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Research

Mark Zachry's Research Group Archive

The following research group descriptions are archived because they are no longer offered, the faculty member is on sabbatical, or the group is taking a break. Please contact the faculty member or an advisor to learn more about these groups.

Spring 2025

Effects of AR Face Filters in Online Exchanges: Analysis and Implications

Instructors: 

  • Anna Lindner, PhD Student
  • Mark Zachry, Faculty Advisor

This Directed Research Group (DRG) is focused on understanding the effects of AR filters in professional online interactions. Participants will analyze qualitative and quantitative data from a study investigating the impact of beautifying AR face filters during online job interviews. The DRG includes analyses of survey responses, interview transcripts, and observational notes. This research is designed to provide valuable insights into how AR technologies influence user behavior in professional contexts.

Students participating in this DRG can expect to:

  • Conduct background research on the topic of AR face filters in professional contexts to inform our analysis.
  • Engage in analyzing collected data and thematic analysis of qualitative observations.
  • Contribute to reliability testing and manual validation of the emergent qualitative coding framework.

Spring 2025

Developing a toolkit to support AI concept design

Co-Directors:

  • Pitch Sinlapanuntakul (PhD Student)
  • Mark Zachry (Faculty Advisor)

Motivation & objective

Designing AI with core design values, particularly in early concept development, is essential but challenging due to its inherent ambiguity and complexity. In this fast-paced DRG, we will first identify key challenges and design opportunities to support the process/practice of envisioning/designing value-oriented AI concepts. Depending on the results, you will engage in research through design to ideate, design, document, evaluate, and refine the solutions (i.e., design toolkit) to support design practitioners in the above activities.

Winter - Spring 2025

Evaluating Live Streams

Instructors:

  • Keri Mallari, PhD Student
  • Mark Zachry, Faculty Advisor

There are two parts to the DRG.

The first 3 weeks will focus on evaluating live streams. We have recruited live streamers, and are working on evaluating our prototype with non-members of their community to evaluate their streams. We will be working on evaluating these streams, and generating a summary of these evaluations for our live streamers.

The second part will focus on collecting sets of videos and blog posts of content creators about their experience as a live streamer. We will then conduct an analysis of these text and video content to help inform design of another prototype for live streamers. Since this second part is open-ended, there is a possibility that this DRG might extend towards Spring 2025 to continue the development and evaluation of the prototype.

Questions? Email Keri at kmallari@uw.edu

Winter 2025

Temporality in Crisis Communication on TikTok

Directed by PhD candidate Julie Vera with support from Dr. David McDonald and Dr. Mark Zachry

In this DRG, we will investigate how users make sense of crisis events using TikTok comments by focusing on the temporal aspects of information seeking and sharing. Our research will explore how users navigate and understand emergent events in situations where information may not appear chronologically and/or lacks context. We also aim to understand how users employ temporal anchors and other references to make sense of evolving situations. Results from this study will contribute to research at the intersection of crisis informatics, social media studies, and collective sensemaking.

Students participating can expect to:

  1. Analyze collected TikTok comments and videos related to crisis events using both qualitative and quantitative methods
  2. Help develop and refine a framework for categorizing the temporal dimensions of TikTok comments
  3. Participate in reliability testing and manual validation of framework

*Note that due to the nature of this research, some media may contain distressing or sensitive material.

Winter 2025

Design Principles for AI Companions

Co-Directed by PhD student Soobin Cho and Dr. Mark Zachry

This continuation is focused on collaboratively building design principles for AI companions—AI chatbots designed to provide meaningful interaction, connection, and emotional support. Since AI companions form close relationships with users and can have significant emotional impacts, they require sensitive and thoughtful design. We use a research-based approach to systematically develop design principles to guide the design and evaluation of AI companions. Students participating in this DRG are developing design principles through internal and external evaluations to validate findings from the previous quarter.

