Project Description

Overview

• Proposals due: Mar 1 2pm
• Project update presentations in class: Mar 15, 17
• Final presentations: Apr 21 1-4pm

Programming: For a programming project, you will implement a visualization system of your own. You may use existing components as the base for your system.

Meet with me in person to discuss your project at least once before submitting a proposal!

You're submitting a proposal, not a specification - it's natural that your plans will change somewhat as you refine your ideas. But your proposal should be based on an idea that we've discussed and I've approved. When you come talk to me about your proposal, I'll give you some pointers to background reading in the area of your interest.

I advise that you start by thinking about what you want your software to do, and only then think about how you would implement it (languages, platforms, etc). The key is to find some domain and task that both interests you and presents an opportunity for infovis. That is, there is some task where a human needs to understand the structure of a large dataset. You're definitely welcome to link the infovis project to another class or research project. You may also build on existing software, but your project should include some implementation work of your own.

I do not advise that you start by deciding on a language, and then look around for some task that you might be able to do in that language - that's backwards, and is likely to stifle your creativity

Proposal format: your writeup should be at least two pages and include:

• names and email addresses of all people on this project team

• a description of the domain, task, and dataset that you're targeting.

• personal expertise. If you have expertise in that area, briefly describe it: anywhere from "this ties in with a project I'm doing for another course, I've just started doing reading in the area" to "I've been working on this for a year through an RAship" to "I've just been somewhat interested in this area for years, so I read about it occasionally". Or, of course, to "I don't know the area at all, but this seems like an interesting problem."

• your proposed infovis solution. You should propose an infovis solution, and of course relate it to your domain task and dataset. Abstraction is critical here!

• a scenario of use. Reminder from HCI background reading hcibib.org/tcuid/chap-2.html

  A scenario spells out what a user would have to do and what he or she would see step-by-step in performing a task using a given system. The key distinction between a scenario and a task is that a scenario is design-specific, in that it shows how a task would be performed if you adopt a particular design, while the task itself is design-independent: it's something the user wants to do regardless of what design is chosen.

• illustrations of what the interface will look like must be included in scenario. Hand-drawn sketches scanned in or mockups made with a drawing program are fine.

• your proposed implementation approach. You don't need lots of detail, just high-level things like which language and platform(s) you will use, and whether you will build on any pre-existing software or toolkits.

• milestones. Include a list of project milestones, breaking down the work into a series of smaller chunks.

One proposal per project (whether it is individual or team) is due on March 1 by 2pm. Your proposal should be in the form of a web page, with both text and images. Send me the URL for the page to hand in the proposal.

Final Presentations/Reports

You will present the results of your project with both a presentation and a written report. The presentation will occur during the final exam slot for this course, and the report is also due at that time. The reports should be the equivalent of about 8-10 pages of text (programming) or 15-20 pages (analysis), and should include screen snapshots of your running software. You can use as much space as you need for images, that's not included in the length restriction. Showing live demos of your software in action is encouraged in the final presentation. If you are giving a demo, be sure to practice in advance so that you don't run over your time slot! Also remember that the audience has seen your project update, so you don't need to repeat all of that. Focus more on your results.

In contrast, your final report should be a standalone document that fully describes your project. Do not assume the reader has seen your original proposal.

• Description of problem: task, data
• Related work
• Description of solution: infovis techniques
• Scenarios of use
• High-level implementation
• Screenshots of your software in action
• Results
• Lessons learned
• Evaluation
  • (I don't mean a formal user study)
  • was your project successful?
  • strengths and weaknesses
• Bibliography