Author: Andric Brena

One interface or physical object that can be frustrating to a user are doors with handles designed to be pushed. There have been many instances where I kept trying to pull a door when in the end all I had to do was push in order to enter a room. I have seen other people experience this too, and it can be pretty funny watching them use all their strength only to then realize pushing is the answer. I haven’t encountered a door like this as of recent as many of them can open themselves or are well designed enough for one to clearly understand how to open them. For the confusing doors that are still out there, those meant to be pushed can incorporate bar handles, specify whether it’s to be pulled or pushed with a label, or just omit the handles entirely as one would naturally try to push considering there doesn’t seem to be any other way.

Another example is a tv controller. Many times my grandmother has gotten frustrated navigating through menus using a Philips controller due to the sheer amount of buttons that are present and how some function differently depending on the mode. I still don’t know what the four colored buttons are for. To improve the design of the controller we had, one could apply arrows for the directional inputs and reduce the number of buttons such as getting rid of the settings button as it should be easily found whenever going to the home menu. One may even incorporate a touch pad to further simplify the controller to contain only the basic operations and leave the rest to an on-screen user interface that utilizes this touch pad.

A third interface is plastic clamshell packaging. This type of packaging is useful for small items such as micro sd cards as it makes them stand out more and can discourage theft due to its bulkiness and how difficult it is to get the item inside. Nonetheless, for a consumer, opening them can be a frustrating task, especially if one doesn’t have the necessary tools, and may even cause one to injure themselves (as I’ve done to myself a couple of times). Imagine buying scissors on the internet to open this kind of packaging only for it to arrive inside one itself (oof). Possible ways to facilitate this task can be to include perforations or opening tabs, written instructions to inform the user the best possible way to open it if they find themselves lost or believe applying brute force is the only way, or cardboard instead of plastic as part of the back for less expensive items such as toys.

At the start of the week, we were given journals and articles to read through as part of our literature review. Some were a bit challenging to understand, especially the one revolving around critical race theory (CRT), but by taking my time and writing down notes, I was able to grasp a good understanding of what the author was trying to say. I wrote down summaries to check my comprehension and discussed the main ideas with one of my teammates who was also trying to understand the journal centered on CRT. Some of the themes I took away from reading the texts include the hindering effect of homophily on social capital and the sense of empowerment gained from the acknowledgement of the backgrounds and strengths of people of color. Overall, going through the literature review made it clear to me as to why we’re working towards designing a 3D game with a bilingual interface meant to help and encourage first-generation students on their journey to postsecondary education.

This week’s Craft of Research had my teammates and I work through creating a problem statement for our project. Similarly to reading through the literature review, writing down a problem statement helped me clearly understand what our project is about and what it intends to accomplish while connecting it to our target audience and the scenario they find themselves in. My team and I also played through a Facebook game called Mission: Admission that was created to improve a student’s college-going efficacy and their knowledge on how to build a strong college application. We discussed our likes, dislikes, and suggestions for improvements with each other and eventually with our grad student mentors. I found the experience to be very insightful as it helped me to start thinking about how we are going to create our 3D game. To further address this area, we’ll start learning more about game mechanics and possibly play some games to gain inspiration for our game’s design. By the way, if you want to gain a general idea of our research project, Curtis’s post “Week 2 – C++” does a great job of providing a detailed overview of what the project is, its goals, and some of the main steps to be taken.

Besides working through the research project, we’ve also all done some pretty fun activities. I went to an escape room for the first time, and it was cool how the shelves were secret doors. I can’t wait to go to an escape room again, especially with my cousins. The next day some of us volunteered to help at a bike shop organized by We-Cycle. Tim and I worked through removing bike pedals. I admire how Tim likes to take charge and push himself to accomplish something; some of those pedals were extremely difficult to remove due to rust. After helping out, we were all rewarded with bikes for the summer. I can’t believe I’ve actually been finding the confidence to ride my bike to the office and sometimes even to the dining hall all on my own, but I guess Curtis is right: riding a bike through campus is pretty enjoyable. On Tuesday we had a movie night and watched The Empire Strikes Back. I didn’t really say anything at the time except to my roommate Ayman, but I guess I might as well write here that I’m also a big Star Wars fan and, like Amy, I find the prequels (they exist to me) to have a place in the franchise with Revenge of the Sith being one of my favorites. Oh, we also did yoga on Thursday. That was interesting and relaxing I must admit (I’m glad I found a spot at the back though).

