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Capstone Project

The Digital Product Capstone Project is an opportunity for student teams to design, build, and optimize a digital product for a real client, supported by faculty and a dedicated industry advisor.

Project Description

This is an 11-month comprehensive industry practicum that will match teams comprised of 6-7 students with a partner organization to design, build, and optimize a digital product prototype. Projects are to be lightweight digital solutions that can be prototyped or developed using low-code/no-code platforms and tools (e.g., Figma, Wordpress). Although most capstone projects are inspired by business problems that operate outside the IT organization, they can (and often do) be designed to integrate with existing IT infrastructure (e.g., website, enterprise system etc.).

Each student team will be supported by a faculty member from Smith School of Business, a faculty member from Queen’s School of Computing, and a dedicated industry advisor. This “learn by doing” practicum will empower students to apply knowledge and application learning outcomes to the discovery, design, build, evaluation, and scale phases of a digital product management lifecycle.

Project Parameters

  • Projects are structured around a clear business problem that requires technology in order to be solved.
  • Project deliverables will be completed within an 11-month timeframe.
  • Projects have a non-urgent business opportunity that is relatively low risk and suitable for technology to solve.
  • Projects will integrate into backend technology and provide students with relevant details about existing infrastructure and security.
  • Projects provide students access to a small subset of plausible data (real, test) to develop their prototype.
  • Project scope amounts to roughly 180 hours of work over the 11-month delivery.

Project Structure

The capstone project is comprised of two courses:

Practicum 1: Discovery, Design and Build

This course will integrate course-level learning objectives related to the product development phases of discovery and design. Student groups will complete work associated with two experiential learning milestones. Grading for each milestone will be pass/fail as all learning outcomes are evaluated in associated co-deliverables from other courses in the program. Where students are expected to apply knowledge beyond the scope of existing courses, additional concepts, theories, and practices will be introduced in this course. Sessions will also provide students with an overview for each milestone and a formal review completed by practicum faculty advisors. Required outputs of this course include the Digital Product Opportunity, Product Vision, and the first iteration of a digital product prototype. This is a project course running through the first half of the degree program.

Practicum 2: Iterate, Scale and Optimize

This course will integrate course-level learning objectives related to the product development phases of build, scale, operate, and exit. Student groups will complete work associated with two experiential learning milestones. Grading for each milestone will be pass/fail as all learning outcomes are evaluated in associated co-deliverables from other courses in the program. Where students are expected to apply knowledge beyond the scope of existing courses, additional concepts, theories, and practices will be introduced in this course. Sessions will also provide students with an overview for each milestone and a formal review completed by practicum faculty advisors. Required outputs of this course include the technical feasibility report, product marketing plan, digital product roadmap and two iterations of the digital product prototype developed in MDPM 900. This is a project course running through the second half of the degree program. It follows the MDPM-900 project course, in which students discover, design, and build a digital product prototype.

Past Capstone Projects

RideAlike

RideAlike, a Canadian company, building a sustainable car sharing eco-system for multi-residentials and college & university campuses, where hundreds and thousands of cars are sitting idle and more than 30% of people don’t have cars and looking to access mobility on demand. This platform enables car owners to generate income to meet financial commitments, while individuals gain access to a diverse range of vehicles—such as cars, SUVs, trucks, or vans—for short periods or extended durations. By actively participating in this project, RideAlike aims to enhance user engagement and expand its digital user base. The focus is on tackling significant challenges within the dynamic car rental market by prioritizing cutting-edge digital solutions. These solutions will be designed to seamlessly connect renters with car owners, particularly within the context of car sharing in both residential/commercial and college/university properties.

BMO

This Capstone research and design project aims to support the evolution of the new to bank customer journey in collaboration with BMO. Through the consideration of existing customer financial footprints and robust analysis of customer feedback, data privacy, and existing security measures, the project will design an innovative digital prototype to further drive Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT).

