# Design projects

2026-10-08 · https://fsgeek.ca/teaching/cpsc-416-winter-2025-term-2/design-projects/

## Purpose

The design projects are completion-graded, with formative feedback. The goal is to repeatedly practice the design skills needed to succeed on the capstone.

## Structure (pattern)

  1. **Design:** create a design for a distributed system problem framed by failures.
  2. **Peer review:** review multiple peer designs using a structured rubric.
  3. **Implementation:** implement one selected design (not necessarily your own).
  4. **Reflection:** write a short report on what implementation revealed that the design review missed.
  5. **Reflection review:** peer review reflections and identify standout examples.



## Teams

  * **Project 1:** individual.
  * **Project 2:** optional groups up to 3.



## DS Labs scaffold

Both design projects use the DS Labs framework as a scaffold and a test harness.