Project Proposal

Due: Friday, September 14, 2001, 5pm in 529 Soda

Overview

Your assignment is to propose an idea that will form the basis of your course project for this semester. You will observe the need for good human-centered design in interactive computer systems and analyze problems that you encounter. This is an group assignment.

Project Requirements

There are several possible themes for your project. It can be a web application, but we encourage you to think of applications that fit in new application niches, like mobile or home contexts (you can make a web-based application that is used by a device in a mobile or home context). Your laptop will be your main development platform. Your target platform should (preferably) be a WindowsCE machine. You will be provided with HP Jornada 548s with wide-area wireless (1 per group), and Vadem Clios with local (802.11) wireless (1 per person).

Focus on improving or creating a specific application or service. Remember, you must be able to design and evaluate this project within the timeframe of this course. Here are some sample topic areas (you are not limited to these):

Home info kiosks (cooking, cleaning)
P2P tools:
      bargain hunter
      recommender
Meeting note-taker
      share notes live
      work with whiteboard
Memory assistant
      Use a camera + speech
Location/context-aware applications
      What restaurants/sights/public transport is nearby?
Designs for specific lifestyles:
      People with physical disabilities
      Elder citizens
      People with limited English language skills
Project design tools
Learning tools

Deliverable

You will submit an essay of no more than 2 pages of text. Your essay should follow the outline below and will be graded using the writing guidelines detailed on the back of this handout.

Problem or Idea (short)
Analysis
Suggested Improvements
Experiment:

Independent Variables
Dependent Variables
Participants
Method
Results and Discussion

Writing Guidelines

Creativity (3 pts)

The proposal should try to address a practical problem with a novel use of technology or present a new or enhanced work practice enabled by technology.

Writing (3 pts)

The writing must clearly present the important facts and be terse and concise- the nitty-gritty details aren’t needed at this point. The organization should follow the outline, with the conclusions in each section leading into the next in a logical manner.

Problem or Idea (3 pts)

The problem description should be short and specific about the high-level goals of the project. It states what the problem is and why it is a problem or describes a new idea and why it will enhance an existing application or work practice. It should also drop a hint at the proposed solution of the problem.

Analysis (3 pts)

The analysis section should give more background for the problem or new idea. It doesn’t just focus on the negative aspects of the current situation, but also identifies some positive aspects that may be beneficial to retain. A few salient examples from existing systems or work practices should be used to support those claims.

Suggested Improvements (3 pts)

Here the proposal should propose specific changes to solve the problems or implement the new ideas described earlier and briefly explain why it is believed they will work.

Experiment (3 pts)

This section should describe an experiment that would test whether or not the changes you suggest actually solve the problem you describe or improve the way people work. It should not only describe the preferred outcome of the experiment but also consider some possible negative results.

The section should include brief descriptions of what you would vary (independent variables), what you would measure (dependent variables), the types of people you would use as participants in the experiment, the tasks you would ask those people to perform (method), and predictions of the results you would get and what those results would mean if you got them (discussion).

Since there are no psychology pre-requisites for this course, it is not expected that you know everything about experimental design. However, a lot of experimental design is just common sense, so do the best you can. Experimental design will be taught later in the semester, so you will know more about this by the end of the class.