We started the week off by learning C++. I had already learned C++ alongside C and assembly language a couple of semesters ago, and considering my knowledge of Java, I found the material to be quite easy. Still, it felt nice to go over the basics and complete the challenges provided, and I also got to explore vectors for the first time. What I enjoyed most from these sessions was checking in on my teammates where I answered any of their questions, guided them when they got stuck, and tried my best at explaining conditionals and classes. I realize object-oriented programming can be difficult to grasp as it demands abstract thinking, but I’m sure with time it’ll become easier to comprehend even for those who are currently struggling with it, especially since we have Nick and Adam who do a great job at teaching. In the following weeks, we’ll learn about modeling and unity. I have no clue what those are.

Besides learning C++, we also began to have luncheon lectures. I appreciate the talks given by James Oliver and Eliot. When I first heard about PhD programs this past year, I thought that they were meant for those who want to be professors (…I can’t imagine myself as a professor). However, James and Eliot made it clear that those with a PhD may choose to enter academia or the industry when deciding where to work and that, overall, grad school is extremely beneficial for opening up a multitude of opportunities. Now I’m starting to understand the value of continuing my education beyond my undergraduate degree (and why my major advisor wastes no moment to tell me about grad school). I already plan on pursuing a master’s or a PhD degree, though I’m still not sure what exactly for, but maybe I’ll have some idea by the end of the summer.

We got to hear more about each project, and though I do share the same overwhelming feeling as my peers, I am sure we’ll all do well, and I’m also quite excited to get started. My group and I then met our faculty and grad student mentors. We gained further insight behind the project and how it came to be, and we also got to learn more about each other at a sandwich shop; the food was really good there!

On Friday, we got to explore the different projects happening at VRAC. I’ve heard about virtual reality before, but I’ve never seen what it is or experienced it in person. Everything seemed so real! Also, when we did the campus tour the other day, it was my first time learning about and seeing a 3D printer, and on Friday, I got to be inside one and see how it works through vr! That was kind of crazy. 

My favorite activities on Friday was doing the team building exercises. Curtis, Kristi, and I had to address the problem of our customer Nadya which was her exhaustion after a day of classes. We decided to focus on the physical toll she has from carrying her heavy tote bag of textbooks, notebooks, and other materials. I was randomly given the role of a squire, so I basically had to do everything I was told. I liked my role because well I already do whatever I’m told, but I was also able to provide lots of ideas and guidance on what it is we would want to create and how to do it that I ended up doing what I had mostly imagined. Kristi and Curtis did an amazing job at designing, enhancing, and putting together the ideas we all shared, and in the end, we were able to produce a model of the Tote Bag Roller which would let Nadya roll her tote bag and even herself around without needing to carry anything. I attached a picture of it below (I think it’s pretty neat).

We then worked with our grad student mentors. I enjoyed getting to hear more about them and the project that my mind was already filling up with a bunch of ideas to explore. I do find it interesting how I share a similar experience with the subjects of our research project. As we created the scenery depicting our vision of our research process in the next 9 weeks, the sense of uncertainty came to arise again, but I agree with Curtis: as long as we can hone in on a specific goal/problem and maintain focus on that one thing, we’ll be fine.

I enjoyed seeing the vast open farmlands as Heliya, Ayman, and I made our way from the airport to the beautiful campus of Iowa State University. Compared to my small college where there’s a bunch of trees, squirrels, and sometimes even foxes and deer roaming around, the campus here feels like a whole city. When I met the other interns, mentors, and faculty members and learned more about the program, I knew I was about to experience a fun and memorable summer. They are all very nice and welcoming people and the sense of deep exploration and discovery involved with research feels exciting. Just from hearing Stephen and Eliot as they provided more insight about the program, I found myself opening my mind more to thinking critically about situations and the seemingly endless possibilities of questions one can ask when approaching them. I enjoyed all the group activities we’ve been doing. Sharing and combining my ideas with Rebekah when designing our food app and struggling to maintain upright our tall spaghetti tower with Curtis and Kristi was really fun. Hearing more about people’s background and learning new facts about Iowa during the group dinners was also pretty cool, and though I don’t know how to play volleyball at all, I still had a great time just being with everyone. I’ve been working on getting myself more involved socially the past school year by always visiting my professors, attending talks/workshops, doing volunteer work, and saying hi to those I recognize, but this is next level. I think I’m doing fine though, and I hope I’ll be able to continue pushing myself in speaking up a little bit more. With everyone being so supportive, I’m excited to learn and even struggle as we head into the realm of research where we will explore ideas and discover together what works and doesn’t work and why.