Digital Commons Network^™

The International Market: Designing An E-Commerce Experience To Promote Different Cultures, Marina Minnikova

Theses

Learning different cultures and promoting international trade can be implemented through web design and marketing. Most e-commerce websites implement design and marketing strategies in an efficient way, however none of them implement the idea of exploring international cultures through purchasing experiences.

This thesis project implements a complex brand identity and determines how to effectively create an e-commerce website employing the ideas of shopping as an online trip (“out shopping”), providing several categories of products for particular user segments. A significant part of the project focuses on determining which graphic elements are applicable for a specific design situation.

Learning Beyond The Classroom: Photography As A Major Design Element In Graphic Design Layouts For Print And Web, John E. Dyer

Theses

Learning Beyond the Classroom: Photography as a major design element in Graphic Design Layouts for print and web, is a thesis which explores alternative methods for learning and the teaching of the design process through the use of shared experiences and expert testimony.

The final thesis will provide a resource for designers and students to be able to discuss the effective and ineffective application of design principles and provide some basic lessons in the use of photography in graphic design.

Elements of design that are to be discussed include, but are not limited to: typography, hierarchy, color, scale and placement. …

Sharing Ideas At Work: Workstation And Empathic Design, Yolegmma Marquez

Theses

In anywhere people want to promote interaction and cooperation, the furniture system "Common" provides a versatile alternative to improve the collaboration between team members. By using empathy as inspiration, this system promotes communication, adaptability, expansion and connectivity among people in office workspaces. The main theoretical premise behind this product is empathic design whose user-centered approach attends the user's feelings toward a product.

The result of this research was applied to development of an Office Desk, main product of the furniture system called Common. The Desk is a versatile structural solution that allows attaching accessories in an elegant and easy way. …

Living Dragons: Illustrating Vfx Character Creation Techniques, Karen Vandivert

Theses

Living Dragons is a 3D character design Master’s thesis project in which four visual special effects technologies (puppetry, stop motion, CGI, and motion capture) are represented with four different characters intended to represent the archetypes of those technologies. The goal is to foster curiosity in these topics and encourage its audience to explore their new interests further. The project itself is meant to be casual and fun, an inviting place to begin learning about a new topic. This project is also meant to explore how character design can be used to convey how technology works, and to utilize that design …

Crystalline, Nicholas Buonarota, John Dunham, Alexander Herdzik, Matthew Mundell

Theses

Crystalline is a fast action arena shooter with a focus on gunplay. The core objective of this project was to create a fun multiplayer First Person Shooter. To achieve this goal as a team we had to best leverage the tools and technology available to us. As First Person Shooter games typically have teams far larger than our own, we had to work hard and smart on Crystalline. Unreal Engine 4 was used in lieu of Unity or an in-house engine, saving hours of development time and allowing us to focus on gameplay and assets more. Thanks to Unreal Engine …

Digital Museum Consortia: A Prototype For Interconnected And Accessible Database Design, Ben Heller

Theses

The evolution of the internet and devices allowing access to it indicate that users trend toward networking and interconnectivity in their daily lives. Museums have started to tread into this territory—that is, crafting, managing, and maintaining an effective internet presence and ancillary content tools—on their own. However, many museums still rely upon the earliest types of education and interpretation tools, such as audio tours and recordings that address content from one collection. Moving beyond a single institution’s holdings, a shared database of museum content including photos of artifacts and objects, historic documents, and videos would allow users to examine pieces …

Curating Deaf Spaces In Rochester: A Historical Self-Guided Mobile Application Tour, Allison Thompson

Theses

Rochester is widely considered by many to be one if, if not the most, Deaf-friendly city in the nation due to having the one of the largest Deaf populations per capita in the country.1 The research question focused on whether sufficient material could be assembled to provide a self-guided historical tour application (still in the planning stages) that will feature locations related to Rochester’s deaf community. The content that I curated was chosen based on the historical significance and accessibility of locations to visitors. The tour demonstrates how and why Rochester has achieved its reputation as the location of such …

Time Out: Influence Of User Experience Design On Behavior To Reduce Smartphone Use, Tejal Sampat

Theses

We are more connected than we used to be but people are becoming disengaged from the real world. Are smartphones a blessing or a bane? That depends on how we use it. Being hooked to a smartphone while interacting with family or friends is a definite no-no.

