Digital Commons Network^™

Interactive Dynasty: An Effective Way To Learn About The Tang Dynasty History, Xiangyin Li

Theses

Today, interaction design is applied to multiple areas of visual communication and instructional design. Interactive elements can be found in websites, apps, and kiosk terminal equipment. Through the integration of interactive content such as step-by-step tutorials, the user can acquire a variety of different types of information efficiently and effectively to learn about historical events.

China has one of the longest and continuous cultures today. Its own unique charisma attracts many history buffs to learn more about important historical events. Kiosk terminals in history museums have successfully provided a learning environment for users to learn about China through interaction design. …

Utilizing Sysml Viewpoints To Improve Understanding And Communication Of Human Mental Models Within System Design Teams, Elizabeth Anne Patterson

Theses

In modern design of complex systems, there is lack of consideration of social elements in Socio-Technical Systems. The Human Mental Model is a vital part of multidisciplinary system design, and can contribute to the potential for system failure when not considered during the design phase. This thesis will examine the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) viewpoints and views to determine whether they illustrate elements of human mental models, and increase communication between individuals holding different perspectives. Two models were created in SysML, the first comparing SysML to mental model graphs, and the second was the Lynx X-ray Observatory, a project in …

Putting Your Best Face Forward: A Critical Visual Analysis Of Gay Advertising Images And Self-Branding On Grindr, Gigina A. Giorgi

Theses

Advertising is used to sell a brand by depicting a lifestyle or persona that one aspires to attain. We brand ourselves, or self-brand, in accordance to how we want to be perceived by others and to convey a particular message. This study addresses the following research questions: 1) How are men presented in advertisements in gay orientated magazines? 2) How do gay men portray themselves in online dating profiles? 3) Is there a relationship between the portrayal of the male body in advertisements in Out and self-portrayal on online dating profiles? 4) What messages are gay men portraying on online …

Wemingle - Meet-Ups Simplified, Amith Rajagopal Kozhipuram

Theses

Today’s ever-changing social life and work life demand frequent and sometimes impromptu interactions & meetings. Arranging a meeting at short notice among people poses innumerable challenges for finalization of a rendezvous and time involving back and forth communication among people involved. A plethora of social platforms mushrooming around is not able to address the challenges posed in collaboratively organizing or scheduling a meeting of people from within the city or from different cities.

A few platforms are available currently which serve varied purposes such as get-together among a group of friends, scheduling of meet ups, browsing and rating POIs. However, …

Thesis Inquiry & Process: Something About Reality, Blayke Mackenzie Morrow

Theses

This thesis documents the employment of a system of Process and Inquiry as it serves as a structural foundation for an investigation of the manner in which Reality is represented in visual portraiture. Through a vigorous exploration of the concept of Reality and its singular nature, it is hypothesized that intrinsically unique experiences could potentially be communicated through the perceptive abilities of the emotional quotient. The effects of media, timing, complexity, abstraction, and authenticity are examined for their effect on the apparent clarity of concepts transmitted in this manner. The inquiry ultimately manifests in the daily creation of self-portraiture, as …

Not A Prediction Of The Future: Believable Sci-Fi Character Design Based On Present Day Technology, Kun Dong

Theses

In recent years, many character designs made for movies and video games have been carried out using complex computer-based processes. User-friendly software has made it easier to produce high computation artwork and multiple texture maps.

With higher graphic performance provided by rapidly improving hardware, the continuing demand for innovation poses new requirements for the entertainment industry.

Science fiction (sci-fi) in video games and movies has limitless capabilities, and can be created to achieve a wide variety of visual goals.

One important argument presented in this thesis is that science fiction stories, unlike the related genre of fantasy, have historically intended …

فاعلية برنامج تدريبي مقترح قائم على أنشطة اللعب الجماعي في تنمية المهارات الاجتماعية لدى الأطفال ذوي التوحد في امارة أبوظبي –دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة- (دراسة حالة), ميرفت محمد عبده أحمد مشهور

Theses

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a proposed training program Based on playgroup activities on developing the social skills of a child with autism attending one of the private schools in Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC). The study sample consisted of an eleven-year-old child with autism. He was integrated at Emirates Private School- Abu Dhabi in the Fourth Grade. In order to answer the questions of the study, the researcher used the following tools, after checking their reliability and validity: a form to collect data about the study sample, a social interaction list developed by the researcher as …

I, Exist. Exhibition Identity Branding: Conveying The Doctrine Of Existentialism, Xuan Jiang

Theses

Literature and philosophy are the concise expressions of human inner-self. The main idea which all of Existentialists have in common is the fundamental doctrine that existence precedes essence. This idea has its own historical significance for explaining the fact of thinking and action. Why do we exist? The question of existence is disturbing and unsettling. It seems inevitable for human beings to face this question. We cannot help but feel anguished because we are conscious beings.

