell phones and laptops (unless used to present), i.e. do not hide behind a screen
• Engage in a conversation with your team and the Prof (eye contact, body language)
• Everyone must have a role in the meeting! (your boss, the owner of the Web Development company would not pay you to attend a meeting unless you have something to say, value to add

Website Checklist 

Your final website must include the following (i.e. I will be looking for the following through the Dashboard when marking your work):

• Pages: at least 5 pages
• Blog posts: at least 5 blog posts, properly categorized and tagged (you can choose from the blog posts already available on the DBSA’s website, and from the ones you wrote based on the websinars)
• Images: at least 5 images with proper SEO attributes. I’ll be looking for quality over quantity (you do not need to upload 50 images, but you DO need to add image attributes for the ones you upload)
• Orphaned content: delete any unused images or pages
• Widgets: at least 3 widgets of your choice, including a Most Recent Blog Posts widget
• Home page: must include a welcome message
• Blog: blog posts must be accessible through a Blog tab on the navigation bar
• Theme: your website must be fully configured based on the demo link of your chosen theme

Group Simulation Boardroom Meetings (Total 20%)

Meeting 1 (10%):

This meeting is to present and discuss your PLAN for the website. The completed website is due and will be discussed during meeting 2.

To prepare for this meeting, you will be working with your team on the first three phases of the Design Thinking Process. Most importantly, third phase of the Design Thinking Process: Ideate. Use the brainstorming and card-sorting techniques learned in class, make sure you take pictures of the process to share in your final group reflection

If you have questions for / about the client, you must email me to get answers (and not wait until the meeting day).  On the meeting day, you will be presenting the following deliverables, to be submitted in hard-copy at the beginning of the meeting:

1. Meeting agenda
2. Project Plan
3. Information Architecture (storyboard): this can be an Excel sheet, hand-sketch, or a clear picture of the actual board with your card-sorting exercise result (with post-it notes)
4. Suggested WordPress themes (3-5 free themes): include demo links and justification for each choice. Example of demo link: https://balasanademo.wordpress.com/
5. One recommended theme; justify your recommendation
6. Recommended widgets

You will leave the meeting with: approved Project Plan and one selected theme to be configured for the next meeting.

Meeting 2 (10%):

This meeting is to present your completed website.

To prepare for this meeting, you will be working with your team on the fourth and fifth phases of the Design Thinking Process: Prototype & Test. Using WordPress.com, you will configure your website based on the approved Project Plan. This is an iterative process where you will be testing and fine-tuning your final website in preparation for the meeting.

Deliverables to be submitted in hard-copy at the beginning of the meeting:

1. Meeting agenda
2. Fully configured WordPress website (no hardcopy required)
3. Group reflection PPT
   • Max of 5 slides
   • What went right / what went wrong
   • Include pictures of the process when possible (for example brainstorming meetings, card sorting exercise…etc)

You will leave the meeting with: feedback and reflection on the learning experience