To address the issue of being neglected in social situations, timeOut allows neglected users to send anonymous timeouts to obsessive smartphone users who are preoccupied with their smartphones and are in close proximity to neglected users. The timeOut app allows neglected users to express their feelings without upsetting or embarrassing anyone. The application …

X10 Comics: Reimagining The Sequential Narrative, Sten E. Mckinzie

Theses

At its core a comic book is a narrative told using a sequence of images or a sequential art narrative. There are a number of conventions, established early in the history of comics, which make the comic panel format a powerful tool for visual communication.

My thesis project examines these conventions and attempt to distinguish which ones are results of the unique nature of sequential art and which began as a byproduct of technological limitations. By doing so my goal is to take advantage of current technology by creating a new comic book format that integrates digital media while celebrating …

The Connex: A New User-Interface Design For The Contacts Of A Mobile Phone, Chelsea Lessnick

Theses

Many social media websites including MySpace, AniRoleplay, and Tumblr

give users the opportunity to express their personality by customizing the

profile. The contact list of an Apple iPhone currently does not allow users

to customize features. This project created a new user-interface design for

the contact list of an Apple iPhone which draws inspiration from the

Pokédex used in the popular Pokémon franchise. By rebranding this

fictional device so the core functionality translates into the real world in a

practical and original way, users can bring their personality and creative

expression to other devices outside the internet.

Many key components …

Repurposing Vacant Lots For Stormwater Runoff Mitigation In Rochester, New York, Sandra Golberg

Theses

The area of the US known as the Rust Belt had an economic boom in the early 1900’s, and cities expanded rapidly to accommodate bustling manufacturing industries. This area then experienced a significant loss of population due to the migration of manufacturing industries to other areas beginning in the 1970’s. Many lots have become vacant and many homes have been abandoned because of this significant population loss. Industrialization introduces large areas of impervious surfaces and disturbs natural soils and landcovers, resulting in extensive stormwater runoff. While economies have declined, the problem of stormwater runoff remains. To mitigate the cascading problems …

A Historical Perspective On The Revolution Of Science Education For Students Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired In The United States, Cary A. Supalo Dr.

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The following was an invited presentation given by Dr. Cary A. Supalo to the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois annual state convention that was held in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, October 28, 2011. These remarks were slightly modified for the Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities.

Cary A. Supalo

What does the term Revolution mean? To some it can simply mean change. To others, it can mean drastic change, and still to others, revolution is no more than a descriptor for something else. In this context, I believe revolution refers to a time of significant change.1 …

Rematerialize, Eunmi Han

Theses

The universal thinking about jewelry is that it is an art form with monetary value. Often, people consider jewelry or body ornamentation to be a symbol of riches—precious items with great monetary value. As a result, most jewelers prefer to use precious metals, gemstones and the like, in its production.

This thesis explores the meanings and forms of jewelry that does not incorporate such precious materials. Instead of focusing on the value of the materials, their other qualities and the alternative aesthetics will be approached and discussed. Creating new meanings and visual designs that address the beauty, style, wearability, and …

Museums And Visitors With Autism: An Overview Of Programs, Rachel Varner

Theses

Across the world, several museums are committed to accessibility and accommodations for the general public, such as closed captions for the D/HH (deaf and hard-of-hearing) visitors and ramps for wheelchair users. However, not all disabilities and disorders are visible. When it comes to working with people who have a specific disability or disorder, it is critical that museum professionals be aware of what should be done to ensure that visitors with disabilities or disorders have a pleasant experience in the museum. Numerous museums have already created programs for people with specific disabilities or disorders. Workshops about disabilities and disorders should …

