KTH / CSC / Kurser / DT2140

DT2140 Multimodal interfaces

Project

The objective of the project is to allow the students to show that they are able to use the theory in practise for an individually choosen task.

The topic of the projects may be selected freely by the students, after consulting with the teachers.

The projects should combine theory and technology. It may be an extension of one of the laboratory exercises or something completely different.

You will work in groups of 4 (3-4 students are allowed) and will be able to use the lab facilities if you need some special equipment.

It is highly recommended that you start planning for the project and discussing with your project team and supervising teacher early in the course. A specification of your project should be submitted as Assignment 2. Even if the deadline is Nov 18th, you should begin your preparations as early as possible, in order to allow you to find a suitable project topic in time. Note also that the number of projects per supervisor is limited to 4, which means that you need to contact the intended supervisor as early as possible.

Topic ideas

Consult the Suggestions for projects. You can also look at videos from some recent projects at vimeo or look at the list of projects in 2011.

Other possible topics for the project are, for example:

Choose an HCI task and evaluate the potential for different interfaces for that task.
Create an innovative interface for a small task and justify why it should be successful.
Evaluate existing interfaces to solve a task based on a user study.
Evaluate different set-ups for a multimodal interface.
Create relevant visual, acoustical and haptic representations of abstract data.
Implement an alternative interface to an existing application to improve accessibility for users with special needs.

Instructions for the project

Find two (or three) partners to do the project with.
Select a subject that interests you and that is suitable for one month's work. Your idea can be an extension of the lab exercises, a replication of an experiment reported in the literature, or something completely different. What is important is that you combine theory and technology and that it is feasible within the time limits. Project ideas will be presented at the first lecture.
Select one of the teachers whose area of expertise is closest to the project topic. Remember that each teacher can only supervise four projects, so don't wait too long! Discuss your ideas with the teacher. The teacher will give you advice on what types of investigations or tests that are suitable and what equipment that will be available at the department. If you need some extra material or devices it is important that you discuss this together with the teacher.
After the teacher has accepted your project, he will form a project group on bilda.kth.se.
Submit your project pre-study (Assignment 2) on bilda.kth.se no later than Nov 18th
You may use your own equipment or our lab facilities. Be sure to arrange with your supervisor if you need access to lab facilities and/or assistance so it can be arranged when it suits every one.
Present the (finished or almost finished) project at the project seminar, Dec 14th.
Submit your project report on bilda.kth.se no later than Jan 4th

Project report

The report should be written by the students together. It should be written in English and be 6-12 pages of text with a 12pt font and 2.5 cm margins (the length of the report is dependent on the topic described and the amount of work focused on e.g. an implementation that is described in the text). Figures may be included, but should not make up more than 20% of the essay.

The report should be submitted electronically at bilda.kth.se, preferably in pdf, no later than Jan 4th.

In addition, prepare a short (1-3 minutes) video demo of your project to illustrate your application/evaluation. The video should be uploaded to vimeo.com, add [DT2140@KTH] to the video title and provide a link in the report.
Tip of the day: The video can be very useful for the project presentation as well.

The report should present your work, in terms of background, method (experimental setup, subjects etc), results and discussion. Keep the following questions in mind:

What did you do?
How did you do it?
What results came out of your project?
How did you evaluate them?
What background and specific explanation do you need to provide so that people can understand?
What has been done earlier in this area? How do earlier studies compare to yours?
Project assessment: What worked well in the project? In hindsight, what would you have done differently? What was the major learning outcome for you of the project work? Was the contribution of the team mates in accordance with the project plan? If no, how did it differ?

Requirements: In order to pass, the report should:

be 6-12 pages in length, if a 12 pt font size is used.
contain an Abstract giving a summary of the paper in no more than 200 words.
have an Introduction that cites relevant previous work in the area and outlines why the topic is of general interest.
describe clearly the work that has been performed in the project.
link the theory of multimodal human-computer interaction to the work performed.
include a Bibliography of no less than 5 relevant scientific citations.
include a personal assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the project.
be accompanied by a short video demo of the project.

Oral presentation

The objective of the oral presentation is firstly to ensure that the students are able to present their own work clearly and efficiently with tight time limits and secondly to let every student learn about the projects of their fellows.

You will present your work at the Project seminar, Dec 14th 09:15-12:00 or 14:15-17:00. You will be able to select one of the time slots on doodle. Note: only choose one slot per group (that is, not one per person).

Your presentation should be 15 minutes in English. Since many groups are presenting, it is important to keep to the time limit. You should explain to the audience what you did and why, what the results were and what might be learned from them.

There will be a computer with a projector, and sound system for the presentations. If you need additional devices you should notify the teachers in advance.

Some advice for the presentation:

Rehearse your presentation beforehand and check the time.
Make sure you arrive in good time to see to that any files you need work on the computer etc.
Check that any extra material that you need for the demonstration works as well.
It is usually better to save e.g. movie files on the hard disc than reading them directly from a CD or USB.
A live demo is always appreciated, but have a video illustration as a backup in case of demo malfunction.

Requirements:
In order to pass, the presentation should:

keep the time limit.
be easily accessible for all students, without prior knowledge about the project.
Make use of adequate illustration material (audio, video examples, pictures) to present the content.

Grading criteria for the project report

The abstract: Does it in a concise manner describe the most important aspects of the project: what, why, how, results?
The background description of the research area and previous work: Does it clearly describe the state-of-the art? And why the project topic is of general interest?
The quality of the 5 scientific citations. We request scientific citations, since this will "force" you to read about earlier work, which will ensure that you are aware of the state-of-the-art, the background and theory, and will hence be able to reason on a higher level in your report.
The technical/scientific level of the work performed : How complex was the task you did? How well did you solve the task? How innovative was the work that you performed, compared to ready-made components that you could include? How research-oriented was your work?
The link to the theory: Have you related what you did to the theory of HCI and human communication, in terms of abilities and limitations for different senses and communication modes?
The presentation of the work in the report: How clear is it what you have done in the project? How readable is the report? Does it adhere to good practice in technical/scientific reporting?
The evaluation of the work performed: To what extent has the project been evaluated? Is the evaluation sound and adhers to evaluation standards? Are the evaluation results poperly commented and discussed in the report? [Note, depending on the project topic, evaluation may not be relevant for the project. However, reflection is for all projects, c.f. next point]
The reflection and discussion of future work: How aware were you of the strengths and weaknesses of the work performed? How could the work be continued or improved? How could weaknesses be solved? How does your project relate and compare with other similar studies carried out before?
Supervision intake: Did you follow the advice and directions given to you by your supervisor, in case (s)he judged that changes to your ideas were required? Have you improved the project and/or the report following discussions with the supervisor?

Course responsible: Olov Engwall, engwall@kth.se, 790 75 65