I exist is a project that aims to develop a brand identity for a exhibition about Existentialism, or more precisely, a project that conveys …

Zen Design: Applying Zen Principles To Brand Identity In Contemporary Graphic Design, Yun Zheng

Theses

Relaxing and finding inner balance is extremely important to those of us who live in a fast-paced, modern world. Zen has become more and more popular in different cultures and we can see the shadows of it in many of the products we interact with and use in daily life. It is being used in branding intentionally and unintentionally in some form but very few of these efforts are effective.

Through research and informational analysis, this thesis provides a simple way to understand Zen principles from psychological and aesthetic perspectives, and also identifies the similarities and differences between Modernism and …

The Opportunity: A 3d Animation About Karma, Mark J. Reisch

Theses

The Opportunity is a three dimensional animation that illustrates the idea that by helping others you can inadvertently help yourself. The story is told using an animated sunflower, bees, tulip, and farmer. In a sunflower garden, a sunflower tries to entice a bee to pollinate it, but a tulip (that is not supposed to be in the sunflower garden) attracts all of the bees. The tulip sees the farmer coming to weed out any unwanted plants. Seeing the fear in the tulip’s eyes, the sunflower helps disguise the tulip. The farmer is tricked and the tulip is saved. With the …

Helios, Minh D. Le

Theses

“Helios” is an advertisement for a futuristic electric vehicle that utilizes revolutionary materials and upcoming technologies to address some of the current shortcomings of electric vehicles both aesthetically and technologically. This project explores how to create an effective advertisement for an automobile. Factors affecting consumer behavior, barriers and motivations for purchase, brand strategy, and aesthetics as well as the design of the car itself were all considered. The process for creating and assessing the advertisement will be summarized and evaluated

Wearable Wonderland: Using Interaction Design And Wearable Technology To Motivate People To Stay Active, Xi Yang

Theses

Wearable Wonderland is an interactive game about a boy's wonderful journey. The game is a mobile app that works with wearables. The goal of the thesis is to promote a healthy lifestyle using wearable technology. The target audience is young people who want to build a healthy lifestyle and become more active, ranging from ages 18 to 30.

Staying active and maintaining enough sleep is important to one’s overall wellbeing. Today, many fitness trackers and fitness apps have appeared on the market to encourage doing exercise. They can track people's activities easily. However, most of these apps cannot engage users …

Karma: Design For Social Impact Toolkit, Vineet Mishra

Theses

My thesis explores the eld of Social Impact Design and determines a methodology that designers can leverage to design with better impact.

Addressing highly complex issues requires a multidisciplinary approach. When design is incorporated into the problem-solving process, its human-centered principles and methodologies lead to stronger solutions. Social issues such as poverty, unemployment, homelessness, caste system, sexual harassment, and gender inequality are associated with Wicked Problems. These Wicked Problems–like economic, environmental, political, and bureaucratic issues–create even more intricate global dilemmas. Understanding these extremely complex issues and applying design thought process, allows for even greater strides toward making an impact.

Design …

Men In Vogue: A Visual Analysis Of The Male Gender On American Vogue Covers, Connor Lamb

Theses

For a better understanding of how gender is portrayed in media, it is important to include a specific investigation on how men are portrayed. This visual analysis study focused on the six unique American Vogue covers that included men to examine gender representation. All the cover images were analyzed for characteristics in the male and female cover persons’ pose, gaze, and race. Amidst current gender debates, American Vogue has portrayed both men and women together on the cover only six separate times over American Vogue’s entire history. The investigation of these six covers contributes a better understanding of how American …

Team Igniter: An Adaptive Toolkit To Guide And Leverage Collaboration In Teams Seeking To Problem-Solve And Innovate, Vinicius De Andrade Romualdo

Theses

Even though interdisciplinarity has been constantly debated and supported during faculty meetings at RIT, still, academic programs confine themselves into silos, hampering student integration. The struggle to effectively collaborate becomes evident in the existent on campus initiatives that challenge students from different disciplines to work together. The consequence is the under-utilization of the students' potential which leads to mediocre outcomes.

