Progress Report

1. What concrete progress have you made on your capstone project since you submitted your proposal and timeline? Include specific examples; if possible post some examples to your blog.

Since the start of this project, I have completed the research needed thus far. I put together a low-fidelity prototype and did some user testing with that (I also sent around a survey to the class to which I got some really useful feedback).

From my user testing I comprised a list of items I believe I will need for this project. I was able to find inexpensive devices that I can use for my sensors and have purchased those. I have already gotten one of the devices in and the other two should be in early next week meaning I will be able to start my high-fidelity prototype next week. I was also able to find an investor to fund this project. Wade and I both went and presented our proposal to him and were able to give him a quote for the amount I thought I would need and was approved for said amount. 

So far, I am on track with my timeline. I had planned on having my research completed and my low-fidelity prototype done two weeks ago so I could test it and be able to start on my high-fidelity prototype next week. 

2. How many times have you been in contact with your mentor? Please list what you discussed.

Wade and I meet on a weekly basis. Every Thursday at 1:30 I meet with him to go over what I have accomplished for that week. He gives me weekly assignments I am to have done for our next meeting. So far, I have successfully completed my Introduction, Literary Analysis and have started putting together my Resources for my thesis paper he wants me to complete for this project. 

3. How has your timeline changed thus far? Discuss what has changed and why you changed it.

As I stated above, I have been able to stay on track with my timeline. I feel like Wade and I were able to put together a very accomplishable timeline and have been able to really stick with it. 

4. What do you still need to complete in preparation for the beginning of your N499 course? Identify key aspects of the project that need to be taken care of before your official capstone starts.

I need to get my high-fidelity prototype completed so I can start user-testing next January. 

5. If there have been significant changes to your project since your proposal, please discuss them.

Other than the progress I have made, there aren't many changes. I realized I would have to down-size slightly, using only three sensors instead of the initial five. But other than that, my project idea has not altered.

Timeline.

I.               Problem Space - Done

II.              Requirements Analysis – Finished by October 6^th

a.     User Requirements

b.     Business Requirements

III.            Low-Fidelity Prototype – October 7^th - November 16^th

a.     User Testing

IV.            High-Fidelity Prototype – November 17^th - March 31^st

a.     User testing

V.              Write up – April 1^st - April 29

Well, I guess it's official now. It's weird to see this thing actually down on paper, like it's staring me in the face. April 29 is going to be here before we all know it and I know I will be ready. Our last meeting consisted of drafting a rough Timeline (above), talking about each individual step we have to accomplish and a little about budget. 

I've been reading and researching like crazy. I found a really good paper (one of many actually) on detecting emotion's through various mechanical methods that I think will come in very handy for my project. Granted, this was for robotic use and mine is more ubiquitous computing. Similar, but not quite the same thing. Anyway, below is the link to the paper.

"http://research.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/rasl/PDF%20files/RoboticaI_Sarkar.pdf"

Wade Mitchell Response.

1. What is your area of expertise?
My area of expertise is HCI, specifically usability and user-centered design theory and principles. My area of interest is non-traditional interaction development and testing.  My research is focused on interactive voice response systems and the psychological and sociological reaction to synthetic voices. 
2. What are your expectations for a capstone student?
Surprisingly high.  I expect students to meet with me weekly, to demonstrate mastery of their chosen subject, and importantly, to be innovative.  I like students that want to do something novel, not just redo something someone else has done.
3. What is your general availability for mentoring next semester?
I have only a limited number of capstone students so I can devote two hours per week for meetings and help and more if needed during critical times.
4. Do you have any project types you are not interested in working with?
I would be less interested in projects that do not involve usability or user-centered design.  Specifically I would probably steer clear of people doing stand-alone development.
5. What are your thoughts on a secondary advisor?
I think a second advisor can be beneficial if a significant amount of the project involves an aspect outside the expertise of the primary mentor.  I think this should be worked out with the primary mentor.

Search for a Secondary Mentor.

I think the roll of a secondary mentor varies depending on the project, the student and the primary mentor. Honestly, I think the secondary mentor should be someone the primary mentor finds or at very least approves of before signing them on, simply because I think it's immensely important that the two mentors interact well. Otherwise, the student could find themselves stuck between two conflicting mentors which, I would imagine, would not be pleasant.

For my project, if I would have a secondary mentor it would be someone to help take the weight of teaching me everything about HCI off Prof. Mitchell's shoulders. 

As I stated above, I believe the primary mentor should be the one to locate the secondary to ensure compatibility between mentors. However, you can locate a secondary pretty much anywhere you like. They can be a faculty member from a different school, they could be an expert already working in the field you're working towards, the sky's the limit on where you could locate one.

