INF385K: Projects in Human-Computer Interaction

Instructor: Dr. Jacek Gwizdka

Syllabus – Spring 2018

Instructor: Dr. Jacek Gwizdka

Office: UTA 5.532
Office Hours: By appointment
Phone: (512) 471-0636 (no voice mail please, email is preferred contact method)
Email: [email protected] (please always include INF385K-HCI in the subject line)

TA: Yung-Sheng Chang

Email: [email protected]

Class meetings: Wednesdays 12pm-2:50pm, UTA 1.504

Canvas @ UT: https://utexas.instructure.com/
Course schedule: in Canvas
Course Announcements: via Canvas (make sure to configure your Canvas settings to receive
notifications about announcement and messages)

Note: The class meetings schedule, along with assigned readings, and assignment due dates is in
a separate document.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The spring 2018 edition of Projects in HCI (INF385K - 27280) will cover multiple aspects of
conducting research projects in Human-Computer Interaction with a focus on user research
methods in the lab equipped with a state-of-the-art eye-tracking and other devices. Topically, the
course will emphasize methods for evaluating user experience and user interfaces. It will offer an
opportunity to deepen your knowledge of usability testing and user interface evaluation and to
sharpen your skills.
Class time will be split between content-based lectures (typically short), discussions, and project
work. The part of class time used for lectures will be devoted to highlighting course materials. A
few class meetings will be devoted to project work – the project will be the major student effort
in this course. Student teams will be able to shape their own idea for the project within thematic
constraints and challenges given by the instructor. Student projects will take advantage of the
state-of-the-art eye-tracking equipment in the IX lab.

NOTE: Students taking this course are expected to have some previous experience in HCI gained
either by having taken a course in HCI/UX/usability/IA or a related area, or by having an equivalent
work experience. Please contact instructor before registering for this course.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course students will:

• further their HCI knowledge by applying it in new and practical situations;

• learn about eye-trackers and their use in UX research;
• learn how to combine a variety of evaluation methods (including eye-tracking);
• learn how to design and conduct user studies employing the above methods;
• apply this knowledge in a small-scale semester-long project;
• be prepared for further training and research in this area.

CLASS STRUCTURE and ORGANIZATION

The primary activity will be a semester-long, hands-on HCI research project. Student groups (1-3
students) will engage in selected stages of a typical HCI project, including identifying and
understanding the problem, proposing evaluation plan, creating detailed research study protocol,
executing it in the lab, and presenting the results. Student groups will be able to shape their own
idea for the project within thematic constraints and challenges given by the instructor. The
semester-long projects are expected to result in a thorough evaluation of some aspect of user
experience with an existing software or web-based user interface. The results will be described in
the final paper. The projects will be expected to produce results that are publishable in an
international conference (such as, ACM CHI, ASIST, CHIIR, SIGIR, ETRA, UM, ICMI, IUI). The project
is described in more detail in a separate document.
In addition to the project, the course uses readings, discussions, presentations and other activities
in support of learning. The goal is to create a learning environment in the classroom where
questions and concepts are discussed and analyzed and skills are developed collaboratively. This
format requires participation of all class members. Students are expected to:
• Participate actively in the course project and in all group activities.
• Attend all class sessions; if a student misses a class, it is his or her responsibility to arrange
with another student to obtain all notes, handouts and assignment sheets.
• Read all material prior to class; students are expected to use the course readings to inform
their classroom participation and enable them to perform the class activities and
assignments.
• Hand in all deliverables fully and on time. Late submissions will not be accepted unless an
emergency is involved. In the event of an emergency, the student must contact the
instructor as soon as possible. (see also Grading and Policies)
• Educate themselves and their peers. The successful completion of this course and their
participation in the information professions depend upon the students' willingness to
demonstrate initiative and creativity. Your participation in the professional and personal
growth of your colleagues is essential to your success as well as theirs. Such collegiality is
at the heart of professional practice. The in-class discussion of the assignments is
designed to encourage this kind of collaboration.
• Participate in all class discussions.
• If needed, ask for additional help from the instructor or the Teaching Assistant.

