Design for the Future: 3 Projects Available: (1) theDesignExchange, (2) Security and Privacy in VR Systems, (3) Human-Centered Design and Cybersecurity
Alice Agogino, Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Closed. This professor is continuing with Spring 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Fall 2024.
Project #1. theDesignExchange.org:
(1) theDesignExchange: We are in the process of designing and developing the DesignExchange, an interactive web portal for the design and design strategy community. The DesignExchange aims to meet three needs: consolidate and organize the many design and design research methods used, develop a community of practitioners within the design research/strategy field and educate the next generation of design innovators in appropriate methods. TheDesignExchange.org is under development by a multidisciplinary team of both graduate and undergraduate students. Our team aims to create a robust structure within which to collect and document the many design methods in use today, their origins, how they are used, and exemplars of their use. We hope that the site will also help designers make informed decisions about when to apply those methods in the design process. The portal supports the entire life-cycle of the early-stage design and innovation process—from observation through analysis and synthesis to realization and evaluation – providing educators and practitioners alike with a versatile library of proven tools. (Note, this project is also listed under Dr. Sara Beckman in the Haas School of Business under the title: Supporting the Design Research Community of Practice ). The deliverables are:
• Web-accessible database and interactive portal for practitioner and design research communities
• Integrated recommendation system to guide the choice of appropriate design research methods
• Interface for community members to input new methods, share approaches and co-create new ones, track project progress, report findings and identify use patterns of synergistic methods
• Infrastructure for research on design
• A system for rating and discussing design research methods
• Online course for teaching use of theDesignExchange and key skills to future designers
• UX and database design and testing
Project #2. Privacy, Security, and Safety in Immersive Experiences
This project explores the intersection of security and safety and VR. As VR systems proliferate, the risk of (1) inadvertently sharing Personally Identifiable Information and (2) creating unsafe online social spaces defined by VR increase. In this project, with two separate thrusts examining each, we study human behavior and VR systems. For #1, we examine data streams generated by Oculus Quest headsets to determine when data collected creates potential risk for users. For #2, we use a vignette-in-VR approach to simulate various moderation strategies of a VR social space to encourage non-exclusionary behavior.
Project #3. Human-centered Design Study on Cybersecurity:
In this project, we explore opportunities to design interactions and interventions to support positive human behavior and interactions related to cybersecurity in emerging technologies. Our current research focuses on connected medical devices and autonomous vehicles.
Role: The student would join one of teams with researchers from both graduate and undergraduate level. You will work on tasks that match interests and background. The students will conduct human-centered design driven user research and also help build low to full-fledged prototypes in both software and hardware. You may explore unveiled technologies that could be incorporated with our product concept.
Project #1. theDesignExchange.org:
Content Development: We are looking for an undergraduate student to work on writing comprehensive descriptions of design methods. Our team has already compiled short (~3 sentence) descriptions of the design methods on theDesignExchange, but we are looking to create more useful and more extensive descriptions of the methods. An example of a design method that needs a more extensive description is a Design Swarm: https://www.thedesignexchange.org/design_methods/119. An example of a fully articulated design method is a Persona: https://www.thedesignexchange.org/design_methods/74. The applicant will be working to assemble method descriptions with the same level of detail as is found in the Personas description.
Applicants should have strong communication and writing skills, as they will be responsible for writing clear explanations for a set of design methods. Applicants will be responsible for assimilating information from a variety of sources, including design textbooks, research papers, and blog posts. This project is a great chance to gain exposure to design thinking methodology. The method descriptions will be deployed on theDesignExchange website, and therefore, this project can serve as a portfolio piece to highlight the applicant’s writing skills and understanding of design thinking.
Case study development: theDesignExchange provides a structured set of design thinking methods for developing an in-depth understanding of people who are directly impacted by an issue, allowing designers to generate creative ideas, and rapidly learn from small-scale pilots. Design thinking is emerging as an approach for innovating solutions to address issues of poverty in the US and around the world, and theDesignExchange has the potential to support designers around the world as they engage in projects of global development.
We are interested in highly motivated undergraduate students to write case studies of design thinking for development projects. We have compiled a set of academic papers that each provides an example of how researchers and designers conducted their particular design project work. We are now looking to transform these full papers into concise and informative case study summaries. Applicants should have strong communication, comprehension, and writing skills, as they will be responsible for reading and understanding academic publications and then summarizing and writing clear summaries of these publications.
This project is a great chance to gain exposure to design thinking methodology, particularly as it applies to global development. The case studies will be deployed on theDesignExchange website, and therefore, this project can serve as a portfolio piece to highlight the applicant’s writing skills and understanding of design thinking and development.
Project #2. Privacy and Securiy in Immersive Experiences
We're looking for students who have interest and experience in two of the follow areas: (1) VR development in Unity; (2) Human-Centered Design methods; (3) C# scripting (preferably in plug-in development); (4) Qualitative User Research, e.g. survey development, interviewing, and data analysis.
Students will gain experience with the above areas in the context of this research project, with an emphasis on producing conclusive research results and artifacts for student portfolios.
Project #3. Human-centered Design Study on Cybersecurity:
We're seeking students who have interests and experience related to two of the following areas: (1) human centered design and design thinking; (2) emerging technologies; (3) science and technology studies; (4) quantitative and qualitative user research methods; (5) digital fabrication and prototyping; (6) digital media (specifically video) production; (7) academic literature research and reviews.
Students will gain experience with the above areas in the context of this research project, with an emphasis on producing conclusive research results and artifacts for student portfolios.
Qualifications: We are working together as interdisciplinary team. Students are required to have strong background in at least one of skills listed below. A combination of those skills is desirable but not essential.
1. Low-Medium Prototyping skill (e.g. 3D printing, Machine tools)
2. Electric Circuit Building, UI design (e.g. Tablet, Mobile): Creative Design or Art Practice.
3. Human-centered design or Qualitative research skill (Interview, observation, concept test, user test, etc.)
Hours: to be negotiated
Off-Campus Research Site: Please note, research will be remote until further notice.
Related website: http://bravo.berkeley.edu/
Related website: http://best.berkeley.edu/2017/12/17/best-lab-wins-2nd-grant-on-cybersecurity/