MSc Project Ideas - Summer 2024
- Nearly all of my projects are brain-related, with a few related-interest exceptions.
- Ideal project students are ones who are both good at development and designing nice-looking easy to use products.
- + - Good Programmers. * - Good Researchers.
- Before Emailing Me: Have a good idea in mind of what you might actually do. Do not just say "I'm interested in project X" without having a think first. I will ask you what your ideas are.
Priority Projects
Advanced Qualitative Analysis project*
This project is based purely on advanced qualitative analysis of data collected by prior students. To lead an analysis to a full extent, such that the insights can be published. The data is about peoples experiences self-evaluating their mental workload in different ways across time. The project involves getting to grips with complex conceptual theories relating to mental workload and related literature. Student requires evidence of good prior qualitative analysis written up.
People's Experiences of Neurotechnology*
With one of our industry partners, we want to reach the stage where we can tell whether data from the neurotechnology that they provide is in good/healthy ranges. The aim of this project will be to understand the designs, and run experiments with people to examine what the data says about participants in respect to the tasks given them. The aim is to produce design recommendations for the industry partner (Mendi) to give clear feedback to its users.
Gaming for Recovery Study*
We are highly interested in how people use high-effort, high-attention gaming as a form of recovery from work. Evidence shows people seek gaming experiences, despite being tiring themselves, as a way to recover from a busy day at work. This study will involve setting up a gaming space in the School of Computer Science, and studying how and when people use it, using qualitative and survey methods.
Additional Projects
Brain Scanner Study (requires early start)*
We want to run a specific study of good and bad high and low mental workload. The project will involve using an advanced fNIRS brain scanner in an experiment, and thus involves a lot of early prep. This is an extremely challenging task, that only one student in four has managed to a successful level, and typically only by starting to plan and work on the study from March/April ahead of the MSc Project, on top of their other study workload.
Mental Workload App+
This project involves building an app that allows people to record and visualise thier cognitive activity as a form of personal data. Ahead of this project, one of our researchers has collected a large dataset of peoples ratings of their mental workload from hour to hour. Another student has built a v0.1 prototype in react native. Subsequent projects have designed alternatives for the complex data (less literal presentation of e.g. desk time data and sleep quality data) that conceptually provides insights into what should be inferred from the data in combination. Thus this is a project that will focus on the realisation and implemenation of these designs. Student must present evidence of quality prior app building experience, ideally already in flutter, with good design. App building must involve no learning time from the student to achieve this project.
