Spring 2024

CMPE 58K

Engineering Interactive Systems

An interdisciplinary exploration into the design, development, and evaluation of interactive software and hardware systems

Spring 2024 Boğaziçi University 13 Weeks
Course Management System

Assignment submissions and materials available on Boğaziçi University Moodle

Access Moodle

Instructor

Doğa Doğan, PhD

Email: doga@mit.edu

Doğa Doğan

Course Objectives

This course equips students with practical skills and conceptual insights in technical Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) through hands-on learning with cutting-edge technologies, such as augmented reality (AR), ubiquitous computing, and digital fabrication.

Assessment

40%
Labs & Assignments
40%
Final Project
20%
Participation & Engagement

Weekly Course Schedule

Detailed weekly breakdown of topics, activities, assignments, and guest lectures

Week 1: Introduction to the Course
Topics Covered
  • Overview of technical Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
  • Introduction to interactive systems in today's technology landscape
  • Setting up Unity development environment
  • Course structure and expectations
Week 2: Design Principles, Usability, Affordance
Topics Covered
  • Principles of interaction design and user-centered design methodologies
  • Understanding usability and affordance in interface design
  • Hands-on exercises on design thinking
  • Conceptualizing interactive systems
Assignment
Designing a timetable for public transit

Apply principles of usability and affordance to design a user-friendly timetable interface for public transportation systems.

Week 3: Augmented Reality
Topics Covered
  • Concepts and applications of Augmented Reality
  • Overview of mixed reality (AR/VR) technologies
  • Building mobile AR applications with Unity
  • Plane detection and anchoring virtual objects
Assignment
Unity Mobile AR Assignment

Build a mobile AR application using Unity and AR Foundation, featuring plane detection, anchoring, and image tracking capabilities.

Assignment Requirements
Prerequisites
Unity Essentials: Complete the Unity tutorial if you're not familiar with Unity
Watch Tutorial (46 min)
Main Tasks

Unity Mobile AR Development using AR Foundation

1. Plane Detection & Anchoring Virtual Objects

Implement plane detection in AR scene and anchor virtual objects to detected planes.

Tutorial (7 min)
2. Image Tracking & Augmenting Images

Track specific images and overlay digital content on them.

Single Image (10 min) Multiple Images (24 min)
3. Augmented Faces (Snapchat-like Filters)

Create face filters similar to Snapchat using AR face tracking.

Google AR Documentation
Deliverables
  • Implement all three features (1, 2, 3)
  • Demo video showing each feature (minimum 1.5 minutes total)
  • APK or IPA file for testing
  • Upload to Google Drive, YouTube (unlisted), or Dropbox and share links
Due: Sunday, March 10, 2024, 9:00 PM
Required Readings
  • OmniTouch: Wearable Multitouch Interaction Everywhere (Harrison et al., UIST 2011)
  • LightAnchors: Appropriating Point Lights for Spatially-Anchored AR Interfaces (Ahuja et al., UIST 2017)
  • InfraredTags: Embedding Invisible AR Markers and Barcodes (Dogan et al., CHI 2022)
Week 4: Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp)
Topics Covered
  • Vision and principles of Ubiquitous Computing
  • How to integrate digital information into the physical world
  • Context-aware mobile applications using NFC tags
  • Real-world sensing and interaction scenarios
Required Readings
  • The Computer for the 21st Century (Weiser, 1991)
  • Wall++: Room-Scale Interactive and Context-Aware Sensing (Zhang et al., CHI 2018)
  • IllumiPaper: Illuminated Interactive Paper (Klamka et al., CHI 2017)
Week 5: Paper Presentations & Arduino
Topics Covered
  • Introduction to Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs)
  • Interactive surfaces and physical computing
  • Using Arduino with various sensors and actuators
  • Creating tangible interactions
Assignment
Paper Discussion: AR, UbiComp, and Tangible Computing

Critical analysis and discussion of research papers from previous weeks covering augmented reality, ubiquitous computing, and tangible computing topics.