This thesis investigated main collaboration problems typical of groups seeking to problem-solve such as groupthink, production blocking, social loafing and social anxiety. These issues were studied in the academic context through a user-centered methodology that involved observations and interviews with …

Vertourist: Providing Accuracy In Language Translations, Using An Online Workforce, Shubhneek Dhillon

Theses

Language is our greatest mediator that allows us to relate to and understand each other. Linguistic boundaries cause a massive downside for travelers. They often find it difficult to communicate with locals in another country to learn more about the foreign culture, country, aesthetics and life. It’s even more critical for the people who are deaf.

Human generated translation is much more accurate than computer generated translation. Travelers often rely on computer-generated translation that result in more confusion when the person is trying to communicate with in a foreign language. My thesis will address this issue using social media. A …

Pinups And Pinball: The Sexualized Female Image In Pinball Artwork, Melissa A. Fanton

Theses

Since the commercialization of pinball in the 1930s, the pinball industry has used art and imagery to promote the pinball machine as a product and to generate and cultivate its audience. Much of that imagery has relied on sexualizing and stereotyping women to appeal to a presumed male player. In this thesis, I explore how the depiction of women on pinball machines has evolved from the 1930s to 1970s, with a specific focus on artwork from 1970 to 1979. This is followed by an examination of how second wave feminism, popular culture, and the introduction of film licensing may (or …

Learning Chinese Writing: An App Design Concept For Multi-Touch Devices, Xi Zong

Theses

An app design concept to learn Chinese writing for multi-touch mobile & tablet devices

Mandarin can be divided into spoken Chinese and written Chinese. Many people who are taking Mandarin courses were first attracted to the Chinese language because of the writing system, which is considered one of the most complex in the world.

Chinese writing is considered difficult because of the enormous number of characters one has to learn. Mandarin is difficult in comparison to Spanish, Greek, Russian, Hindi, or any other language that requires at most a few dozen symbols to write in the language.

This Chinese writing …

Equipoise: An Animated Short Film About Positiveness And Negativity., Gung-Kai Koo

Theses

Equipoise is an animated short about positiveness, negativity and the opposite but complementary relationship between them. The two opposite attitudes of an individual’s personality not only affect but also establish emotions, decisions and behaviors. Positiveness reinforces positive thinking while pessimistic assumptions and hardship are driven by negativity. A person who has an imbalanced mind may live in pain or lead to high risks.

To have a great mental condition, both positiveness and negativity have to be involved to establish the balance. However, the importance of negativity, in one case, pessimism was frequently ignored as a result of education that focuses …

[Code Premonition]™: A 2d Animation Experience Featuring Duik Technology, Jason E. Harris

Theses

WHAT IS CODE PREMONITION?

Code Premonition is a science fiction/suspense short film that is designed with the intent to provide its target audience, adults over the age of 25, with a solid exhibition of imaginative storytelling based on the realization of the following two primary objectives:

1.) Provide the audience with a visually captivating and suspenseful cinematic experience via the effective utilization of voice acting, realistic artwork, fluid animation, real world footage, and special effects.

2.) Provide the audience with a consistent and compelling original story; the treatment of which will provide a well balanced exhibition of both traditional and …

Visualization Of Mind: Visual Exploration Of Brain Activity, Bilegsaikhan Baasanjav

Theses

Since ancient times, philosophical and religious thinkers have made attempts to understand the nature of the mind. Today, new developments in technology enable scientists and researchers to explore the brain’s complex physical activity, revealing a deeper mental reality. Moreover, the emergence of low-cost biometric devices gives nonscientific communities an ability to explore usage of biometric data in variety of ways.

This project explores visualization of human brain activity using electroencephalogram neural interface to create a visually engaging and meaningful user experience. The implementation of the project takes a form of an interactive installation. It projects the visual form, whose visual …

Onemile: An Interactive Journey To Wellness For Those With Chronic Illness, Keli M. Dirisio

Theses

Using interaction design, video, and social media to create an application that will encourage people to maintain or improve their quality of life when dealing with a chronic illness.