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Holland Bloorview is a Toronto-based hospital providing care for kids with disabilities, kids needing rehabilitation after illness or trauma, and kids whose medical complexity requires a kind of care they can’t get elsewhere. The Liberi Exergaming system was developed in collaboration between Holland Bloorview and Queen’s University. It is a suite of fast-paced and fun video games that children can play while riding a stationary bicycle. This project involves creating an advanced reporting system for the Liberi Exergaming platform to enhance the rehabilitation experience and improve workflow efficiency in clinics. The system aims to simplify the management and analysis of patient data from Liberi Exergames, making it more accessible and actionable for clinicians. The goal is to enhance user experience, reduce time spent on manual processes, and ensure accurate and reliable data handling, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and increased adoption across clinics.

Métaux Profusion

Metals trading has a rich history spanning millennia, yet the methods of conducting business must evolve. Within that context, Métaux Profusion is a distributor of metal and plastics founded in Montreal in 1999. This project seeks to bring modern, digital tools and technology to enable Métaux Profusion to access information about their customers and trade. For users, this means unlocking information about their clients that deepens their customer relationships and enables faster service. For the business, access to information offers the ability to harness customer insights, fostering a robust and resilient enterprise that competes in today’s marketplace.

Navio Immigration

The immigration process to Canada can be overwhelming, time-consuming, stressful, and uncertain. Obtaining professional support is inaccessible for many. Navio Immigration, a team of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants based in Whistler, BC, is disrupting the immigration legal industry with its digital service platform offering a more effective, streamlined, and cost-saving way for millions to prepare their Canadian immigration applications each year. This project aims to collaborate with Navio to enhance the competence and efficiency of immigration consultants and to improve the ease of use and accessibility of Canadian immigration legal services for users through the development of the platform’s b2b offer.

PEP!IN

Founded in 2023, PEP!IN (People Empowering People for Inclusion Now!) is a Chicago-based, African-American, women-owned research, recruitment, consulting, and technology firm dedicated to developing high-touch/high-tech solutions in clinical research aimed at reducing health disparities and enhancing inclusion and health equity. This project aims to support PEP!IN in advancing its mission by collaborating to design a digital solution that streamlines the clinical trial recruitment process. The goal is to effectively address user pain points that hinder clinical trial participation and to explore ways to foster greater inclusivity for more robust and representative research. By contributing to a refined digital process that incorporates more diverse practices for patient data collection and engagement, this initiative strives to create a more equitable healthcare landscape in clinical research. This, in turn, can lead to tangible impacts on advancing medical knowledge and driving cost-effective results that benefit everyone.

RATESDOTCA

Travelers today are faced with a variety of options when seeking travel insurance, ranging from embedded products within travel booking sites and group benefits to complimentary coverage with credit cards. These options may be misunderstood and in most cases be insufficient for the travelers’ needs. RATESDOTCA’s goal is to create a digital travel insurance marketplace offering a wide variety of coverages while also providing a simplified quoting and buying experience online. This digital experience aims to facilitate customer education ensuring travelers are aware of their coverages and fully protected during their travels so they can enjoy their experiences worry-free.

Digital Executor Platform for a Major Canadian Bank

Being chosen as an executor by a loved one is an honor, but the actual administration of the estate can prove to be quite stressful, time-consuming, and complex. The motivation behind this project is to alleviate some of this burden by creating a user-friendly digital platform that aims to streamline the completion of intricate tasks involved in settling an estate, guiding executors through the process from start to finish. The goal is to assist with the duties associated with executorship, empowering individuals to efficiently navigate their obligations. Ultimately, the platform aims to expedite the settlement process, deliver clear and accurate communication, improve the correctness and completeness of the estate settlement, and reduce stress for both executors and beneficiaries.

Walmart

In recent years, retail organizations have grappled with numerous challenges in transitioning to selfcheckout systems. Acknowledging the pivotal role of self-checkout as a customer touchpoint and leveraging its prior digital innovation within this space, Walmart is committed to creating an even more seamless, efficient, and user-friendly experience. This initiative is essential for leaving a lasting impression on customers and improving brand loyalty. The project’s objective is to explore ways in which Walmart can establish a comprehensive omni-channel retail experience while enabling faster checkout, promoting services offerings and products like credit cards and warranties. The goal is to enhance customer satisfaction, optimize resource allocation, particularly in the utilization of Walmart associates, mitigate issues related to theft and accessibility. In doing so, Walmart seeks to further solidify its position as a leader in the retail sector.