Autumn 2024

Design Principles for AI Companions 

Co-Directed by PhD student Soobin Cho and Dr. Mark Zachry

This DRG aims to collaboratively build design principles for AI companions. AI companions are AI-based chatbots that are focused on social and interpersonal interaction with people, rather than on practical or assistive roles. With advancements in Generative AI, the potential functions for these AI companions are rapidly developing. Such bots, unlike other AI chatbots, must be designed to emphasize companion-specific values, including use of natural and human-centered conversational styles to meet emotional and social needs. Design principles are needed to understand and assess this new interactive technology.

In this DRG, participants will iteratively evaluate and refine ideas to arrive at a final recommended set of design principles. This process will involve exploring, evaluating, and applying diverse design principles from related fields, researching and analyzing AI companion chatbots that are currently available, planning and conducting user studies to build user journeys/scenarios, and participating in focus-group interviews and workshops to conduct heuristic evaluations of existing companion bots.

Autumn 2023

Designing UX Research Studies with Generative AI 

Co-Directed by PhD student Pitch Sinlapanuntakul and Dr. Mark Zachry

In this DRG, we will be exploring the intersection of UX research processes and the capabilities of generative AI. Specifically, our aim is to uncover synergies that can elevate the process of designing UX research studies effectively and ethically, with the assistance of generative AI. Students participating in this DRG will:

  1. Participate in a research study early on in the quarter to gain direct understanding of quasi-experimental research as a participant
  2. Assist in qualitative analysis
  3. Apply their participation experience to iteratively co-design a complex experimental-based UX research study with a generative AI tool (i.e., ChatGPT)
  4. Present/propose their research study and receive constructive feedback
  5. Reflect weekly on experiences to develop an understanding of integrating AI tools into the research design process

We are looking for 20 students who:

  1. Are interested in learning about UX research and AI in research
  2. Have experience with an iOS iPhone device

No prior experience is required, but experience in qualitative coding is a plus. Willingness to work on a team-based design project is required. 

This is a 2-credit DRG offered to undergraduate (HCDE 496) and graduate (HCDE 596) students. Students in this DRG will be required to attend weekly meetings on Wednesdays, 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and are expected to spend 3 to 5 additional hours weekly outside of class contributing to their work in the DRG. In-person attendance at the first meeting of the DRG (September 27) is required. Please note that anyone who cannot attend the first meeting will be dropped from the DRG. Please reach out to Pitch Sinlapanuntakul (wspitch@uw.edu) or on the HCDE Slack with any questions.

Summer 2023

AI in UX: A Cross-cultural Investigation 

This project is an exploratory investigation of how UX professionals use AI in their design work. We will investigate the reasons practitioners use AI, the information they obtain from it, how they use it in their work, and the challenges they face. We will also examine the potential limitations and ethical considerations associated with the use of AI in professional work. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into current UX work and inform the design of future conversational agents for this field. The results of our project will be combined with those of a team in South Korea, enabling cross-cultural comparisons. 

Research activities in this DRG will include recruiting and scheduling study participants, conducting interviews following an existing protocol, analyzing qualitative and light quantitative data, and preparing a report of results. The last phase of this research will include collaboration with a team of international researchers. 

Ideal qualifications: 

  • Experience conducting semi-structured interviews.
  • Experience analyzing qualitative data.
  • The DRG will meet Tuesdays (June 20 – August 15) from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Including the meeting time, participants should expect to spend ~6 hours per week on the research. DRG participants will register for 2 credits (HCDE 496 or 596).  

Spring 2023

Augmented Reality Avatars in Online Group Interactions

Co-directed by PhD student Weerachet (Pitch) Sinlapanuntakul and Dr. Mark Zachry

The implementation of digitalized avatars is one potential solution to reduce Zoom fatigue. Unlike virtual reality (VR), the augmented reality (AR) experience does not entirely occlude the real environment. Knowing this, to what extent would people be willing to adopt AR avatars? How do they influence the ways in which we virtually interact in a group? In this DRG, we aim to examine the relationship between the use of AR avatars and online synchronous collaboration experiences.

