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 eight-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 eight-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 eight-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.


“The content of the MDPM program is extremely actionable, not just all theory and I learn best when I am able to apply learning into everyday life immediately. The program is unique with the Capstone project where you are paired with a real-world client and work to solve a problem using digital transformation that you’ve learned in class. I really appreciated the flexibility of the program as it’s created for working professionals and you don't have to sacrifice your job or your family commitments to have an exceptional academic experience.”
Product Marketing Manager
Rally UXR
Past Capstone Projects
PandoPartner’s current approach to onboarding and customer support relies on one-on-one assistance, which limits how easily clients discover and use new features. As the platform grows, this method increases support costs and slows down adoption. To address these challenges, Team Python is developing SideKick, a self-serve helper tool built into the PandoPartner Sponsorship platform. SideKick offers intuitive, step-by-step tutorials and on-page help, guiding users through every part of the platform. This solution aims to simplify onboarding, explain new features as they launch, and reduce the need for manual support, making it easier for users to get started and for the PandoPartner platform to scale efficiently.
As part of lululemon’s ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional, personalized guest experiences across digital channels, this project focuses on designing a Digital Educator (DE) Companion Tool. This innovative solution is intended to support lululemon’s Digital Educators by streamlining workflows across video, voice, and chat platforms, and providing timely, data-driven product recommendations. The platform will automate routine tasks, surface relevant customer insights, and empower Educators to engage more meaningfully with guests. By enabling more seamless and personalized interactions, the project supports lululemon’s broader omnichannel strategy and long-term vision for elevated guest engagement and continued business growth.
TELUS Health aims to transform mental health care by leveraging emerging digital solutions and advanced automation technologies. A personalized and accessible pathway will be created for individuals to access care, with a focus on user-centered design. This transformation will not only streamline mental health services but also ensure they are tailored to meet the unique and diverse needs of users, enhancing service quality, and improving overall mental well-being globally.
Motion Pay wants to enable Canadian businesses to accept Chinese mobile payments (WeChat Pay, Alipay, and UnionPay), so Motion Pay can empower Chinese nationals in Canada who are accustomed to using these methods of payment to pay their city utility bills, property taxes, and tuition fees because localized payment options are challenging for this user group, even though alternative payment methods exist. Digital Product Opportunity: Motion Pay should bridge the gap between Chinese digital payment platforms and Canadian payee networks by partnering with a Canadian financial institution, thereby enabling bill payment solutions for Chinese immigrants.
Solar Offset is quickly reaching a technical ceiling, and taking on more clients could prove overwhelming, given current systems and processes. Users face some barriers, including manual data collection, limited transparency, and fragmented processes, that fully hinder their ability to benefit from Solar Offset’s offering. By addressing these pain points through automation, seamless integration, and enhanced visibility, Solar Offset aims to create a scalable, trustworthy, and usable platform. This solution also helps installers differentiate their offerings, creating a win-win situation for users and partners.
TD aspires to build sustainable, long-term relationships with all its customers, including those who are newcomers to Canada. Newcomers represent a significant portion of the Canadian population and can face substantial challenges before and after arrival such as unfamiliarity with the Canadian financial system, difficulties navigating banking products, and understanding the credit landscape. Knowing these challenges can contribute to uncertainty on their financial journey, there is an opportunity to help design a digital solution tailored to their general circumstances. TD strives to further support newcomers by making financial and banking information available to help make the transition to their new life in Canada easier.
The digital lottery space struggles to engage and retain the under-35 segment, as economic shifts impact discretionary spending and the lottery experience fails to resonate with younger audiences. Current strategies lack effective ways to drive frequent engagement, increase digital product awareness, improve user on-boarding experience and augment the attractiveness of core lottery products. Tailored solutions that leverage social engagement and user retention strategies are needed to align with the preferences of this demographic.
By leveraging digital technology, County of Renfrew Paramedic Service (CRPS) wants to enhance the existing visit documentation process to allow Community Paramedics (CPs) to capture patient visit information in an efficient and standardized way, without increasing their documentation burden while increasing the quality and breadth of reported data. The Proposed Digital Product will focus on the Chronic Disease and Frailty Management Workflow as informed by the Minimum Data Set mapping with the Community Paramedicine Contact Assessment (CPCA) form only.
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