I'm a native of Atlanta, Georgia.  After graduating from Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy as the high school valedictorian, one of my best friends and I attended Southern Adventist University for our freshman year of college, where we were roommates.  There, I majored in biblical archaeology with a minor in biblical languages.  The following year I returned to Georgia as a sophomore to attend Emory University.  As an art history major the history and material cultures of ancient Nubia and Egypt, Greece and Rome, and the Near East were my primary areas of interest.  I graduated during the Great Recession, and finding a job was difficult, so I started my own business and spent several years as a freelance seamstress and costumer, providing garments for individuals, private companies, theater houses, and non-profit organizations.  I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in human-computer interaction through the school of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech. 

I'll graduate in May of 2021.

cbutts3@gatech.edu

CLIENT : Georgia Aquarium 

MY ROLE : HCI Research HCI Design Project Lead 

SUMMARY : I lead my team's research and designs for the upcoming shark galley

Through the addition of a shark gallery, the Georgia Aquarium seeks to maintain public interest by promoting education and conservation efforts. Guest interactions are paramount on site and emerging technologies have proved useful tools since the Aquarium's inception. The desire for a gallery immersed in new technologies must be weighed against the limitations of cost, shark health and comfort, customer engagement, and time constraints.

Our team began working with the Aquarium well into the construction phase of the gallery. Furthermore, the mission statement and design desires were formulated before we could begin research. Turning the public's view of sharks from "Fear to Fascination" and their motivations from  "Conservation to Celebration" is the purpose for the gallery's construction. Within this project novel technologies should be present, with a particular interest in AR.

1. Change the public's view of sharks from "Fear to Fascination."

2. Promote "Conservation" and "Celebration" among guests.

3. Propose designs which entertain and educate.

4. Use emerging technologies when applicable.

5. Technology must not disrupt sharks' health or well-being.

6. Guest interaction is high priority.

My favorite methods used for this project were field studies, observations in particular, and photo elicitations. Viewing guests as they interacted with each other and explored the Aquarium was a wonderful way to document their experiences without disrupting the visit. Photo and drawing elicitations allowed for research outside of the confines of the Aquarium - by engaging the general public, a better idea of how the average person views sharks was revealed.

Research methods were key in discovering core customer and client needs.

1. Promote entertainment, education, and relaxation.

2. Provide modes of interaction for multiple age groups, abilities, and interest levels.

3. Produce unique experiences which are viable in crowded and uncrowded spaces.

1. Educate guests and promote marine conservation.

2. Ensure shark health and safety.

3. Expand the Aquarium's entertainment modalities without overspending, and increase yearly  visitation numbers. 

Though AR solutions were preferred by the client, I advocated for more conventional methods too, which would encourage the participation of guests of various physical abilities, ages, and financial means. Based on the research conducted, I believe that accessibility to the widest audience would promote overall interest in the shark gallery.

One of my designs included an AR book design.  Inspired by the novel 'Jaws,' guests would initially experience an over-sized version of this book as a gallery installation, and could use personal devices to access the AR features.  The experience could continue at home with the purchase of an AR book from one of the Aquarium's gift shops. 

The Aquarium's preferred AR design is centered on Magic Leap technology, which would allow the Aquarium to create interactions unique to the site and gallery.  Guests would also have more freedom to explore as they would not be limited to the capabilities of personal devices or the location of an installation.

The more conventional designs are variations on current technologies and mediums used by the Georgia Aquarium.  I conceptualized, Digital Dive Cards, which would take static information sheets and enhance them through the use of tablets.  Guests could customize their experience and interactions through the gallery for a personalized experience.  Ideas from this design made there way into the Magic Leap proposal, particularly the personalization via a shark persona.

1. Every Aquarium experience appeals to the individual and the group.  Both lone and interpersonal interactions require careful consideration for a holistic approach.

2. All employees are valuable resources of information; floor staff and volunteers, in particular, are wonderful as a second set of eyes for observations.

CLIENT : Georgia Institute of Technology

MY ROLE : HCI Research & HCI Design 

SUMMARY : l worked with my team to create a hiring solution for graduate students, particularly taking the lead on key research deliverables.

Higher education tuition is a large expense, and the number of scholarships and grants offered to undergrads are frequently unavailable to graduate students.  On Georgia Tech's campus many upper level students hope to secure a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) or a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA), either of which would greatly reduce the cost of attendance.  However, discovering and applying for these positions is frequently mystifying and frustrating for students.

