The Project component of this course involves doing a research project and producing a research paper. Unlike the Assignment, which used the correlational method of research, the project uses the experimental method of research.
The research paper must be formatted as if it were a submission to ACM's SIGCHI conference. Here is the template file outlining the CHI publication format.
For the research project, you must conduct some research and write a paper on it. The research should involve doing a comparative evaluation of two or more interfaces or interaction techniques. The evaluation should include independent variables (at least one), dependent variables (at least two), and data analyses as typically found in HCI research papers. Consult the slides presented in class and the evaluations presented in papers read for the course as guidelines.
You can build custom software for the experiment or design an experiment that uses existing systems or devices. Alternatively, some experimental software is located at http://www.yorku.ca/mack/HCIbook/. You may use one of these applications, but find an original idea to test. Feel free to modify the software, as needed. Each application has a detailed API.
Tips on writing and formatting of the research paper are given in the template file, and were (or will be) elaborated in class. Do not pad the paper by adding extra white space (e.g., at the end of paragraphs). Also, do not write in the first person (e.g., “An experiment was conducted to…” is preferable to “I conducted an experiment to…”).
Due: March 20 at 23:55, but late submissions will be accepted without penalty before March 27
The draft report should contain an introduction, literature review, a description of your experiment methodology, and a properly formatted (according to CHI requirements) references section. As a guideline, your draft report should be between three (3) and four (4) pages in length, including references. However, do not add meaningless content to lengthen your document. Longer documents will not necessarily score a better grade.
It is recommended to use WebSubmit. Submit your draft report as a file named “draft” in a doc, docx, or odt format. Ensure that you select “4441” as the course, and “project” as the assignment name before you upload your files.
If a late submission is made, also email your instructor to notify him of your submission, but do not send your report via email – email submissions will not be accepted. If time permits a file called “draft_feedback” will appear on your WebSubmit page in a few days with suggested improvements for your final report.
Due: April 5 at 23:55
The final report should contain all the required sections of an HCI research paper, as presented in lecture (i.e., Abstract, Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, and References). Additional sections can be included if you feel they contribute to the organization of your paper.
Your final report must be a minimum of four (4) pages and a maximum of six (6) pages in length, including references. However, know that the length of the report should be consistent with the amount of information being presented. Write succinctly, and do not add superfluous content simply to lengthen your document. In addition, your submission should use, or be consistent with, the styles embedded in the template file for headings, paragraphs, figures, captions, etc. Do not change the font sizes and/or paragraph spacing simply to meet the length requirements.
It is recommended to use WebSubmit. Submit your final report as a file named “final” in a doc, docx, or odt format. Also include a PDF of your report. Ensure that you select “4441” as the course, and “project” as the assignment name before you upload your files.
Submit any extra files you feel are useful, and explain their significance in a “readme.txt” file that you also submit. For example, a video might be useful to demonstrate your apparatus or to demonstrate participants interacting with the apparatus.
Good luck.