There are many tools, both tangible and online, for people with debilitating illnesses. There are websites and apps that focus on symptom management, medication monitoring or general wellness. The majority of these resources are mainly used for rehabilitation. There is technology used to help people, both healthy and those with an illness, to improve their health–featuring exercise, eating healthy, tips and tricks. Most people with a chronic illness are looking for …

Blush: An Exploration Of Empathetic Cultivation Through Technological Devices, Jordan Reading

Theses

Technology has helped us keep in touch. Letters, telegrams, telephones, email, video chatting, social-networking — all ways in which we have communicated throughout the years. Each innovation has allowed us to lead independent lives from our loved ones and friends, while trying not to lose touch with each other. It’s freed us, but at the same time we’ve become chained it to. We’ve lost our ability to converse and empathize with each other directly — we’ve become more comfortable in front of a screen.

Unfortunately for us, digital devices in their current state are terrible forms of communication. It lacks …

Personalities Of The Chinese Zodiac, Tang-Hsuan Liu

Theses

3D animation has been trending for many years now. Many stories and the characters in those stories are being re-designed and represented by 3D.

Stories I grew up with in Taiwan are so different from those popular in Western culture. While I enjoyed Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mickey Mouse, I also loved many classic Chinese stories, one of them being that of the Chinese Zodiac.

This story is about animals having a race to decide who will be the only 12 animals that represent each year. They are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog …

The Material Forms Of Memory: A Creative Arts Praxis Examining Family Archive Materiality And The Performance Of Memory Through Installation Art, Emily M. M. Hornum

Theses

This Master of Arts by Research investigates the role of new media in influencing familyarchive materiality and what effect this has on the performance of memory. The aim is to examine through creative arts praxis how installation art illuminates the participatory engagement of family archive materiality to mediate our mnemonic processes. The source materials for this project stem from my family archives dating from the early 1900s to 2013, and include photographs, 35mm slides, VHS tapes, audiotapes and personal items. The significance of this research lies in the creative outcomes that have occurred through the investigative and critical dialogues between …

Information Design For Medical Innovation: Raising Student Awareness Of Medical Design Potential, Brian W. Rosenberg

Theses

Medical design has the power to improve, prolong and save lives. Medical professionals and patients throughout the world face critical problems that can be addressed with design solutions developed in an academic setting. International collaboration fostered by universities can be a source of unique technology, cultural development and natural resources that can aid in the discovery and delivery of medical solutions. Projects developed through university based initiatives exemplify how effective information design benefits medical design applications.

MEDdesign is a program initiative of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Through this international program, design students …

The Art Traveler: Building A User Experience System To Discover Art, Yue Liu

Theses

With the increasing popularity of mobile devices and their apps, mobile technologies have changed the nature of travel significantly. With numerous travel apps available today, many tourists can become confused with which one to select and use. Another important factor is that a majority of travel applications are designed for everyone traveling everywhere, not specifically for one kind of tourist and one subject matter. The goal of this thesis is to create an effective and efficient user experience system.

The project is a travel planner for people to pursue an art tour of their own interest. It focuses on designing …

Multiplayer Sound-Oriented Game Design: An Ios Brain And Hearing Training Game, Liwei Yu

Theses

Hearing (auditory perception) is one of the most important senses in our human bodies. There are millions of different sounds in our world; humans perceive the sounds from the outside world to get information, and respond to them.

It is beneficial to enhance hearing abilities and hand-ear coordination to boost brain fitness, engage in better communication with others, and enhance concentration abilities.

With the fast development of smart mobile devices and mobile internet, it is easy to get people connected no matter where they are. Some people usually play games during short fragments time.

Considering these factors, it is a …

See A Different World: Interactive Storytelling For Children To Raise Awareness Of Color Blindness, Dan Yu

Theses

Children play with interactive applications to gain knowledge in their daily life. There are different kinds of interactive applications that help educate children through visual storytelling. In reviewing the current apps available, few of them were written or designed for children with disabilities, especially children with color blindness. Through research, it was discovered that children lack an awareness of color blindness. This thesis aims to design an effective, interactive visual storytelling application to raise awareness of color blindness for elementary school aged children. The project helps children gain knowledge about color blindness through reading and playing activities within the app. …

Oil Painting 3d Scene: A Desert Survival Game Environment, Chien Hui Jarvis

Theses

Oil Painting 3D Scene: A Desert Survival Game Environment is a hand-painted, stylized game level. The whole environment includes desert, animals, plants, rocks, small particle effects and a shack built in Unreal Engine.

This report outlines the whole production process, from the very beginning of visual development stage till completion, and illustrates my ideas, sketches, obstacles, tests, design choices, failures and successes, as well as technical specifics.