HANDS-ON, PRACTICAL APPROACH

This course takes a practical, applied, hands-on approach, based on the application of established
best practices, principles, and proven methods to ensure a quality user experience.
MY PERSONAL GOALS FOR YOU IN THE COURSE
In addition to content-specific objectives reflected by the topics in the course calendar, I have
these personal goals for each student:
• to get you to think deeply and carefully about the subject,
• to help you to genuinely like the subject,
• to provide knowledge and skills useful to you in your career,
• to engender a deeper interest that can be pursued beyond this course,
• to make you proud of your achievements in this course, especially of your project work,
• and, hopefully, to have a little fun in the process J

BOOKS AND READINGS

Selected chapters will be assigned from the following books:
1. SMK: MacKenzie S.I. (2013). HCI: An Empirical Research Perspective. Morgan Kaufmann.
Full text available online through UT library.
2. AB: Bojko, A. (2014) (2013). Eye Tracking the User Experience: A Practical Guide to
Research. Rosenfeld Media.
3. JBAS: Bergstrom, J. R., & Schall, A. J. (2014). Eye Tracking in User Experience Design.
Elsevier Science & Technology Books. Full text available online through UT library.
Note: Additional readings may be assigned as needed.
CLASS LECTURE SLIDES
The PDF versions of class lecture slides, if applicable, will be posted on Canvas. You have
permission to print a copy for your personal use; please do not post or share them online. This
policy applies to all other course handouts too.
GRADING
Class participation (includes participation in class discussions) 5.25%
Two assignments (5% each) 10.5%
Eye-tracking paper discussion (in class) (once per semester) (team presentation) 10.5%
Project (teamwork, unless otherwise noted) Project Subtotal: 73.75%
P1: Proposal P/F
P2: Initial evaluation plan P/F
P3: Detailed research protocol (Canvas submission) P/F
P4: Project presentation (poster) 10.5%
P5: Final paper 63.25%
Course Total: 100%

Note: Intermediate project phases are not graded explicitly. However, you will be receiving
feedback on your work along with assessment of how well you did.
GRADING SCALE
• 96 or above (A: superior), 90-95 (A-: distinguished)
• 87-89 (B+: good), 84-86 (B: satisfactory), 80-83 (B-: barely satisfactory)
• unsatisfactory: 77-79 (C+), 74-76 (C), 70-73 (C-).
Note: Final grading does not happen just by calculations. I take into account many factors, and so
your “Canvas points/%” are only a rough indication of the final grade. Ask when in doubt.
HOMEWORK
All assignments and project deliverable due dates are on the course schedule and in Canvas (under
Assignments and Calendar). Even if the instructor doesn't announce each due date in class, it’s
your job to know when you should be working on one and when they are due. Please ask when in
doubt.
Submitting written homework and assignments
You must prepare your assignments using a word processor and submit it by uploading to Canvas
by the due date/time. Please always use appropriate three- or four-letter file extensions in
submitted filename (e.g., .docx for Word files, .pdf for Adobe portable document format. Please
avoid submitting zip files). Assignments usually may not be submitted via email to either the
professor or a TA.
Important: All documents that you are submitting should include on the front page of your
submission your name (spelled in the same way as in the course roster), course number/name,
instructor's name, semester and the date of submission. For group work, if applicable, please also
always include on the front page all group member names, your project group number, and your
project short name (or title). Warning: If you do not follow these requirement, your submission
may be returned without a grade and without a possibility to re-submit it.
Note: All students are expected to have completed IRB certification for conducting studies with
human subjects (including financial conflict of interest (FCOI)). If you have not done it as a part of
another class, the deadline for this course is listed on the course schedule.
CLASS PARTICIPATION
Class participation includes active participation in lectures, presentations (Q&A) and in classroom
discussions.
CLASS POLICIES
Due dates and times for handing in homework and project assignments
Unless otherwise indicated, all homework and project assignments must be turned in at the
beginning of class on the due date. You should think of all due dates for assignments, especially
project assignments, as firm. The tight schedule of deliverables throughout the whole semester
makes it nearly impossible to slip or extend due dates. Any assignment that you do not hand in
on time may be penalized in grading. If you are not able to complete an assignment by the due
date, it would be best for you to hand in as much of it as you have done. You must prepare your
assignments using a word processor and submit it by uploading to Canvas by the due
date/time. Please do not submit links to Google Docs. Assignments usually may not be submitted
via email to either the professor or a TA.
Attendance
You will not be graded directly on attendance. You are adults in a graduate-level course and are
expected to attend every class. Beyond the occasional need to be absent from class for a good
reason, please consider that much of the learning for the course occurs in class. You cannot
participate in this learning if you are not present.
If you have to miss class for an extended period due to a protracted illness or similar reason, we
will treat your needs as a special case and I will do everything I can to help you survive.

