Who am I?

Hello! My name is Christopher Griffin and I am a 4th year Computer Science student from Florida A&M University. I plan to graduate in May of 2019. My expertise in programming is video game development, as I've developed multiple games using the Unity Engine.

In addition, I'm a proud alumni of the Marching 100 as a tenor saxophone player. I am a member of NSBE and was an Intel Scholar. Lastly, I'll be spending my last year of college on Google's campus as a part of their exchange program.

Mentor

My mentor is Dr. Kyla McMullen. She is an assistant professor at the University of Florida. She is in the Computer Science and Engineering Department and her primary area of reaserch is Human-Centered Computing. More information can be found on her website.

Research

The goal is my research is to inquire the most effective methods for visual cues for Augmented Reality use. Many different types of visual cues will be created and tested in order to discover which one will create the most desirable experience. The AR device of choice for the research is the Mircosoft Hololens and the programs were created using Unity.

Week 1:
I started on June 11. I became acclimated with the my colleagues and the research environments. I was introduced to my Terek Arce who is the lead of this project. My goal this week was to learn the in and outs of the Hololens Tool Kit.

Week 2:
I began to do background study on visual cues and also created the first two visual cue scenarios, one utliizing a particle effect as a navigation guide and the other focusing on sound. Because I did not have access to the Hololens at this time, these scenes were created using the Virtual Reality Tool Kit and HTC Vice.

Week 3:
After doing more background study, I created a visual cues utilizing spotlights, arrows, and map overlays. I also began to replicate a AR app navigation app known as Halo3D.

Week 4:
On this week, I finally was able to utilize the HoloLens and the Hololens Tool Kit and import some of my scenes. I finished the Halo3D test as well.

Week 5:
I created more test scenes utilizing light pillars, a UI direction indicator similar to the Halo3D test, and continued to import designs to the Hololens.

Week 6:
I began applying my different visual cues into an experiment application for the HoloLens. The cues I decided to include in the study were the arrow, particle effect, mini map, Halo3D, and an audio cue. The process of completing extended into the weekend where I spent most of my time in the lab.

Week 7:
I finished my study program and began to get volunteers. My first subject acted as a pilot, allowing me to modify the experiment. In particular, I found that the study ran too long (over an hour). So, I limited the amount of runs for each visual cue.

Week 8:
I continued running the study while also developing code in Python to analyze the data. I used Jupyter Notebook for this purpose. After I finished writing the code, I began writing my research paper using Overleaf and finishing this website.

Week 9:
This was my final week of the program. I spent this time finishing my research paper and my website, as well as saying goodbye. I had a great experience all around.