RSS 1.0SUNY Polytechnic Institute Information Design + Technology (IDT) Program Theses and Projects
Recent Submissions
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Podcast Creation for In-Home Use: An Overview of Podcast Creation Methodology Using Bloom’s TaxonomyMaking an effective podcast is more complex than just using your laptop mic to record your thoughts to post on your favorite social media, there are methods or approaches with which to achieve the best results. My project was to overview the methods for making effective audio podcasts and making them available professionally and accessibly to an audience using a subject matter revolving around 3D printing. The resulting example podcasts and the framework used to create them was examined using Bloom’s Taxonomy to assess the formation and delivery of the content for maximum information retention and engagement of the listener. The final goal of this research was to examine and identify the most important characteristics in meaningful audio development for creating podcasts that will properly deliver subject matter and engage the listener. I did an audio-only podcast using a standard Windows computer to create a short series of 15–20-minute podcasts to exemplify the points I discuss in this research. The hope for this research was to outline and display this discipline in a meaningful overview, I particularly planned to use Bloom’s Taxonomy to review this subject matter in how it can be used as a framework for making effective podcasts.
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Building a University Information Technology Knowledge Base Using TiddlyWikiKeeping a knowledge base up to date can be a difficult and endless task for an Information Technology Services (ITS) department at a university. As technology emerges and is embraced by students and faculty, ITS can become responsible for supporting end users with all sorts of questions and problems. A knowledge base is a website or application used to store helpful information in the form of articles that can be easily shared with end users, giving them a way to support their technology problems without contacting a live person. When managing a large-scale knowledge base, information can be inadvertently replicated in many different areas and contradict other articles, especially when more than one manager can add or edit information. Information modules, or chunks of verified information that can be referenced and inserted into an article, can help eliminate contradictory information and ensure consistency with information that has to be in multiple places through the use of hypertextuality and transclusion. Hypertextuality is a way of organizing information and documents by creating individual bits of information that are assembled together to create a larger document, and transclusion is a way of assembling hypertext documents by simply referencing one into the other. TiddlyWiki is an application that is built around the idea of hypertextuality and transclusion. This project aims to explore the potential for a knowledge base to be built with the TiddlyWiki application.
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Infographics - Migrating from paper methods to electronic using an enterprise system - Jenzabar EXSUNY Sullivan has been facing challenges of declining enrollment since the start of the recession in 2008. For the most part the college seems to go through a roller-coaster ride of increasing but steadily declining enrollment spirals ever since. One of our key survival strategies is adaptation to change. Adaptations with programs, delivery methods in the way we offer programs and courses. We tend to be on the cutting edge of technology as it evolves and we adapt to new challenges as long as our funds from SUNY are available. In this paper I will identify some of the gaps in processes that are simply not working. I will look at the theories behind the changes and challenges that are associated with modern adaptations in addition to the reasons why we must change. In this respect I will be looking at our old processes such as paper forms and face to face contact. We are encountering a new world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 causes all of our in-person activities to be remote. Currently, we are going through our Middle States self-study evaluation. "The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a voluntary, non-governmental, institutional membership association currently serving higher education institutions in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and any other geographic areas in which the Commission elects to conduct accrediting activities within the United States." (MSCHE, website). Looking at what we do as an institution, we found that we have many "gaps" that need to be filled in. Nothing has proven this more than COVID-19.
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To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade ApplicationNew Technology consists of new hardware devices, computational workflows, digital advances, and information systems. As technology continues to evolve over the years, this never-ending cycle of new devices and experiences will always be present amongst consumers. Traditionally, new hardware devices are intriguing because they are designed to improve our access to information, media, and a connection to the digital world, but does this mean our previous-gen devices are no longer valuable? This project involves creating a prototype application designed for both computer and mobile interfaces to help improve the accessibility to information and the overall user experience with an older device. The “To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade” app will inform end-users of their older technological device specifications and suggest hardware/software methods to unlock their full potential. The goal of this paper is to shed some light on consumers that upgrading to the following gen devices is not always necessary to receive the best human-to-computer interactions. It is likely the computer or mobile device that one owns now, with some slight modifications, is all that is needed to provide a pleasant experience.