During the Spring quarter, DRG participants will run experimental sessions and assist in recruiting participants and analyzing qualitative data. We are looking for 6 to 8 students who have experience with or a desire to learn about 1) research facilitation; 2) qualitative analysis; 3) AR avatars; and 4) online group collaboration. This is a 2-credit DRG offered to undergraduate (HCDE 496) and graduate (HCDE 596) students. Students participating in this DRG will be required to run sessions in-person and participate in weekly meetings.

If you have any questions, please contact Weerachet (Pitch) Sinlapanuntakul at wspitch@uw.edu.

Winter 2023

Augmented Reality in Online Group Interactions

Co-directed by PhD student Weerachet (Pitch) Sinlapanuntakul and Dr. Mark Zachry

The implementation of digitalized avatars is one potential solution to reduce Zoom fatigue. Unlike virtual reality (VR), the augmented reality (AR) experience does not entirely occlude the real environment. Knowing this, to what extent would people be willing to adopt AR avatars? How do they influence the ways in which we virtually interact in a group? In this DRG, we aim to examine the relationship between the use of AR avatars and online synchronous collaboration experiences.

During the Winter quarter, we will explore the literature around AR avatars and online group interaction, design the study’s mechanics, run pilot sessions, and recruit participants to prepare for the study deployment in the Spring quarter. Mechanics of the study may include but are not limited to creating webform questionnaires, prototypes for user tasks, and documents/databases used to store data. DRG participants may also have the opportunity to continue involvement with this project after the quarter ends during a planned DRG in the Spring.

We are looking for 6 to 8 students who have experience with or a desire to learn about 1) quasi-experimental research design; 2) AR avatars; and 3) online group collaboration. This is a 2-credit DRG offered to undergraduate (HCDE 496) and graduate (HCDE 596) students. Students participating in this DRG will be required to attend in-person, weekly meetings on Thursdays at 11:30 am, and will be expected to spend approximately 4 to 5 hours outside of class each week contributing to the DRG.

If you have any questions, please contact Weerachet (Pitch) Sinlapanuntakul at wspitch@uw.edu. 

Spring 2022

Translating Research to Practice: Visualizations for Foster Care Practitioners

Co-directed by Dr. Mark Zachry and PhD student John Fowler

Are you curious about the design of user experiences for people exploring complex data in web-based dynamic visualizations? Are you interested in the foster care system and related public policy decisions? In this DRG, we are exploring the intersection of these two domains through the development and testing of a new visualization tool we have created to support the exploration of national, multivariate data associated with the experiences of foster youth. 

This quarter, we will be working on UX design and user research related to the visualization tool we have developed through preliminary research. We are particularly interested in gaining insight around how social workers understand dynamically visualized data to explore how foster youth transition out of the foster care system and into adulthood. This quarter, we will be conducting a national level usability study using remote testing tools. 

The DRG will include a maximum of 8 students who have experience with web-based visualization techniques and/or remote user studies. Interest in the experiences of foster youth and the social systems that support them is a plus.

The DRG will be conducted in a hybrid (online and in-person) configuration with team meetings every Monday. Participants may register for up to 2 credits, undergraduate (HCDE 496) and graduate (HCDE 596). 

Spring 2022

Designing TikTok Videos to Explain Wikipedia

Led by: Julie Vera, PhD Student, HCDE 
With guidance from faculty advisor Professor David McDonald and Professor Mark Zachry

This DRG will meet Mondays from 4:30-5:30pm, location TBD

We are looking for:

  • Up to 40 undergraduate or masters students

  • Folks with experience or a strong interest in TikTok, video production, or visual storytelling

  • Nice to have:

    • Interest in Wikipedia or other collaborative knowledge platforms

    • Interest in science communication or communication for public audiences

    • Interest in the design of learning or how-to experiences

  • You do not have to be an expert on Wikipedia to participate!


About the DRG:

In this DRG, we will be thinking of new ways to introduce students to Wikipedia as a concept and platform. We will be designing TikTok videos that explain some important features and concepts of Wikipedia so that they feel equipped to contribute. We will follow a flexible design process to create short-form videos that are informative as well as fun and engaging. Participants in the DRG can expect to be lightly onboarded onto Wikipedia. 