Required Readings
  • Tangible Bits: Towards Seamless Interfaces between People, Bits and Atoms (Ishii et al., CHI 1997)
  • Sensetable: A Wireless Object Tracking Platform for Tangible User Interfaces (Patten et al., CHI 2001)
  • inFORM: Dynamic Physical Affordances and Constraints through Shape and Object Actuation (Follmer et al., UIST 2013)
Week 6: Team Formation, Personal Fabrication (3D Printing), Motors
Topics Covered
  • Team formation for final projects
  • Introduction to personal fabrication and 3D printing
  • Working with motors and actuators
  • Digital fabrication techniques and applications
Assignment
3D Printing a Personal Keychain

Design and 3D print a personal keychain with multiple colors or embedded NFC tag. Deliverables include CAD file, G-code, and final print.

Assignment Requirements
Choose One Option
Option 1: Multi-Color Keychain

Print a multi-color keychain using 3 or more filament colors

Option 2: NFC-Embedded Keychain

Print a keychain with an embedded NFC tag using one of these methods:

  • Print multiple parts and glue them together with the NFC tag inside
  • Pause the print halfway through to place the tag, then continue printing
Required Deliverables
Upload to Google Drive or Dropbox
  • CAD file (Solidworks, Fusion 360, or TinkerCAD project link)
  • Final 3D mesh (.OBJ or .STL file)
  • G-code file (printer instructions)
  • Photo of the final print
  • For NFC objects: Video of reading the tag with your phone
Important: You need to bring the physical print to the lecture after the assignment deadline!
Due: Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 11:55 PM
Required Readings
  • Sensing Techniques for Mobile Interaction (Hinckley, UIST 2000)
  • Touché: Enhancing Touch Interaction on Humans, Screens, Liquids, and Everyday Objects (Poupyrev et al., CHI 2012)
  • ViBand: High-Fidelity Bio-Acoustic Sensing Using Commodity Smartwatch Accelerometers (Laput et al., UIST 2016)
Week 7: Arduino Communication, Sensing, and Visualization with Processing.org
Topics Covered
  • Arduino communication protocols and data exchange
  • Sensor data collection and processing
  • Data visualization using Processing.org
  • Real-time sensor data visualization techniques
Assignment
Project Abstract and/or Introduction, Planning Schedule

Submit initial project proposal with abstract, team formation, and development timeline.

Week 8: Spring Break
Spring Break

No classes scheduled. Time for project development, reflection, and preparation for the second half of the semester.

Week 9: Evaluation Methods in HCI
Topics Covered
  • HCI evaluation methodologies and user testing approaches
  • Research methods and techniques for evaluating interactive systems
  • Case studies and examples of HCI evaluation in practice
Guest Lecture
Parastoo Abtahi (Princeton)

"From Haptic Illusions to Beyond Real Interactions in Virtual Reality"

Assignment
Final Project Milestone

Submit a progress report and demonstrate key milestones of the project.

Week 10: Creating Rotoscopes & Digital Fabrication
Topics Covered
  • Rotoscoping for project documentation and visualization
  • Advanced digital fabrication techniques (multi-material printing, laser cutting, etc.)
Guest Lecture
Zjenja Doubrovski (TU Delft)

"Designing with the 3D Printing Process"

Week 11: Final Project Demos
Topics Covered
  • Project demonstrations and peer feedback sessions
  • Experiences and insights from student projects
  • Opportunities for collaboration and networking
Guest Lecture
Ken Nakagaki (University of Chicago)

"Actuated Experience: Interactive 'Actuated' Interfaces that Actuate People"

Week 12: Final Project Check-In
Topics Covered
  • Final project refinement and paper draft preparation
  • Review and feedback on project progress
  • Guidance on project paper/report preparation
Guests
Rong-Hao Liang & David Kim

Eindhoven University of Technology

Assignment
Project paper/report draft

Submit a 5-page research paper draft based on ACM CHI template, featuring at least 3 figures including a rotoscope.