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Research Paper And Video Project About Music Technology Evolution And Its Effects On Artist Revenue and Consumer ListeningIn this paper I will try to show how the technology that changed over time affected both artists and music consumers. The theory from some of the literature I found is that disruptions in music technology also had many economic impacts to both artists and their audience. In the literature it is suggested that streaming rectified the revenue hit that was derived from the ill effects of digital piracy. In this paper and in the accompanying video that can be found here - https://drive.google.com/file/d/15IIBwwFLZqpnfqPl_pqmR YsAHgfjMuiN/view?usp=sharing I will describe the evolution of the technological changes and show that these advances also had the same exponential curve in change very similar to the changes that occurred in print although the ability to record sound arrived thousands of years after the ability to record letters and words. However, at some point the technological changes created the same kind of disruptions - meaning the ability to record sound and transport it and listen to it in various ways. This created markets and economic advancements that were not there before - again similar in many ways to technological changes in other fields. Later in this paper I will focus on the last few years of these changes with an emphasis on streaming technologies. This in my opinion a change that is still ongoing and was transformational in the way revenue distribution came back after a very tough time that included a breakdown in the established industry and the piracy that affected it during this crisis. Another theory is that the instant gratification of on demand technology that gives consumers exactly what they want when they want it was also solved with streaming music services. The literature that I chose to cite and that I based my research on was primarily from trade magazines and industry news. These articles paint a picture of a changing landscape in the music industry and also talk about some of my ideas that led me to research and write this paper.
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Assisting Seniors with Technology Challenges: Video Tutorials for Password Development and ManagementSeniors often have difficulties using evolving technology while keeping their valuable personal data safe. This research effort began with assessing how and why seniors use technology and determining the best educational techniques to help them connect with instructional information. Additional research determined how design principles including layering and progressive disclosure could be applied to enhance these techniques. In an effort to maintain a manageable scope, password development and management was selected as an example technology challenge. The current state of training resources related to these topics on Facebook and YouTube was surveyed and analysis performed to determine if the design principles and instructional techniques discovered through the aforementioned research were evident. Good tips and tricks for strong password development were incorporated into the instructional design/development plan. A Facebook group and training videos were developed to facilitate assisting seniors with password creation and management.
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HAIR LOVE: SHOWCASING THE DIVERSITY OF NATURAL HAIR THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY AND PERSONAL NARRATIVESThroughout the years, Natural Hair has been used as a form of expression, self-acceptance, and controversy in the United States of America. The invention of Web 2.0, the rise of social media, blogs, and other web-based platforms has given members of the Natural Hair community a platform to share their personal stories and tips related to natural hair care with others. This project looked at the effects of Web 2.0 during the second wave of the Natural Hair Movement since the year 2008, showcasing various hairstyles through digital photography and personal narratives of five individuals. Previous studies have shown that men and women with naturally curly hair have faced some form of discrimination based on their hairstyle, causing them to assimilate to societal norms of wearing their hair straight. The goal for this project was to showcase the versatility of natural hair through digital photography and personal narratives as a form of storytelling, and sharing how social media and other outlets across the web have impacted the individual’s decision to wear their hair in its natural state or how it has helped them in their natural hair journey. Photos of five different people of various cultural backgrounds, hair textures, and lifestyles were taken and questions based on their Natural Hair journey were asked. With the collection of photographs and narratives, a Capstone portfolio section of my media website was created for public viewing. This platform can be updated as photos of more individuals with natural hair at local events and expos in the future are taken.