Computer use in the classroom

You may use your laptops and other computing devices (e.g., tablets, smartphones) in the
classroom. However, their use during class time is restricted to class related activities.
Students who use their devices for non-class related activities will be excused from the class and
will have points deducted for their final grade.

Plagiarism & Academic Honor Code

Plagiarism, as defined in the 1995 Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, is the "use or
close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them
as one's own original work.” (as cited in Plagiarism (2017). Wikipedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism). If you use words or ideas that are not your own you
must cite your sources. Otherwise you will be guilty of plagiarism. Here’s a resource designed to
help you avoid plagiarism: www.lib.utexas.edu/plagiarism

You are encouraged to discuss assignments with classmates, but anything submitted must reflect
your own, original work. If in doubt, ask the instructor. Plagiarism (as described above) and similar
conduct represents a serious violation of UT's Honor Code and standards of conduct:

● http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis_plagiarism.php
● http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/conduct.php
● http://bit.ly/UT_plagiarism_Matt – resource from Dr. Matt Lease (4pgs)

It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as a student to avoid honor code violations. Neither ignorance nor
accidents excuse violations. If in doubt, ask the instructor and/or err on the side of caution by
quoting borrowed text and citing sources of borrowed ideas and text.

Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to severe disciplinary
penalties, such as automatically failing the course and potentially being dismissed from the
University. **PLEASE** do not take the risk. We are REQUIRED to automatically report any
suspected case to central administration for investigation and disciplinary hearings. Honor code
violations ultimately harm yourself as well as other students, and the integrity of the University,
academic honesty is strictly enforced. For more information, see the Student Judicial Services site:
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs.

Notice about students with disabilities

The University of Texas at Austin provides appropriate accommodations for qualified students
with disabilities. To determine if you qualify, please contact the Dean of Students at 512-471-6529
or UT Services for Students with Disabilities. If they certify your needs, we will work with you to
make appropriate arrangements. UT SSD Website: http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd
Coping with stress and personal hardships
The Counseling and Mental Health Center offers a variety of services for students, including both
individual counselling and groups and classes, to provide support and assistance for anyone
coping with difficult issues in their personal lives. As mentioned above, life brings unexpected
surprises to all of us. If you are facing any personal difficulties in coping with challenges facing
you, definitely consider the various services offered and do not be shy to take advantage of them
if they might help. These services exist to be used.
Notice about missed work due to religious holy days
A student who misses an examination, work assignment, or other project due to the observance
of a religious holy day will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a
reasonable time after the absence, provided that he or she has properly notified the instructor. It
is the policy of the University of Texas at Austin that the student must notify the instructor at least
fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates he or she will be absent to observe a
religious holy day. For religious holy days that fall within the first two weeks of the semester, the
notice should be given on the first day of the semester. The student will not be penalized for these
excused absences, but the instructor may appropriately respond if the student fails to complete
satisfactorily the missed assignment or examination within a reasonable time after the excused
absence.
Electronic-mail Notification Policy
In this course e-mail will be used as a means of communication with students. You will be
responsible for checking your e-mail regularly for class work and announcements. If you are an
employee of the University, your e-mail address in Canvas is your employee address.
All email concerning the class should be addressed to the TA with a copy to the instructor. We will
sort out which of us should act on the message and will make every effort to answer your email
in a timely fashion. However, you should not necessarily always expect to get an immediate reply.
In particular, don’t expect to get answers to questions about a homework or project assignment
within the last few hours before that assignment is due.
Please put INF385K-HCI as part of the subject line of your email; that will help us identify your
emails more quickly.
The University has an official e-mail student notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to
keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to
check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related
communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. Read the policy:
http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html. You can find and change your official email
address of record at https://utdirect.utexas.edu/apps/utd/all_my_addresses
 INF385K:  Projects  In  HCI  –  Instructor:  Dr.  Jacek  Gwizdka  
Course  Schedule  (subject  to  change)  –  Spring  2018  
 
