My portfolio showcases selected work I conducted during my Master's programme in Human-Computer Interaction at UCL. Most of the following projects employed in-depth qualitative methods and Interaction Design principles. As I also have a passion for quantitative user research (i.e. experimental designs, statistical analyses and evaluations), I will add selected work shortly.

Yourney

For the module Interaction Design in the Master’s programme at UCL, I worked with four class mates (backgrounds: Design and Computer Science) from October to December, 2017 on the Computer-Human Interaction 2017 Student Design Competition . The aim was to design a solution that would help “levelling the playing field” for a marginalised group in society. We chose to design for refugees that struggle integrating into their local communities.

We delivered a high-fidelity prototype app complemented by a personal website for refugees that aid in the integration process by taking part in activities offered by local host communities. This would enable refugees to proactively cumulate meaningful experiences which can be shared with the family, friends and the general public.

Throughout the process, insights and an understanding of the big picture were gained on rigorous user research and an elaborated experience strategy . The design of the user interfaces was based on renowned interaction design methods and an implementation of reasonable information architecture . I was involved in every aspect of the process. For more details please see the CHI extended abstract paper, conference poster and video.

Although our submission was not selected for the Semi-Finals of the CHI 2017 student competition we received a high grade. Subsequently, we forwarded our idea to Techfugees, a social enterprise that connects the tech community for a response to the refugee crisis. Apart from learning and applying HCI research methods and prototyping techniques, I extensively expanded my skills to work in a diverse team , build empathy with users and apply a pragmatic mindset .

Pysical Computing and Prototyping

In term two of the MSc programme at UCL, I worked on a three-months project from January to March, 2017 that had me choose and apply appropriate prototyping methods to a self-chosen problem space. The goal was to improve practical skills in physical computing and digital fabrication by designing and prototyping a novel interactive physical and tangible user interface. I chose to address the dilemma of climate change by making children aware of its impact on agriculture and on one of its current resulting development – urban gardening.

The final high-fidelity prototype was a growing chamber that enabled children to manually and automatically set the climate inside the box to different values to explore the impact on plant growth. Tangible buttons in the form of continents on the outside of the chamber automatically set the climate. Buttons in the shape of a sun and a rain drop allowed manual control of the grow light and pump. This form of interaction was chosen to facilitate the creation of mental models about cause and effect related to climate in children.

The methods and tools I used to realise this project included hand-drawn sketches, a cardboard prototype, successive and iterative assembly of the Arduino hardware plus programming (microcontroller, sensors and actuators) as well as a laser cutter and a 3D printer. For more information, feel free to view the video and portfolio slides.

The final prototype was showcased and presented in front of the Master’s students, academics and a panel of industry professionals. I received a high distinction mark and won an award in the category “Best Design Solution for a problem” that was accompanied with a prize. The next steps include a user evaluation and the integration of sensor data into a web application for remote access. With this project, I am proud that I not only obtained a technical understanding of physical computing with Arduino and digital fabrication methods but also learned to pay attention to details and focus on delivering my solution in front of an audience.

Not Bad: Stop Wasting, Start Munching

This project was the practical part of the Persuasive Games module that had us apply game design and human-centred research and design methods to a self-chosen environmental issue. The outcome had to be a persuasive game that would enable behavior change. Me and my three team members (backgrounds: Psychology, Process Engineering, Design) chose to address the dilemma of food waste in affluent countries.

The result was a raw game prototype developed in Stencyl , aimed at young professionals in their twenties to thirties who are the main squanderers of food. In the game players would complete in open world quests, partake in quizzes and engage in mini games that thematise food waste and its main causes. The outcome was based on thorough secondary and primary research (78 responses) and a player experience evaluation . The whole process followed the double diamond strategy . During the design phase, we iteratively applied established HCI methods (affinity mappings , design card sets , dot voting , pugh chart , paper prototypes etc.) and implemented frameworks and models relevant to serious game design and behavior change. Again, I was involved in every stage of the project. For more detailed information, I refer to the showcase video we produced and the paper I wrote.

I found the project and team work very challenging because the design outcome was restricted to a game and our backgrounds varied greatly. Therefore, it required me to listen and think carefully about ideas from team members and responses from our target group whilst not losing focus on the deliverable. Although no team member had profound programming skills, I am happy with the concept and prototype we delivered and also having the possibility to glimpse into the technical side of game development. As there is no such game out there yet that addresses food waste, I believe it can spark future development.