Alex Costinescu 1
Meetings
· December 5, 2013
o Discussed initial website design
· December 11, 2013
o Presented initial/concept design to Dr. Kahle and discussed website content
· January 7, 2014
o Presented final design to Dr. Kahle and discussed any design revisions and additional content
· January 25, 2014
o Provided final website to Dr. Kahle and discussed future trainings and site maintenance.
Budget
· $20/hour theoretical rate
· Design
o 2 hours for meetings
o 4 hours for concept design created in Photoshop
o 4 hours for layout planning and graphic design
o 10 hours total ($200)
· Development/Testing
o 20 hours initial development time
o 5 hour revision/modification
o 3 hours testing
o 28 hours total ($560)
· Hosting
o Website will be hosted internally on existing equipment, no additional cost to client
· Maintenance
o 2 hour training session for site administrator (Dr. Kahle)
o Troubleshooting and additional features as needed
· Total Cost
o $800 + Troubleshooting and future development time
o All costs are hypothetical, this website was created voluntarily for the Computer Science branch of the Upper Arlington Math Department.
Essay
The process that I followed in order to ensure that the design and content of my website met my client’s needs involved keeping an open line of communication with the client. For example, I met with my client at different points of the development process in order to ensure that the progress that I made was beneficial toward the client’s final goal. This allowed me to adjust different aspects of the website’s design and logic to better fit what the client wanted. I also maintained email contact with the client to discuss any changes they would want to approve before they were added. By communicating with my client, I was able to create a final product that I am proud of, and that they are very happy with.
I chose this contest because I am very interested in web design and programming, and this contest suited my interests perfectly. Through the website that I have created, I display the skills that I have, both as a graphic designer and as a programmer while also having the chance to receive a scholarship to help pay for my education to further myself in these areas. I deserve this scholarship because I have clearly shown that I have a strong interest in web programming and, more generally, computer science. I made the design choice of not using a content management system, such as WordPress, because programming from scratch gives greater flexibility in the end product. It also allowed me to become a better hands-on programmer as opposed to making choices in a system designed by somebody else. I believe that this goes above and beyond the requirements of this project. For example, during the creation of my website, I spent time researching JavaScript and PHP, two programming languages that I had no prior experience with, but decided to learn in order to create a better website for my client. Using these languages, I was able to add animations and additional functionality to my website that I would not have been able to add otherwise. Another unique aspect of this project is that I have created 3 inter-related websites. The menus on the left side allow for navigation between the three sub-sites, while the menus on the right allow for navigation within a sub-site. I will be working to train Dr. Kahle, my client, to manage and use the websites so that she can continue to update the content and structure of the site on her own, as well as with other students.
My future education plans involve attending the Ohio State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. I plan to major in Computer and Informational Sciences, with a dual minor in business and German to compliment my major. During my time at OSU, I hope to take part in internship opportunities that will further enhance my abilities as a programmer, as well as any research programs that I can take part in as a university student. Once I have completed my undergraduate degree at Ohio State, I plan to obtain a Master’s Degree in a more focused area of Computer Science.