Due  -­‐  Project  deliverables…  
#   Date   Topic   Readings  /  Tutorials     In  class  activity   (due  at  the  beginning  of  class,  
(to  read/watch  before  class)  
except  as  indicated)  
1   Jan  17   Introductions   Syllabus   Introductions    

Reading  discussion    
2   Jan  24   HCI  Research  Design   SMK:  4-­‐5   P0.  Project  Teams  
Present  Human  Behavior  (p.I&IV)  

Reading  discussion  
Eye-­‐tracking:   JBAS:1-­‐2,  AB:1-­‐3   Present  eye-­‐tracking  tutorial  
3   Jan  31   P1.  Project  Proposal  
Fundamentals   online  tutorial/video   Eye-­‐tracking  paper    
Discuss  project  proposals  
AB:4-­‐7   Eye-­‐tracking  paper    
Eye-­‐tracking:  study  
4   Feb  7   SMK:  6   Reading  discussion   A1.  Eye-­‐tracking  -­‐  Ads  
design  
online  tutorial/  video   Discuss  project  progress  
Eye-­‐tracking  paper    
Eye-­‐tracking  in  usability,     P2.  Related  work  and  
5   Feb  14   JBAS:3,6-­‐8   Reading  discussion  
web  users   evaluation  plan  
Discuss  A1  
Eye-­‐tracking  paper  (2)  
Eye-­‐tracking:  conducting  
6   Feb  21   AB:8,9   Reading  discussion   A2.  Eye-­‐tracking  -­‐  Web  
a  study  
IX  lab:  eye-­‐tracker  use  
Discuss  methods  
Other  biometric   JBAS:4  
7   Feb  28   Present  biometric  tutorials  (3)   P3.  Research  protocol  
methods   online  tutorial/  video  
Eye-­‐tracking  paper    
Mid-­‐term  project   Eye-­‐tracking  paper    
8   Mar  7     A3:  Facial  expressions  
presentations     Informal  presentations  &  discussions  
Eye-­‐tracking:  Data   Eye-­‐tracking  paper    
9   Mar  21   extraction  and   AB:10-­‐11   Reading  discussion    
preparation  for  analysis   IX  lab:  eye-­‐tracking  software  
Eye-­‐tracking:  Data   Eye-­‐tracking  paper     Project  progress  will  be  
10   Mar  28   AB:12-­‐13  
analysis   Reading  discussion   periodically  checked  
11   Apr  4   Project     Project  work    
12   Apr  11   Project     Project  work    
13   Apr  18   Project       Project  work    
Reading  discussion  
14   Apr  25   Writing  up  research     SMK:  8    
Project  work  
P4.  Project  presentation  
Final  project  
15   May  2       P5.  final  paper  Sun  May  6:  
presentations  
10pm  
*  Dr.  Gwizdka  away  at  an  academic  conference.  
Readings  are  from:  SMK:  MacKenzie  S.I.  (2013)  HCI:  An  Empirical  Research  Perspective.  Morgan  Kaufmann.  
AB:   Bojko,   A.   (2013).   Eye   Tracking   the   User   Experience:   A   Practical   Guide   to   Research.   Rosenfeld   Media.  
JBAS:  Bergstrom,  J.  R.,  &  Schall,  A.  J.  (2014).  Eye  Tracking  in  User  Experience  Design.  Morgan  Kaufmann.    
 Note:  Additional  readings  may  be  assigned  as  needed.    
 INF385K:  Projects  in  Human-­‐Computer  Interaction  
Instructor:  Dr.  Jacek  Gwizdka  
Project  Description  –  Spring  2018  
 
 