Students participating in the DRG will:

  • Conceptualize ways to introduce high-school and college-aged students to Wikipedia via TikTok

  • Get (lightly) onboarded onto Wikipedia

  • Think about what concepts are important to people who are just joining the platform

  • Use a “how might we” approach to design video material that addresses important Wikipedia concepts

  • Storyboard potential video content and collaborate with other students on audio and visual components

  • Prototype TikTok videos for public consumption

  • Respond to weekly reflection prompts about Wikipedia, content ideas, and design process


Expectations:

  • Attend weekly meetings (in-person; time 4:30 - 5:30pm on Mondays)

  • Work in the DRG for 2 CR (6 total hours a week, including “class” time) 

  • Later in the quarter, we may choose to be remote and asynchronous due to the nature of the work


Winter 2022

Translating Research to Practice: Visualizations for Foster Care Practitioners

Co-directed by Dr. Mark Zachry and PhD student John Fowler

Are you curious about how to visually communicate research findings in the context of a specific audience? Are you interested in the foster care system? In this DRG, we are exploring the intersection of these two domains through a visualization-focused survey of foster care research.

Participants will help with a study aimed at understanding how visualizations are used in research on the experiences of foster youth. We are particularly interested in gaining insight around how social workers understand research related to the foster youth transition period out of the foster care system and into adulthood. This Winter quarter, our primary venture as a group will be interviews to to better understand how practitioners in this field make sense of visualizations and the subsequent design of visualizations to be evaluated by members of the community. Opportunity to optionally continue with carrying out a study will be available for students in the Spring quarter.

The DRG will include a maximum of 8 students who have experience with or a desire to learn about (1) visualization techniques; (2) user studies; and (3) foster care.

The DRG will be conducted as in-person, on campus meetings every Thursday morning. This is a 2-credit research group offered to undergraduate (HCDE 496) and graduate (HCDE 596) students. 

Autumn 2021

Translating Research to Practice: Visualizations for Foster Care Practitioners

Co-directed by Dr. Mark Zachry and PhD student John Fowler

Are you curious about how to visually communicate research findings in the context of a specific audience? Are you interested in the foster care system? In this DRG, we intend to explore the intersection of these two domains through a visualization-focused survey of foster care research.

We are looking for students during Fall quarter to help with a study aimed at understanding how visualizations are used in research on the experiences of foster youth. We are particularly interested in gaining insight around how social workers understand research related to the foster youth transition period out of the foster care system and into adulthood. As part of this research, we will be reading literature on foster youth with a specific focus on how visualizations are used by practitioners in the child welfare system. This Fall quarter, our primary venture as a group will be doing a survey of how visualizations are used in foster care research and beginning the design of a user study to better understand how practitioners in this field make sense of visualizations. Opportunity to optionally continue with designing and carrying out a study will be available for students in the Winter and Spring quarters of 2022.

Winter 2021

Understanding the collaborative behaviors of Spanish Wikipedia editors 

Co-directed by PhD student Taryn Bipat, and Professors David McDonald and Mark Zachry

While collaboration in the English Wikipedia has been researched extensively, these other language editions remain understudied. To further understand this challenge, we will explore the perspectives and experiences of the Spanish Wikipedia editors.

We are looking for fluent Spanish speakers for the Winter Quarter to help with conducting interviews with editors from the Spanish Wikipedia. We are interested in understanding the editing experiences of these editors and the interactions they have with other Wikipedia editors. 

Activities of this research group will include working with the research team to recruit participants, conduct interviews, analyzing data and potentially write a conference paper to present the results to the broader community. 

This DRG will require you to interview editors in Spanish. We are looking for students who are fluent in speaking and reading Spanish.  Furthermore, we are looking for students, who have experience with or a willingness to learn (1) qualitative coding and (2) user behavior on online collaborative systems.  Students interested should also be available for a 2-hour class each week and about 4-5 hours of work outside of these meetings.