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Design and Implement a Small Business with Digital Marketing Be Happy, Se Feliz: Find Your Happiness and Learn to Put It FirstThe purpose of this study was to identify and organize a plan to market an Airbnb vacation rental property in the Caribbean by a single female parent in her 30’s. The study includes research on Universal Design Uses for Marketing in Tourism or Travel, Digital Marketing/Social Media Marketing (including for travel sites) and Small business and branding development. The design of the study includes a proposal, methodology for the design and the production of digital artifacts including branding development with personal website and social media sites. This capstone project was developed and implemented using graphic design concepts, digital photography’s composition techniques, user experience considerations, evaluation of select technologies and select Universal Principles of Design. Throughout the research and design process, similar social media accounts and websites were reviewed to identify likeability, professionalism and conclusions were drawn for why some sites were liked or followed more than others. While viewing sites, session duration, or length of time spent, was also taken into consideration. The successful concepts on these sites were also taken into consideration or applied in the production of web-based marketing materials and platforms to support marketing the rental property in the Caribbean for this capstone. Branding was a major component of successful marketing for all sites. In summary, leveraging many SUNY Polytechnic Information Design and Technology course concepts from Digital Photography, User Experience, Graphic Design and Evaluating Information Technology a new brand was formed: Be Happy, Se Feliz. Branding was designed utilizing elements from graphic design and digital photography, from development of vision and mission statements, audience focus, logo design, typography selection, color palette selection and site development. Several concepts from “Universal Principles of Design” (Lidwell et al., 2010) were reviewed and utilized in the design for projecting the users into an idealistic vacation environment. This was the primary focus of the marketing techniques utilized. Final selection of the tools and platforms used were conducted by utilizing techniques from Evaluating Information Technology.
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The Ties That Bind: A blog project about the meaning of fandomFandoms, or fan communities; groups of enthusiasts or ‘fans’ that have come together through their shared love of some kind of media, have been around for a long time in a number of different forms around the world, though in small numbers. When comic books became popular, those groups increased, and once again as movies became more commonplace. These communities and cultures are reliant on information technology, and the technology reliant on them, in a symbiotic relationship. It is my objective to research, analyze and observe fandoms and the culture related to the associated communities of fans within, and how they have formed, communicated and interacted, both prior to the development of modern information technology and after, as well as their continued growth on established and upcoming platforms. My actual project consists of a set of blog posts, or ‘mini-essays’, on Tumblr, around one hundred words per post, perhaps more, with ten posts in total.
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Lost Memories: Exploring Childhood Amnesia and Nostalgia Through Autoethnographic ResearchMemory, especially at a young age, is unstable. Memories can easily be remapped and misremembered. Generally, memory retention follows a predictable pattern, known as the reminiscence bump, and memory retention reaches its peak around twenty years old. While memory retention does increase exponentially as a child ages, there is a tendency for early childhood memories to vanish - a phenomenon known formally as childhood amnesia. Photographs and videos can act as memory aids to assist recall, but can lead to misremembering. People also view photographs and videos (especially physical versions such as photo albums) as memory storage devices, and often experience a great deal of nostalgia when flipping through and reminiscing. However, just as society experienced a shift from analogue to digital film and video, users shifted their intentions of photography from memory to communication. To further explore these topics I performed extensive autoethnographic research. In the hopes of shedding light on lost or forgotten memories and to better understand personal nostalgia, I had twenty-eight rolls of undeveloped childhood film developed, which I then personally scanned. Additionally, I digitally transferred and watched eighty-six never-before-seen childhood home video cassettes. Using both written, photo, and video footage-based context clues, I assembled a video timeline to represent my lost memories. Video Link: https://youtu.be/7OCfjgm1YkU
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Evaluating Cloud-Based Gaming SolutionsRecently, tech companies such as Google and Microsoft have invested resources into offering cloud-based delivery of video games. Delivery of games over such a medium negates the need of requiring dedicated video game consoles or computers with robust 3D graphics hardware. Tangible hardware requirements for traditional video game playing are currently undergoing a supply shortage due to a multitude of factors, particularly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This project evaluates the cost of using cloud services vs. using a physical video game console. Also, this article evaluates whether players can come up with a custom solution utilizing VPS (virtual private server) providers such as Amazon Web Services. By utilizing the diffusion of innovations theory, we evaluate how the common actors of the video game industry try to replicate the traditional video game playing experience, but in a cloud setting. Results confirm that those wishing to use cloud-based services should only need a consumer-level personal computing device (such as a laptop or smartphone) to access them. Consumers must also take heed of their networking infrastructure, as well as the supported library of games that each service carries if they intend to maximize their value for each cloud service.