TEAM  PROJECT    
The   major   effort   in   this   course   is   the   semester-­‐long   project.   Early   in   the   semester,   students   will   form  
teams   and   define   their   projects   within   thematic   constraints   and   challenges   given   by   the   instructor.  
Teams   will   work   on   their   projects   throughout   the   semester.   Like   with   real   life   projects,   it's   hard   to  
foresee  all  issues  you  may  encounter  in  your  project  work.  Hence,  the  project  deadlines  may  need  to  be  
adjusted   accordingly.   Please   keep   this   in   mind.   The   semester-­‐long   projects   are   expected   to   result   in   a  
novel   evaluation   of   some   aspect   of   user   experience   with   an   existing   software   or   web-­‐based   user  
interface   (or   similar).   The   results   will   be   described   in   the   final   paper.   The   projects   will   be   expected   to  
produce  results  that  are  publishable  in  an  international  conference.  A  publication  co-­‐authored  with  the  
instructor  is  expected  from  PhD  students  taking  this  course;  for  other  students,  it  is  optional.  Students  
who  aim  to  publish  should  have  IRB  certification  and  should  obtain  IRB  approval  for  their  study.    
The   project   focus   may   be,   for   example,   on   evaluation   of   an   existing   software   or   web-­‐based   user  
interface,   on   comparing   two   existing   interfaces,   on   understanding   user   experience   with   an   existing  
system,  on  understanding  user  performance  of  selected  types  of  user  tasks.  Examples  of  past  projects  
are  provided  on  Canvas.    
The  project  will  include  several  phases,  including  identifying  and  understanding  the  problem,  designing  
user   study,   conducting   user   study   with   participants,   analyzing   data,   and,   finally,   presenting   the   results  
and  conclusions.    
0.  Project  Teams  
Students  will  form  project  teams  of  two  to  three  students.  Occasionally,  exceptions  to  the  team  size  can  
be  made.  For  example,  PhD  students  may  work  on  their  projects  individually.      
1.  Project  Proposal  
Your  project  will  be  driven  by  a  problem  or  a  research  question  you  are  proposing  to  address.  Project  
proposal   should   include   a   short   description   of   the   problem   and   the   research   question(s)   you   will   be  
addressing.  Include  motivation.  It  will  be  useful  if  you  provide  brief  support  your  project's  motivation  by  
referring  to  prior  work  (related  literature),  this  part  will  be  extended  in  the  next  project  submission.      
2.  Related  work  and  preliminary  evaluation  plan  
This   phase   will   involve   extending   related   work,   finalizing   research   questions   and   planning   your   lab  
experiment  design.      
Expected  sections  in  your  submission:  Introduction  and  Motivation.  Research  Questions  (both  potentially  
revised   from   P1);   Related   Work;   Method   (initial   elements   of   experimental   design:   stimuli   description,  
tasks,   procedure   (some   elements).   Research   Questions   can   also   come   after   Related   Work   if   it   informs  
them.  You  may  want  to  start  formulating  hypotheses.  
3.  Detailed  research  protocol  
Based  on  feedback  received   on   your   evaluation   plan,  this   phase   will   involve   finalizing   experiment   design  
and   all   needed   materials,   and   submitting   research   protocol   to   Canvas.   PhD   students   (and   other   who  
want  to  publish)  are  expected  to  submit  their  research  protocols  and  consent  forms  to  IRB  for  approval.    
Expected   sections   in   your   submission:   Revision   of   any   previously   submitted   sections,   if   applicable.  
Complete   Method   section   (experimental   design.,   stimuli   description,   tasks,   procedure,   measures  
(independent  and  dependent  variables).    
The  teams  will  conduct  their  user  study  in  the  IX  lab  with  human  subjects.  This  will  be  the  major  part  of  
project  effort.  There  is  no  separate  project  deliverable  from  this  part,  but  we  will  be  checking  progress  
of   team   efforts.   Subsequently,   the   results   will   be   analyzed   and   written   up   for   the   final   presentation   and  
submission.      
4.  Project  presentation  
Each   group   will   present   their   project   during   the   last   class   meeting   and   (optionally)   as   a   part   of   the  
iSchool’s  Open  House.  (see  appendix  for  more  info)  
4.1.  Presentation  guidelines  
Prepare   a   poster   presentation   of   your   project.   Your   poster   will   use   material   from   the   final   project  
report.  Feel  free  to  draw  as  much  of  the  poster  content  as  you  wish  from  the  report  (your  selection  of  
the   most   important   points   and   illustrative   images   will   be   part   of   the   grade).   Your   poster   should   look  
professionally  and  be  prepared  with  presentation  software  (e.g.  PowerPoint).  Use  bullet  points  and  not  
lots  of  narrative  text.  Graphics  and  visual  elements  are  preferred  over  text.  You  will  be  able  to  print  your  
posters  in  the  IT  lab  at  the  iSchool.  More  poster  formatting  and  printing  details  will  be  provided  later.    
5.  Final  paper  
The   purpose   of   the   final   paper   is   to   show   the   students’   capacity   to   communicate   their   work   in   a  
professional  way.  It  must  be  scholarly  structured  using  sections  such  as  Abstract,  Introduction,  Related  
Work,   Method,   Results,   Discussion   and   Conclusions.   The   report   must   have   a   coherent   story   and  
convincing  argumentation  that  explains:  
1.   What  is  the  problem  that  the  project  addresses?  (Introduction)  
2.   Why  is  it  important?  (Motivation)  
3.   What  have  other  people  done  in  this  area?  (Related  Work  /  Background)  
4.   What  are  your  research  questions  (RQs)  or  hypotheses?    
5.   What  is  your  approach  and  method?  (Procedure,  Participants,  Data  collection  method(s))  
6.   How  have  you  analyzed  the  data?  (include  if  justified  to  have  a  separate  Data  analysis  section)    
7.   What  are  the  findings?  (Results)  
8.   What  have  you  learned?  How  do  your  findings  relate  to  RQs?    (Discussion)  
9.   What  are  the  major  contributions  and  limitations  of  your  project  (Conclusions)  
The  sections  may  differ  between  the  projects.    
It  is  expected  that  the  final  paper  will  be  publishable  at  a  major  international  conference  (such  as  ACM  
CHI,  JCDL,  ASIST,  UIST,  IUI,  ETRA,  ICMI,  or  ASSETS).  As  such,  the  reports  must  follow  the  specifications  
set  by  the  particular  conference,  including  using  the  appropriate  format.  The  final  paper  should  be  8  to  
10   pages   long   in   the   two-­‐column   ACM   conference   paper   format   (use   the   ACM   Proceedings   template:  
http://www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-­‐template).   The   paper   needs   to   have   an   appropriate  
number  of  references  (usually  10-­‐30).    
In   addition   to   submitting   the   final   paper,   please   submit   a   separate   document   with   appendices.   The  
appendices  should  contain  selected  elements  from  earlier  submissions.  Include  also  several  larger  size  
images  from  your  evaluation  of  the  prototypes  that  do  not  fit  into  a  two-­‐column  paper.    
 
