A course project will be a major component of your work. This will require hands-on experience with HCI and personal informatics, while remaining open to different possibilities.
Given the constraints of a course project, we do not necessarily expect you to produce publishable work. Instead, the expectation is that you will do something interesting. It is then up to you to define interesting according to what you want to accomplish in this project, seeking appropriate feedback from staff. For example, you might choose to:
We expect most students will do projects in groups of three to four. We will consider groups of two, but will very strongly discourage and even forbid individual projects. A major goal in this course is to facilitate connections among students conducting research in personal informatics. Working in groups is a necessary part of doing research. Larger groups also allow greater progress within the course and deeper engagement from the course staff.
Project deliverables are defined in terms of a proposal, a pair of self-defined milestones, and a final presentation with a final report. These are due:
Your proposal will define your initial plan for this project. You can and should update this plan based on feedback, progress, and findings. But the proposal needs to demonstrate a robust initial plan for your project.
Course staff will be available to meet and provide feedback prior to the proposal deadline. Please email to request feedback or to inquire about arranging a time to meet.
Many of the students in this course are actively conducting research in personal informatics, so we welcome and even encourage projects that align with research goals beyond this course. However, it is critical that projects define what they will specifically accomplish in the scope of the course. The course project must stand on its own, not merely be a snapshot of an outside research process.
Proposals consist of a short document and a short in-class presentation.
Prepare a one-page document addressing the following points:
What makes the project interesting? What is the problem or research question?
What is the pain point you want to solve, the new capability you want to enable, or the research you want to explore?
What existing understanding of the problem has been developed?
For a research proposal, this will briefly cover the most important related work in the space you are exploring.
For a design proposal, this will introduce existing solutions, why they fall short, and the potential opportunity.
What milestones will the group plan to accomplish?
There are two milestone reports in the quarter, one early and one late. These are opportunities for feedback and guidance from staff and classmates.
Explain what your group will plan to accomplish by each of these milestones. You will be asked to revisit these plans during those milestone reports.
What might the group explicitly decide to omit?
Progress requires compromise, as you cannot accomplish everything. Explain what aspects of the project you might choose to ignore or defer in this course. This is your opportunity to scope the project appropriately for this course.
Each group will give a short in-class presentation of their proposal. This is an opportunity for feedback from staff and classmates. Your presentation should cover the same information as the document.
This is an opportunity for feedback, not a formal presentation. Please be appropriately candid, thoughtful, and engaged.
Due: Uploaded the night before class Thursday, April 7, 2016
Submit your document in PDF format. Submit your presentation in PDF, PPT, or PPTX format.
Two milestone reports serve as a check on the trajectory of your project and an opportunity for feedback and guidance from staff and classmates. Convey the state of your project and your plans for the remainder of the quarter.
Milestones consist of a short document and a short in-class presentation.
Prepare a one-page document addressing the following points:
Each group will give a short in-class presentation of their proposal. This is an opportunity for feedback from staff and classmates. Your presentation should cover the same information as the document.
This is an opportunity for feedback, not a formal presentation. Please be appropriately candid, thoughtful, and engaged.
Due: Uploaded the night before class Thursday, April 28, 2016 and Thursday, May 19, 2016.
Submit your document in PDF format. Submit your presentation in PDF, PPT, or PPTX format.
Each group will give a short in-class presentation of their final project.
This should convey appropriate content in the general structure of a research presentation:
This is intended to focus on appropriately conveying what has been accomplished in the course.
After this primary content, additionally reflect upon:
This is intended to preserve the candid, thoughtful, and engaging atmosphere of the course. Take a few moments to share insights and opportunities that are not yet fully mature.
Due: Uploaded the night before class Monday, June 6, 2016
Submit your presentation in PDF, PPT, or PPTX format.
Final Presentation: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1060429/assignments/3247940
Your final report should convey appropriate content in the general structure of a research paper:
Format your report according to the SIGCHI Document Format:
https://sigchi.github.io/Document-Formats/
Your report should be 4 to 10 pages in length, excluding references.
Write according to the content you have. Be appropriately thorough and precise in your presentation, but do not needlessly pad your text.
Due: Uploaded by the end of day Tuesday, June 7, 2016.
Submit your document in PDF format.
Final Report: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1060429/assignments/3247941