Final Project

Overview

Now that you have a clear sense of where you are going with your app, it is time to build it. Much of this work happens during the project studio sessions in class, so lean on your classmates and on me. This is the hard part and you will likely have to invest significant time in wrangling your data and debugging the app. Be patient! It will turn out great and you will have a nice project to show for it.

Note

If you are working in a group (up to three students), submit one app and include a short note on who was responsible for what. See the Project Description for the group policy.

Step 1: Setup

Start a new Shiny app in R Studio. In your app.R file, begin by loading your packages, loading and/or wrangling your data, and creating lists for your inputs.

Step 2: Define the ui

Starting with ui <- fluidPage(), start building your UI. Add a titlePanel(), a fluidRow() and then add the various columnar elements that you want to include such as inputs, text and the plot output. Try running your app just with the ui set up and see how it looks.

Step 3: Define the server logic

Build your reactive function(s) and specify how the data and output will change based on user input(s). This is a process that is very specific to each project, so it is hard to say anything general here. But when in the process of building your server function, it often helps to look back at examples we have done in class or those that you might find helpful in the Shiny gallery.

Step 4: Debug your app

Are you having issues with your code? See this post and reach out for help on Discord.

Step 5: Post your app to shinyapps.io

Sign up for a free account at https://www.shinyapps.io/. When you are ready, hit the little blue icon at the top of your app.R window to publish it.

Step 6: Present your app in class

During our final session you will give a short live demo of your app to the class. Walk us through the main features: what data users can explore, how the controls work, and—most importantly—what patterns emerge and what we learn from the visualization that we might not have seen otherwise. If you are in a group, decide in advance who will present which part.

Step 7: Submit your app

Submit your project on Blackboard: include a link to your published app on shinyapps.io along with a compressed (zipped) copy of your project folder (your app.R and any supporting data or scripts). Groups submit once; include your division-of-work note.