Appendix  –  Optional  Participation  in  the  iSchool's  Open  House  Project  Presentations    

The  iSchool’s  Open  House  (May  4,  2018,  1-­‐4pm)  is  an  optional  opportunity  to  present,  
showcase,  and  demo  student  projects,  including  projects  from  this  course,  to  hundreds  of  
visitors  and  employers  who  visit  the  school  for  the  event.  Students  interested  in  presenting  
projects  will  need  to  submit  a  brief  1-­‐2  paragraph  proposal  by  March  30,  2018  (look  out  for  the  
deadline  and  upload  link  via  announcement  emails  or  contact  Beth  Hallmark  
at  [email protected]).  
   
• Proposals  should  cover  the  following  elements:  1)  A  clearly  stated  objective  and  an  overall  
description  of  the  work  to  be  performed  or  demonstrated;  2)  The  deliverables,  outcomes  or  the  
expected  culminating  products  and  the  methods  you  will  employ  to  achieve  these  outcomes;  
and  3)  An  explanation  of  how  the  project  fits  into  your  education  (learning  objectives)  and  
professional  goals.  
   
• Proposals  are  subject  to  review  by  the  Open  House  Committee  to  ensure  a  professional  
presentation  that  represents  the  iSchool  well.  NOTE:  You  will  have  an  opportunity  to  withdraw  
your  proposal  by  April  13  if  you  don’t  think  the  project  will  be  ready  in  time.  
   
• Student  projects  can  be  displayed  at  the  Open  House  in  a  wide  variety  of  formats  (iPads,  
laptops,  screens,  physical  objects,  art  –  posters  are  NOT  required).  A  number  of  electrical  
outlets  will  be  available  and  students  will  request  all  technical  needs  when  they  submit  project  
proposals  (by  March  30).  Remember  to  talk  with  the  IT  Lab  about  borrowing  equipment  early  
on  and  reserve  any  equipment  needed  in  advance.  
   
• Think  big!  Students  have  acquired  internship  and  job  offers  via  the  work  they  have  
showcased  at  Open  House.  At  a  minimum,  it’s  a  powerful  networking  opportunity.  

 
 Assignment 1 - Use eye tracking data to determine ad effectiveness.

Your task: Compare two different print advertisements that you choose. Based on eye tracking data
analysis (e.g. heatmaps and areas of Interest), determine which of the two advertisements is more
effective. You choose the print ads you want to compare. You can compare two different ads for all
respondents or between two population target segments like young, old, male or female.

