This page will detail some of my academic projects. For personal projects, please see my Interests page.
Residential Security System Interface (September 2021 – December 2021)
In my junior fall semester, I took a course on methods in human-computer interaction. For my semester project, I was part of a two-person team tasked with designing an interface for a residential security system.
In the course, I learned about analysis methods, design guidance methods, and evaluation methods in HCI. We used several methods to guide our project, such as error analysis, user analysis, flow analysis, task analysis, and NASA-TLX analysis.
I created a basic electronic mockup of our design for testing purposes. Our testing pool was limited to other students in the course due to COVID restrictions. Our participants ran through three basic tasks (setting a key code, arming the system, and disarming the system) and then filled out an evaluation form to provide feedback on the interface.
Please contact me regarding links to the accompanying report and to the electronic mockup.
Tactile Tour Design (January 2020 – May 2020)
In my freshman spring semester, I took a course on engineering design and communication. I was part of the four-person team “America’s Next Touch Model”. Our project was to create models for a “tactile tour” for visually impaired visitors of the Houston Museum of Natural Science to enjoy.
We focused on the Gems and Minerals exhibit; specifically, we modeled a pyrite specimen and an amethyst geode due to their visual peculiarities. We designed two versions of each model: a “caricature” that exaggerated the characteristics of each specimen, and another that was more representative of the specimen’s real appearance. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to prototype our designs and create physical models.
Despite that, I learned quite a bit about the engineering design process. We regularly wrote up technical memos and developed skills in using Tinkercad, AutoCAD, molding and casting techniques, Pugh matrices, and Gantt charts. This was also one of our first major experiences with remote collaboration.
Please see this link for an ePortfolio detailing the project.
Ganymede App (March 2019 – May 2019)
In my senior year of high school, I took an independent study mentorship course. My mentor was planetary researcher Dr. Tracy Becker, whom I met that summer during the Young Engineers and Scientists program at the Southwest Research Institute.
For my mentorship product, I designed an educational app focusing on the Jovian moon Ganymede, including a gallery and pages on its history, future plans. I used XCode and Swift to create and test the app. During my final presentation, I demonstrated the app using a virtual iPhone.
This was one of my first coding experiences, and it was all self-taught! Although I did not publish the app, it represented a great deal of learning for me, and I was happy to be exposed to the wonders and struggles of app development.