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Creating Letterforms in a Digital World: The Design and Delivery of a FontI have always regarded font creation as an area of design that is highly specialized, requiring great attention to detail, and using highly skilled, hand drawn techniques to achieve the ultimate end result. While these prospects may still hold true in many respects, technological advancements have brought about great change to the overall process of design. As technology has evolved, so too have the methods of production for font and typeface design. New applications offer a multitude of interesting ways to create and design fonts. Over time, these methods of production have become increasingly more obtainable for the public and in some cases, simplified for the basic, non-designer. As a result, an increasing amount of users, both trained and untrained now have access to font design programs and applications. This project will examine the practice of font design, in both a historical context and through current trends, and will then apply this knowledge to a current software solution, in order to describe the current techniques of the creation process. In addition to this, each step of the process will be documented in order to provide a greater understanding of what is involved when learning the current process of font design. As a result of this study, the ultimate objective of this project will be the final creation of a fully realized and functional font. A downloadable version of the font design for this project can be accessed through the link below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZODa_kNn2yyYpP6PbtwnG4mYp6MgMTuq/view?usp=sharing
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Using Uses and Gratifications Theory to Create a Successful Twitch ChannelTwitch.tv has steadily gained popularity since its debut on the social media scene in 2011. Bringing a new live element to typical content creation, Twitch fosters a dynamic relationship between content creators, known as streamers, and their audience of viewers. This unique relationship allows direct, real-time communication between content creators and viewers, allowing viewers to directly influence the content that is broadcast. Uses and gratifications theory states that users will seek the most efficient tool to gratify their needs. Once a content creator defines the primary motives of Twitch users, they can adjust their content to gratify the audience’s needs. By viewing Twitch through the lens of uses and gratifications theory, one can construct a Twitch channel that will quickly achieve success. In this case, I have created Zero Lives Gaming, a twitch channel that can be found at twitch.tv/zero_lives_gaming
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Prototyping a Mobile App for Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using Information Design to Strengthen Information LandscapesWhen the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in early 2020, pregnant people faced challenges unlike what would be expected while pregnant during “normal times.” Studies found this population to be overwhelmed by rampant misinformation or a lack of information, decreased access to health care, and uncertain social support. This project investigates and addresses the preferences of pregnant people by designing a prototype of a mobile application that seeks to increase both accessibility and availability of credible information about pregnancy and postpartum during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods include a literature review, questionnaires, interviews, personas, current app research, wireframing, and prototyping. They identify a gap in the mobile app toolbox for navigable, credible information on COVID-19 for pregnant and recently pregnant people. They also find that, contra to the goals of the project, it isn’t feasible to incorporate into the app a social support feature, due to the potential for misinformation. The project also concludes that a successful mobile application employs information design to lessen the cognitive load of users and to integrate their geographic confines; elements that support a user’s agency also strengthen the user’s information landscape. Further research ascertaining the specifics of what might be needed to make an app usable for particular marginalized or underserved populations is still needed. Finally, one of the more intriguing questions raised by this project might be how to integrate the social support identified as an important need by pregnant people into an app that values the integrity of information.
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Unmasked: A Visual Documentation of How Covid-19 Affects the Lives of Central New YorkersPhotography, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, has become a widely used and popular artform for people documenting this unprecedented time in history. With the emergence of Covid-19 in March of 2020, photographers of all skill levels set out to document history in the making. Photography is an artform that helps bridge parallels between people, places, and things, and being able to make sense of it all through visuals brings us closer to each other's core of understanding. Photography is not a one-size-fits-all medium. There are many photography styles, including portraiture, landscape, action, architecture, documentary, and street photography. This literature review will explore how street and documentary photography, photography styles, and philosophies accentuate life during a global pandemic.