Dreamland:, Xiaohe Shen

Theses

I was attracted by the interaction between dream and reality. Not long before I started my thesis, I read Freud’s book, The Interpretation of Dreams, and it quite interested me. In Freud’s theory, the complete personality is composed of id, ego and super-ego. The id is the set of coordinated instinctual trends; the super-ego plays the critical and moralizing role; and the ego is the organized, realistic part that mediates between the desires of the id and the super-ego. The super-ego can stop one from doing certain things that one’s id may want to do. These three parts dominate a …

Pictorial Health Warnings In Croatia, Borna Dolezil

Theses

This research aims to discover how pictorial health warnings impact young female adults in comparison to currently used written health warning in Croatia. In order to assess the impact, research is using a small-scale quantitative research method, to be more precise a survey. Pictorial health warning regulation is a fairly new method of reducing number of smokers in countries of the European Union and is currently in the phase of assessment. As Croatia faces high smoking incidence, especially among the female population, the purpose of this research is to investigate what are the effects of pictorial health warning in terms …

Uncomfortably Numb: News Media’S Effects On Generational Perceptions Of Cancer Prevention, Jillian Elizabeth Seaton Ference

Theses

This study investigated the effects news media have on perceptions of cancer prevention for three generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. It explored the relationship between self-reported exposure to general news media and knowledge of cancer prevention by generation, the relationship between self-reported exposure to news media by generation, and the likelihood of participating in preventative actions. A snowball survey was distributed throughout Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Statistically significant relationships were found between exposure to news media pertaining to cancer and knowledge about cancer, as well as exposure to general news media and knowledge about cancer prevention. Differences …

Communication Considerations And Relational Dialectical Tensions Experienced By University Sign Language Interpreters, Morgan L. Tucker

Theses

The sign language interpreter/student relationship is unique. The interpreter is present in the educational environment to facilitate communication between deaf/hard of hearing students and hearing professors and fellow students; interpreters help people who use different language modes to communicate effectively. In university environments it is not uncommon for interpreters and students to build relationships and even friendships while they work together. However, professional codes and ethics for interpreters can conflict with the normal affinity and closeness developed in many interpersonal relationships. This can lead to contradictory impulses and tensions. The relational dialects theory is guided by the premise that different …

University Magazine Spring 2015, University News Service, Office Of Alumni Relations

University Publications

This is the official magazine for RIT Alumni. Issued thrice a year in spring, fall and winter. Printing began in 1999.

Signatures Magazine: Rit's Journal Of Art And Literature 2014-2015, Rit Students

University Publications

No abstract provided.

Tolerance Equivalency Between Δe*Ab And Δe00 Metrics, Lufei Yu

Theses

In order to be competitive and to meet global brand’s printing requirements, conventional printing is increasingly moving toward standardization. The principal international standard for offset printing is defined ISO 12647-2. The latest revision of ISO 12647-2 (2013) includes ∆E00 as the tolerance metric for deviation assessment, as the traditionally utilized ∆E*ab lacks visual uniformity. However, the tolerance value for ∆E00 from ISO 12647-2 (2013) is informative only. In addition, there is no justification given for how the published ∆E00 values were derived.

This research devised a method that uses the %Pass approach in a database to determine the equivalent tolerances …

Quantifying A Fused Deposition Modeling System’S Dimensional Performance Through Its Addressability, Nathan Ostrout

Theses

As additive manufacturing becomes widely adopted for prototyping and part manufacturing, the need for controlling quality becomes crucial for this technology to continue its development in the manufacturing industry. Many studies over the last decade have been conducted to find suitable means to gauge and improve accuracy and performance for additive manufacturing systems. Prior research has experimented with benchmark tests, printer calibration, standardized test targets, and performance optimization based on critical printer parameters to find solutions to this problem.

