ARMed and ready : Diving into our Capstone Project
In the MHCI program, we’ve spent a semester digging into the basics of design, engineering and research skills. Now, it’s game time with our Capstone Projects — the big highlight of our program. Picture this: teams formed through a matchmaking process guided by our awesome faculty, all set to dive into an 8-month-long project. What’s the mission? Cook up some seriously cool end-to-end experiences, all tailored to the needs of our clients. We’re not just winging it; we’ve got our conceptual models and industry experiences to guide us through the nitty-gritty of our project work. This isn’t just another phase; it’s a big deal, marking our growth and prep for real-world challenges.
Get to know the team!
Nazm Furniturewala — She began her journey as an architect and evolved into a human-centered designer. Nazm understands the significance of user perception and emerging technology in creating impactful designs, approaching each opportunity with a common thread — understanding its impact on human experience. She worked as a HCI Designer on the IRIS lunar rover with CMU’s Robotics Institute that launched in December 2023, so when it comes to human centered design and experience, sky is not the limit.
Justine Chou — She is a human centered and research driven product designer who recently graduated from UC Irvine with a B.S in Informatics and Minor in Management. Before coming to Carnegie Mellon, she consulted with California based non profits, as well as completed UX Design internships at IBM and Nihon Kohden. She’s very interested in learning how to design for emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, and AR/VR, and is super excited to obtain these new skills during our capstone with ARM.
Ziyan Tan — She is a product designer who worked as a concept artist in film and television and as a creative lead and product designer in healthcare. When she’s not working on digital products that improve medical care and patient outcomes, she’s busy doodling celebrities for hit music videos and splash screen screens for streaming services. She looks forward to creating for the ARM Institute and hopes to design for a brighter future.
Zhiyuan Chen — He is a human-centered product designer who studied Psychology and Cognitive Science at UCSD. Now at CMU, he has channeled his passion in human emotions and behaviors and into the realm of design to solve real-world problems and shape meaningful human experiences. Striving to stand at the intersection between design, technology and social science, he seeks to learn more about emerging technologies and is very excited about the ARM project.
Jeffery John — He is a maker and developer with a background in computer science and public policy. He recently worked on the Iris Lunar Rover mission, and looks forward to seeing the future of robotics and mixed reality here on Earth.
Get to know our client: The ARM Institute!
The ARM Institute leverages a robust set of capabilities to strengthen the U.S. industrial base by fostering collaboration between industry, government, and academia, catalyzing impactful robotics projects. As Industry 4.0 ushers in a new era of manufacturing — one that relies on the use of robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and autonomy — manufacturers are tasked with upskilling their workforce, identifying the best solutions for their problems, and understanding what this shift means for their business. These tasks are daunting and nearly impossible to accomplish without concentrated help and collaboration. This is where the ARM Institute plays a key role for our nation.
In launching our extensive journey, our initial task was crafting a team charter, a foundational document setting the stage with clear ground rules. Our mission involved articulating the goals, mutual expectations, and logistical details vital to our project’s success. The team charter isn’t merely a static document; it’s a dynamic guide, exemplifying our collective commitment to this venture, fostering a robust team dynamic.
Our journey into the world of innovation started with practical steps. We created a project plan, outlining our expectations and goals to give us a roadmap for this venture. We delved into the details of our design brief, identifying what we already knew and what we needed to find out.
Our project kicked off with our first meeting, and it was more than just an introduction — it was a dynamic session that got us all on the same page and fueled our excitement for what lay ahead. Following that, we had an engaging tour with our clients, taking a deeper dive into their day-to-day operations. This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill (pun intended) tour; it was a chance to understand the ins and outs of their work, the challenges they face, and their goals for the project.
But the real highlight? We got up close and personal with some seriously cool robots. Interacting with cutting-edge technology wasn’t just a cool experience; it gave us insights that textbooks couldn’t provide. These hands-on moments with the robots became a crucial part of shaping how we approach the project — making sure our strategies are not just theoretical but grounded in the real-world tech we’re working with. This gave us an insight to form some challenges faced by ARM and their team:
1. Learning Curve of Robotics Basics
2. Deciphering Complex Manufacturer Needs
3. Confusing User Interface for Programming Robots
After this, we regrouped for a more analytical session, bringing together our different perspectives and the information we gathered. It wasn’t just about facing challenges; it was about collectively strategizing our next steps. As we navigated through these challenges, our subsequent regrouping session involved synthesizing insights and analyzing the information gathered during our unique client meeting, guiding our collaborative efforts towards addressing and overcoming these obstacles in the upcoming phases of our project.
We’re excited and gearing up for our next kickoff meeting, where we look forward to interacting with our clients & robots with hands-on activities, making it a collaborative process. We’re getting ready for the next sprint — it’s going to be a blend of creativity, problem-solving, and maybe a little robot high-five!
We’re sharing our Capstone journey to give you a sneak peek into what the MHCI Capstone experience is really like. It’s our way of offering an insider’s perspective on the path to breaking into the UX field. Whether you’re a fellow student, a seasoned professional, or just someone curious about the world of human-computer interaction, we want to invite you to join us on this rollercoaster of creativity and problem-solving. Follow us for regular updates, and if you’ve got thoughts, questions, or just want to chat about UX, we’re all ears!