Paper Draft Requirements
Template & Format
ACM CHI Overleaf Template

Use the official 2-column ACM SIG Proceedings template

Access Template on Overleaf
Content Requirements
  • 5 pages (excluding references)
  • At least 3 figures that you prepared
  • Bonus points: Include a rotoscope figure (traced from photograph as learned in class)
  • 2-column format as per ACM template
Submission Requirements
Upload to Google Drive or Dropbox and share the PDF link
  • PDF file of your paper draft
  • Overleaf URL specified in the text field
  • Shareable link from Google Drive or Dropbox
Note: Upload must be completed before the Monday lecture
Due: Monday, May 6, 2024, 2:00 PM
Week 13: Final Project Presentations
Topics Covered
  • Final project presentations, critique, and discussion on research publication pathways
  • Opportunities for feedback and networking
  • Guidance on research publication and presentation techniques
Guest Lecture
Michael Wessely (Aarhus University)

"Reprogrammable Materials"

Assignments
Final Project Report

Submit comprehensive final project documentation and analysis.

Final Project Video

Create and submit a video presentation of your project.

Student Final Projects

Students worked in teams to design and prototype innovative interactive systems, culminating in research-quality projects suitable for publication at top HCI conferences.

Smart Speckle Sensor

An sensing system utilizing speckle patterns for advanced interaction detection and measurement for robotic arms.

Team: Yakup Ensar Evli, Mahir Demir, Ertuğrul Keskin

Spatial and Immersive CAD+Slicer

A spatial computing approach to 3D modeling and slicing, bringing CAD tools into immersive environments, using Meta Quest 3.

Team: Oğuz Arslan, Artun Akdoğan

XR Robot Interface

Extended reality interface for intuitive robot control and programming to bridge physical and digital interactions, using Meta Quest 3 and Universal Robot 10.

Team: Emre Batuhan Göç, Batuhan İlhan, Berk Işık

XR-Objects Experience on XR Headset

Novel interaction paradigms for manipulating virtual objects in extended reality environments (see Augmented Object Intelligence with XR-Objects, UIST'24), adapted for Meta Quest 3.

Team: Emre Abdulkadiroğlu, Bora Binici, Salih Can Aydoğdu

Spatial Audio for Visual Impairments

Accessibility-focused project developing spatial audio interfaces to assist individuals with visual impairments in navigation and interaction.

Team: Berk Turgut, Dolunay Solmaz

Distinguished Guest Lecturers

World-renowned experts from leading research institutions sharing cutting-edge insights

Apr 15
Parastoo Abtahi
Parastoo Abtahi
Princeton University

From Haptic Illusions to Beyond Real Interactions in Virtual Reality

Exploring how understanding human perception can design VR interactions that overcome hardware limitations and extend our abilities beyond reality.

Apr 22
Zjenja Doubrovski
Zjenja Doubrovski
TU Delft, Netherlands

Designing with the 3D Printing Process

Including the printing process in design to leverage microstructures that emerge during printing for novel mechanical and visual properties.

Apr 29
Ken Nakagaki
Ken Nakagaki
University of Chicago

Actuated Experience: Interactive 'Actuated' Interfaces that Actuate People

Exploration of tangible and embodied interactions with computers, materials, and environments through dynamic interfaces.

May 6
Rong-Hao Liang
Rong-Hao Liang
Eindhoven University of Technology

Designing Unconventional Wearable Interfaces for HCI

Beyond watches and glasses: functional modules like batteryless touchpads, 3D-printed fabric keypads, and interactive clothing.

May 6
David Kim
David Kim
Google, Zurich

Input and Interfaces for Emerging Platforms: A Personal Journey in VR and AR

Research and development of input technologies for interactive surfaces, VR, and AR, with insights from industry experience.

May 13
Michael Wessely
Michael Wessely
Aarhus University, Denmark

Reprogrammable Materials

Exploring the future of materials that can be dynamically reconfigured and reprogrammed for various applications.