Week 12: CST 338 - Software Design

Week 4 Learning Journal – Project 1 (LDPM) review

This week for Project 1: LDPM, I collaborated with Ysabelle Kim. We both approached the assignment with similar strategies, primarily following the structure and guidance provided in the project prompt by Dr.C. Since the prompt already laid out what variables and methods were needed, we didn't create a separate plan on paper. Instead, we dove straight into implementing the required elements, then moved on to testing and debugging. It was efficient and effective, and I don't see any reason to change my approach. One thing that really helped streamline our development process was using IntelliJ's autocomplete and auto-formatting features. This allowed our code to closely follow the Google Java Style Guide without much manual effort. I also learned that many of the style guide rules can be enforced automatically, which is something I'll rely on more going forward.

The most challenging part of the project was debugging — especially when dealing with inheritance and the interactions between abstract and concrete classes. However, working through those issues gave me a clearer understanding of how abstract classes and static methods function in Java. It was rewarding to see these concepts come together in a working program. The most interesting part for me was experiencing how object-oriented design plays out in practice, rather than just learning about it in theory. I'm most proud of the fact that I completed the assignment in under five hours, including all the necessary testing and cleanup, despite a very busy week. I didn't celebrate immediately because of other overlapping deadlines, but I plan to unwind with some time away from the computer — maybe a bike ride or a hike.