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).
To participate, students must be available to meet in person when required during the summer. For about five weeks in the middle of the quarter, we anticipate holding some DRG meetings via video-conference.
The DRG will enroll 3 students during the summer quarter.
The research group will be led by Dr. Mark Zachry. If you are interested, please fill out this survey by June 15. If you have questions, please contact Mark at zachry@uw.edu.
Spring 2023
Augmented Reality Avatars in Online Group Interactions
Co-directed by PhD student Weerachet (Pitch) Sinlapanuntakul and Dr. Mark Zachry
Note this DRG is at capacity for spring quarter and no longer accepting applications.
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.
Note this DRG is at capacity for and no longer accepting applications.