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of printer parameters on dimensional accuracy through the most fundamental element …

Don’T Train In Vain: An Enterprise Information System Implementation Training Strategy, Luke Auburn

Theses

Universities often rely on complex information systems to manage student data. When higher education institutions implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to replace legacy systems, they may introduce new processes, concepts, and terminology to the students, faculty, and staff who are the system’s end users. A well-executed training plan can foster end-user adoption and increase an implementation’s chance of success. This thesis project provides a blueprint for incorporating a training plan that best fits the needs of end users into an overall system implementation project plan. To effectively train end users, the training team must identify skill gaps, ascertain the …

Tianran, Ruiqi Liu

Theses

Tianran Qian, is a 27-year-old New York University student majoring in Interactive Communications (ITP).

She is from a wealthy and renowned family in Hangzhou, China. Tianran’s parents got divorced when she was eight years old. Her father was busy running his business; so she grew up with her grandfather. Tianran’s grandfather was a respected poet in China and he told Tianran that she was the only heir in her generation with an ability to understand and practice traditional Chinese culture. With the guidance and influence of her grandfather, she got into traditional Chinese culture and wanted to find a way …

Building A Modern Myth, Michael Lacanilao

Theses

"Building a Modern Myth" is a 3-stage web campaign that combines narrative filmmaking, documentary, social media and analytic philosophy into a creative exploration of how the academic world might respond to the apparent manifestation of a logical contradiction. It is meant to be a fun, engaging, and powerful cinematic experience that challenges audiences to think.

Investigating The Effect Of Color Gamut Mapping Quantitatively And Visually, Anupam Dhopade

Theses

With the advent of various color management standards and tools, the print media industry has seen many advancements aimed towards quantitatively and qualitatively acceptable color reproduction. This research attempts to test one of the most fundamental and integral parts of a standard color management workflow, the profile. The gamut mapping techniques implemented by the ICC profiles created using different profiling application programs were tested for their congruity to the theoretical concepts, standards, and definitions documented by International Color Consortium (ICC). Once these profiling software applications were examined, the significance of the possible discrepancies were tested by establishing a visual assessment …

The Shape Of Poetry: A Typographic Exploration Of Poetry And Synesthesia, Boliang Chen

Theses

The Shape of Poetry is a thesis which explores the relationships of synesthesia, typography and poetry.

Synesthesia is a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. This phenomenon is common in poetry as a rhetorical device. In graphic design, we uses typography and other visual elements to make cross-sensory metaphors as well. The similarity among these three provides a new field of research possibilities.

The goal of the thesis is to visualize poetry by exploring typographic variations and implementing synesthesia findings. The final result …

Handi & V, Fenway Wei Fan

Theses

Handi & V is a 5-minute, 38-second long animated graduate thesis film that is a story about Grandpa V and his journey through time. After Grandma Handi passes away, Grandpa V lives in sadness. One day, he finds a picture is missing from their family photo album. He begins hallucinating and then travels back through the time of his life with Grandma Handi.

This film is a 2D computer animation that was mostly produced in Toon Boom animation software. It was created in full color and has an original music track. This paper outlines the whole film creation process from …

Aura: Social Impacts Of Everyday Objects, Bijal Patwa

Theses

Today, the relationship between subject and object has been reversed, and we are becoming more and more technology dependent, resulting in objects ruling us. The physical presence of people is losing its value. Small incidents or situations between strangers might lead to meaningful relationships. Everyday objects, such as a coffee table, salt-pepper shakers or phones are ubiquitous and are part of our lives in a way that influences our cultural and social behavior. The effect these objects create is more important than the objects themselves. Hence the name “Aura”, for the objects created during my thesis. These objects have a …

Direct E-Democracy And Political Party Websites: In The United States And Sweden, Kirk M. Winans

Theses

The Internet is seen by some as a means to foster public participation through interactivity and bring forth an e-democracy. Many past studies evaluated the implementation of interactive features on government websites; however, this study focuses on the implementation of such features on political parties’ websites, specifically in the United States and Sweden. There has been a rise of a few political parties in Sweden dedicated to the ideal of direct democracy. These so called “net parties” developed around the use of the internet for public deliberation and voting. The websites were evaluated on their implementation of 25 different features …