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Utilizing the VARK Learning Modalities to Include Learner Preferences in the Open SUNY Course Quality Review RubricThis project is directed to the SUNY online learning (eLearning) courses which utilize OSCQR (Open SUNY Online Course Quality Review) rubric and process as course assistance for professors. The audience includes online learners at the graduate and undergraduate level. This project is designed to focus on the learner preferences of online graduate and undergraduate students. To assist instructors, this project offers a demonstration on how to offer learner preference modalities as well as learner preference assessment questionnaire via the VARK website (https://vark-learn.com/).
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Digital Storytelling with Infographics: Celebrating the Negro Leagues Using 21st Century ToolsVisual communication is more prevalent today than it ever has been in the past. Specifically, thanks to cell phones, tablets, and other smart devices, digital platforms have seen the greatest increase of visual use and show no signs of slowing down. However, with this increase comes more competition to stand out and be heard. Despite the messaging being more accessible than ever, there is a large chasm between what messaging is communicated, and how much it is viewed, understood, and retained by the audience. Thankfully designers have many options at their disposal for standing out amidst the noise. One of the most prominent of these is the infographic: a communication method that was designed for print but perfected on digital platforms. This study is designed to explain the role that infographics play for designers and storytellers. It will explore how infographics can attract a larger audience, communicate a complex idea in an easy to understand nature, and ultimately prove to be more memorable through the blending of images, text, and data into one coherent piece.
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Surviving Remote Teaching during a PandemicOn March 11, 2020, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announced SUNY and CUNY Colleges of New York would move to online instruction only, as of March 19, 2020. At the same time, school districts throughout the state were moving their curriculum online, and non-essential businesses were being required to have their workers work at home. The headlines across the state were reminding everyone to “stay home” because of the Covid-19. The news was frightening to some of the Professors, Adjuncts and Teachers all across the state, (especially in K-12). In this paper, I will refer to all folks who teach as ‘Instructors’ or ‘Educators.’ These Instructors, who teach in person, and have never taught an online course, were expressing their concern that their course “could not” be taught on line. My Capstone Project is to create a “Guide” with some ideas to help in this stressful time.
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POLITICAUSE.NET: DEVELOPING A VIRTUAL CROWDSOURCING COMMUNITY TO INCREASE THE ENGAGEMENT OF WOMEN IN POLITICSFor the past 40 years, the continued growth and engagement of women in the political process has created opportunities to increase the influence of the female electorate. Through grassroots political activism, community networks, and online advocacy, women voters have been galvanized to come together collectively to take action to address relevant political issues, but this rising political enthusiasm has not translated into an equal focus on women's issues or equal representation in Congress. This thesis examines the factors that have contributed to the growth and influence of women's political advocacy and explores women's political engagement/activism, traditional vs. online activism, the effectiveness of all-women online networks, and female voter demographics. Based on this research, I developed a virtual crowdsourcing community as a shared space for members to propose and discuss important and timely women's issues including domestic violence, reproductive health, and pay equity and to collaborate to suggest relevant legislation to political leaders. The purpose of this social network is provide a platform for women activists and constituents to connect with others who want to advance the political causes that are relevant to women and to increase the engagement of women in politics to achieve gender equality in local and national government.
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Creating a User-Friendly Mobile Application PrototypeIn today's world users have access to hundreds of thousands of mobile applications at the touch of their fingers. There are over two hundred and fifty million smart phone users out there and that number is growing with over 80% of Americans owning a smartphone. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to use an application and not being sure what to do. Colors or fonts can make things hard to read, too many options to click with no real direction; this will cause frustration for the user and negative feelings towards the application. Making sure that a mobile application is user-friendly is essential to its success, the first time a user opens up the application they need to know exactly what to do and how each action will interact. This project will include a complete sports betting mobile application prototype that covers all the necessary principles of a user-friendly application, along with research to explain why these principles are important. To make a user-friendly application, it is very important to make sure that the user is engaged. This was done by choosing a color scheme that gives a positive emotion, which will bring the user back and continue to use the application. Also, limit what actions the user can do, this can be done with consistency, constraint, and control. Consistency makes sure that users see similarity on how to perform all actions. Constraint limits the actions a user can perform to reduce any errors. Control makes sure that users of all levels have the ability to use the application.