Also stated above, I feel like whoever the secondary is, they need to be compatible with the primary, otherwise the student could find themselves in an awkward tug-of-war game between the two mentors.  

Search for a Mentor.

My idea: To design a program for vehicles that reads the drivers dangerous driving states of mind (anger, drowziness, etc.) through gaze tracking analysis, body movement analysis and verbal tone analysis and counteracts those emotions to revert the driver back to a safe driving state of mind. This will reduce accidents caused by road rage (the #2 cause of car accidents) and drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

To accomplish this, I first need to research what bodily reactions humans exhibit when they are angry or aggravated, as well as reactions we exhibit when we are tired. Knowing that human's heart rate fluctuates based on the mood of its host, I know I will need to install heart rate monitors in the steering wheel as the first indicator that the driver's mood is becoming unsafe for driving.

I also know that I will need some sort of gaze tracker installed in the car as well as a body movement tracker and a voice analyzer. This is a lot to accomplish in less than a year. I'm hoping that drawing up a timeline will help me whittle down what can't be accomplished so I can set myself up for success from the git-go.


Mentor Must-Haves: 
1. Enough experience with HCI to be able to direct a student with little-no knowledge/experience (I am the epitome  of a noob when it comes to HCI...I'm going to need a mentor with the patience and skill to teach me what I need to know in less than a year)
2. Mild, laid-back personality that can handle my over-the-top, worrisome personality. (I know when I step up to take on a huge project like this I get stressed very easily and tend to fret, plus I know I have a big personality)
3. Relatively flexible schedule. (I know I'm going to need a lot of mentor time to learn everything I need to know in order to tackle this project)


Potential Mentors:
1. Pauline Baker
2. Wade Mitchell
3. David Bolchini


Each of these faculty members are highly experienced in HCI, two of them holding doctorates and the third working on his. I believe any one of them could have the capacity to teach a novice the fundamentals I will need to complete this project, I will need to interview them to find out who (if any) have the time and/or patience to do so.

Potential Issues.

• Time management issues:

This is going to be a huge issue with my project as it stands now. I know I have taken on a huge and horribly complex project for really such a short amount of time. My plan is to form a realistic timeline with Prof. Mitchell and whittle it down to a more realistic, obtainable project. 

• Skills needed to complete the project:

This is another problem for me. I know nothing about HCI or pretty much any of the languages involved. I was up front with my mentor about this problem and was warned that this was going to be a rough ride and a lot of work if I wanted to get this accomplished...problem is I'm too stubborn not to do a project this awesome. Prof. Mitchell is confident this can be accomplished, which is comforting.

• Resources needed (people and technology/materials):

I won't really need any outside help (aside from my mentor) until product testing comes around when I will need test subjects. Materials, well, I know I'll need at very least the dashboard of a car, various tracking devices and a computer to collect and review data. 

• Budget:

Prof. Mitchell and I have briefly discussed budget. Since we aren't entirely sure how we're going to accomplish this project yet, it's hard to really nail down a budget statement. 

• Team issues:

So far, we seem to be pretty much on the same page. I was up front with Prof. Mitchell about my serious lack of HCI knowledge and he was up front with me about the mass amount of work I had ahead of me. I don't really see any serious issues happening within the group. He's zero drama as am I, so hopefully this will work out successfully. 

Upgraded Idea.

Well, I suppose I should update this a bit.

After finding my mentor, Wade Mitchell, and discussing my idea of creating a website controlled by eye movement, we decided to upgrade the project a bit.

After brainstorming and doing extensive research on gaze tracking and various eye tracking methods, I decided I wanted to create something that would be completely innovative, yet still doable in the time remaining. My idea: design a program for vehicles that reads the drivers dangerous driving states of mind (anger, drowziness, etc.) through gaze tracking analysis, body movement analysis and verbal tone analysis and counteracts those emotions to revert the driver back to a safe driving state of mind.

This will reduce accidents caused by road rage (the #2 cause of car accidents) and drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

To accomplish this, I first need to research what bodily reactions humans exhibit when they are angry or aggravated, as well as reactions we exhibit when we are tired. Knowing that human's heart rate fluctuates based on the mood of its host, I know I will need to install heart rate monitors in the steering wheel as the first indicator that the driver's mood is becoming unsafe for driving.

I also know that I will need some sort of gaze tracker installed in the car as well as a body movement tracker and a voice analyzer. This is a lot to accomplish in less than a year. I'm hoping that drawing up a timeline will help me whittle down what can't be accomplished so I can set myself up for success from the git-go.