Website/Web Application Development:
A very common capstone project is developing a full-stack website or web application from scratch. Some examples of web app capstones include:
An online marketplace application where users can list products for sale and other users can browse listings and purchase items. This would involve building a database to store product/user information, developing the front-end site using HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and creating backend functionality with a language like PHP, Python or Java.
A social networking site similar to Facebook where users can create profiles, share posts/photos, connect with friends, send messages. This encompasses building the database schema, designing interactive frontend interfaces, implementing authentication/privacy features.
A CMS (content management system) platform that allows non-technical users to easily manage and publish website content without coding knowledge. Capstone students develop an admin dashboard for managing pages/posts with a rich editing interface.
A web app for organizing and scheduling employee timesheets/time-off requests with management approval workflows. This integrated a calendar system, user roles/privileges, and administrative reporting features.
Game Development:
Creating a playable, fully-functional game is a popular choice that requires skills in computer graphics, simulation, AI and more. Examples include:
A 2D side-scrolling platformer game where the player navigates different levels, collects items, avoids obstacles and enemies. Implementation included sprite graphics, character controls, collision detection, level design.
A 3D first-person puzzle game set in a maze-like environment. Challenges involved 3D modeling/texturing game assets, scripting puzzle/level logic, developing the player character’s navigation abilities.
A multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game inspired by titles like Dota 2 or League of Legends. Developing the networked code for simultaneous multiple player gameplay across different devices presented difficulties.
An augmented reality (AR) application/game making use of a mobile device’s camera, GPS sensors to overlay virtual objects/characters onto the real world. Synchronizing the virtual and physical posed programming hurdles.
Data Analytics/Machine Learning:
Applying computing skills to analyze real-world datasets and build predictive models also constitute valuable capstone topics, for instance:
Building a recommendation engine for movies, books, music or products based on collaborative filtering of user preferences/behavior data. Techniques included developing similarity measures and generating personalized recommendations.
Analyzing social media data scraped from public Twitter/Facebook profiles to predict user demographics based on linguistic patterns in posts/bios. Natural language processing, data wrangling and machine learning models were essential.
Using satellite/weather station records to train a convolutional neural network that detects hurricanes/storms in satellite imagery with a high degree of accuracy. Gathering/preparing the image dataset along with deep learning implementation proved challenging.
Applying computer vision techniques to diagnose cancers/diseases by classifying cell images with transfer learning on pre-existing models. Evaluating accuracy on new medical imaging test cases required domain expertise.
Mobile App Development:
Designing and coding fully-functional mobile apps for Android or iOS to solve practical problems is another area of focus for capstone work, such as:
A workout/exercise tracking app allowing users to log their daily routines, view stats/progress over time. It leveraged device sensors, local databases and responsive layouts optimized for different screen sizes.
A “campus wayfinder” navigation app for a university utilizing indoor map data and beacon technologies like iBeacon/Eddystone to guide users between buildings. Developing the location services and overlaying directions was complicated.
An augmented reality travel guide app that superimposes virtual information/media about points of interest while live camera footage of a location is shown. Integrating device cameras, cloud databases and local caching consumed significant effort.
A photo management/sharing app allowing users to apply filters, edit photos and post to social networks directly from their camera rolls. Optimizing image processing performance across various hardware was problematic.
Effective capstone projects require extensive independent work to research, plan and implement sophisticated computing ideas from start to finish. While topics will vary between individuals/programs, web, mobile and game development, data analysis and machine learning represent common areas that allow students to demonstrate multiple acquired technical abilities through substantial applied programming challenges. The projects often yield tools and experiences directly applicable for future career paths or startup ideas. With a well-considered scope, ample collaboration and iterative problem-solving, these final year efforts can result in highly impressive demonstrations of technical competency for any computer science graduate.