State a hypothesis. For example, “The Chamonix ad is more effective than the Fuji ad for the Old
Segment.” Then, provide evidence to support your hypothesis using analysis based on the eye tracking
data. Use visuals like pictures of heatmaps and areas of interest. Ad effectiveness can be defined here as
attention attraction by the most important AOI's. You can select most important AOI's based on your
intuition. Some example AOI's are listed on the next page.

Some questions you should consider answering to support your hypothesis include:
●   Which image elements attract immediate attention?
●   Which elements attract above-average attention?
●   Which elements are being ignored or overlooked?
●   Which order are the elements noticed?
●   How does one ad compares to another?

Study data: The study to use is “Print Advertisements - Trawell” on the iMotions platform.

Modules: This assignment should be done after reviewing the “Eye Tracking Tutorial” in the "  iMotions -
Introduction to Eye Tracking” course.

Notes
Once you are in the study and on the “Heatmap” tab, use the “Stimuli” menu to select two different print
ads. You can compare two stimuli side by side by clicking on “Compare 2 Stimuli” text at the bottom of
the “Stimuli” menu. Use the “Segments” menu to choose a target segment. To begin your analysis,
answer these questions about the two advertisements you’ve chosen:

1.   In what aspects does the allocation of visual attention differ between the two ads?
2.   Do different segments of customers look at these advertisements differently?

Heatmaps are a method of visualizing eye tracking data. When you just look at the two heatmaps and
compare the locations of "hot" and "cold" areas, that is a qualitative analysis - it is not sufficient for
hypothesis testing. The comparison of heatmaps provides qualitative insights and you should include
these in your analysis in the assignment.

To compare the advertisements quantitatively, you’ll use areas of interest. Choose the “Areas of
Interest” tab on the Study Page of iMotions. Use the “Add AOI” button to create areas of interest. You
can move the AOI and it’s corners using your mouse. You can create new points for the AOI using <alt-
click>. You can see the data for the AOI as well as rename it in the table below the stimuli.
Some relevant AOI’s would be logo, website name, headline, slogan, text, human figures and faces. Use
the following metrics to compare your ads.
1.   Time to First Fixation (TTFF). The average time it took respondents to look at the area for the
first time, counting only respondents who actually looked at it.
2.   Time spent. The average time spent looking at the area, counting only respondents that actually
looked at it.
3.   Visit ratio. The ratio of respondents that looked at the area at least once.
4.   Revisit ratio. The ratio of respondents that looked at the area more than once, counting only
those that looked at it for 100ms or more at least once.

Use these questions to drive your argumentation:

●   Which ad is more effective among your chosen target group and with regards to your objective?
Why?
●   Which ad should be published online or in a magazine? Why?

Submission.
Submit a two to four pages with description of your findings to Canvas.

Note: this assignment is based on original assignment created by iMotions for their Learn platform.
 Assignment 2 - Use facial expression data analysis to determine
reactions to funny video commercials.

Assignment.
There are 3 funny commercials in this assignment. Each one was watched by an equal
number of men and women. Their facial movements were coded into emotional responses
using Emotient’s algorithm (FACET).

Watch all 3 ads. Compare the facial expression data between men and women in all three.
Find a scene in each ads where there appears to be a difference between men and
women’s emotional response to the ads. What are the differences? Why do you think these
differences are shown in the data? Try to explain why you draw these conclusions.

State a hypothesis for one of the three ads you watched. For example, “The scene in the
VW ad with the woman at the desk with lots of paper is more favorably received by women
than men.” Then, provide evidence to support your hypothesis using analysis based on the
facial expression data. Use visuals like pictures of signal graphs and/or tables from the raw
data.

Study.
The study to use is “Facial Expression Assignment ” in the iMotions platform.

Modules
This assignment should be done after reviewing the “Facial Expressions Tutorial” in the
iMotions “Introduction to Biometrics Methods” course.

Notes
Once you are in the study, choose the “Signals” tab. U se the “Stimuli” menu to select
different ads. Use the “Segments” menu to compare both the Male and Female segments.

Submission.
Submit a two-three pages with description of your findings to Canvas.

Note: this assignment is based on original assignment created by iMotions for their Learn
platform.