The goal for our team was to create a method by which students could easily discover vacant GTA or GRA positions, learn about the job's requirements, and apply to the appropriate contact.

1. Create a centralized source for GRA and GTA positions.

2. Allow for easy dissemination of information from the information source to students.

3. Permit students to present resumes and portfolios to hiring staff in a simple and relaxed manner.

4. Provide avenues for students to gain the skills required for lab and classroom work.

5. Entice professors and administrators (secondary users) to participate by posting and keeping job requests up-to-date.

6. Provide access to additional resources, such as professor led initiatives and lectures.

User interviews and design feedback were particularly useful for this project.  The primary user base of students was particularly eager to provide feedback as this resource is greatly desired on campus.  Through interviews pain points unique to each school and to international students were uncovered.  Design feedback was completed through poster sessions and several evaluation sessions.  The poster sessions were great for quick reactions from students and professors alike, and heuristic evaluations aided in pinpointing areas of design strength and weakness.

1. Provide a centralized platform for discovering and applying to GRA and GTA positions.

2. Keep users updated on position status and requirements.

3. Present an easy-to-use and well-planned platform to eliminate confusion and frustration.

1. Limit the number of and filter applicants based on skills and knowledge base.

2. Provide a platform which is simple to engage and update.

3. Motivation to participate in an enthusiastic and timely manner.

The designs for Waggle presented here focus on the student end of the platform.  Due to time constraints, the team opted to focus on the primary and most enthusiastic user base, and hoped to gauge through feedback sessions the level of interest from administrators and professors.

Designs include both physical and digital proposals.  The physical proposals were the most unique, but would require multiple levels of both physical and digital engagement to be realized. 

The team determined that an app would be the ideal solution as it would best meet the problem space - allowing for a familiar and streamlined approach.  Based on the designs produced, both users and experts provided high ratings and generally positive feedback.  However, moving forward engagement from faculty and staff may be difficult, and our current platform may require a major redesign to enlist steady participation from this sector.

1.  Finding a happy medium where users and stakeholders share the same goals is often challenging and may require radical design shifts.

2. Yet, radical designs don't always translate well to practical applications.

HYPOTHETICAL CLIENT : A Museum of art and/or science 

MY ROLE : HCI Conception and Design 

SUMMARY : My project partner and I designed an exhibit for a public Museum

The pairing of sound and movement are realities of life, especially within the realm of dance.  How can the museum celebrate the combined history of sound and movement while providing a fun and educational experience for guests of all ages and abilities? 

1.  Allow users to compose music in real time through movement.

2.  Encourage guests to learn about and develop body awareness for specific dance styles. 

3.  Produce an auditory and visual user interface which is easily accessible.

As this was a small, speculative project, a greater array of research methods were not utilized.  However, we were able use white papers and existing projects for guidance.  Several projects fro Experiments with Google were instrumental as both competitive resources and source codes.  User feedback was limited, but successful through two working prototypes. 

1. Promote entertainment and education.

2. Provide modes of interaction for multiple age groups, abilities, and interest levels.

3. Produce a unique experience which can accommodate various crowd sizes.

Two interfaces were created for this project.  Prototype 1 is our attempt to realize sketches and brainstorming ideas.  Neither team member is a proficient coder, but after much trial and error a motion response auditory interface was created which is part active prototype and part Wizard of Oz. 

The second prototype is a more fully realized version of our sketches.  Most points on the interactive process are demonstrated, and Body Synth, a Google AI Experiment, was used a the technical backdrop.

This single page interface recognizes areas on the human body via pinpoints.  These points are tracked in the webcam and in the image below.  In response to movement and the number of points detected, we wanted to generate sounds or music, but our abilities placed a limit on our plans.  We were unable to include responsive music within the script. To simulate the scenario of changing the beats and music by performing different dance moves, we edited the music and Wizard of Oz-ed the experience.

Rather than integrate Prototype 1, we used Body Synth to capture the users and provide some of the auditory responses.  We decided to use this experiment for a few reasons: 1) it was instrumental in aiding our efforts to build a system; 2) it is much closer to our exhibit vision than our site; and 3) lag makes interacting with our site within Prototype 2 difficult and we wanted to provide a working prototype.

1.  Unfamiliarity with the machines used to create the project made prototyping the proposed design extremely difficult.  

2.  The process of implementing the design on different platforms was cumbersome  and frustrating, however, I gained experience in using different tools and discovered several useful tools and websites for future use.