HCIL Service Grants
REQUEST FOR SMALL SERVICE GRANT PROPOSALS
U.S. Holocaust Museum was selected to be this year's HCIL Service Project Partner. On April 26, the lab visited the Museum and helping to refine some on-going digital initiatives.
Imagine a group of 20-30 dedicated individuals with extensive computer knowledge who want to make your life easier by working with you for one day to find a solution to a technology-related problem..............
The University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL), a leader in the field of HCI is currently reviewing proposals for small service grants. We are offering our expertise for free on a project that would help improve an organization's day-to-day functioning by taking advantage of our strengths which include expert review, task analysis, contextual inquiry, software development and more. Our goal is to help make the world a better place with the use of HCIL methods, skills, and techniques. The HCIL will be available for one day in April 2007 for this project.
BACKGROUND
The Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) at the University of Maryland conducts research on advanced user interfaces and their development processes. Interdisciplinary research teams study the entire technology development life-cycle which includes the initial technology design, implementation issues, and evaluation of user performance. Through this work we have developed new theories, methodologies, and technologies.
Our current work includes new approaches to: information visualization, interfaces for digital libraries, multimedia resources for learning communities, zooming user interfaces (ZUIs), technology design methods with and for children, and instruments for evaluating user interface technologies.
ELIGIBILITY
The HCIL will accept proposals from non-profit organizations, schools, libraries, community centers or other organizations that demonstrate financial or personnel need and do not have the resources to pursue computer related help on their own. The HCIL will not accept proposals from political, religious or for profit organizations.
SERVICE PROJECTS
Projects should be concise enough to be completed in one day and will take place at our site or the awardees. We will get together a large group of 20-30 HCIL members with expertise in computing technology, interaction and design, usability studies, digital libraries, children, etc. We expect to follow up with a short report afterwards of how the project worked for the awardee. Project examples include usability support, website critiques, technology consultation, design session, improving information access for seniors and/or minorities, improving computer usability in schools, libraries and retirement communities.
PAST SERVICE PROJECTS
During 2005-2006 the HCIL completed the following service projects:
2005 Call for Proposals were not limited to one day.
Forum One Communications: Backyard Jungle User Experience Review
The HCIL conducted a usability study on the PBSkids.com Backyard Jungle website, using two Kids Team research sessions to review and suggest improvements on their design from a child's perspective.
The Institute for End User Computing, Inc: End User Computing Survey
A formal survey and a Wiki on Computer Rage were developed. Interested in what drives people mad and makes them want to do most grievous violence against their computers, The Institute for End User Computing wanted to see how they could get around these problems. Ultimately, they are trying to figure out how to design future systems where these problems won't arise in the first place.
Center for Renaissance & Baroque Studies, University of Maryland: Making Lesson Plans Accessible to Teachers
The Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies organizes summer workshops for teachers. One of the outcomes of these workshops are lesson plans. CRBS asked HCIL for help in creating a database of these lesson plans for easier accessibility. Once CRBS has the lesson plans in a database there are many ways they may choose to make them available to teachers.
HCIL ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS
To find out more about what the HCIL is involved in on a daily basis, examples of current and past HCIL research projects can be found at: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/research/
DEADLINE
Proposals will be accepted until February 9, 2007.
Decisions will be made by March 9, 2007.
Project implementation is scheduled for April 2007.
FORMAT
Proposals should consist of a one page description of the project stating the preferred project location, who will benefit from it and the
feasibility
of completing the project in one day keeping in mind the wide range of expertise at the HCIL. A modest follow-up session to answer questions about the project is also a possibility. In addition, feel free to include relevant brochures, news articles, links to web pages, etc. Proposals should be sent to the HCIL at the address below either by paper or email.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP)
If it was your content before this project, it remains yours at the end. The HCIL does not ask for any rights to intellectual property that you bring to the project. As for the software, designs and/or study results that we create, that is typically owned by the HCIL who give the client a royalty-free license to use their work. The effect of this arrangement is that your organization is free, without payment, to use the work created by us. At the same time, we are able to reuse whatever we've built (i.e., not content that you've provided) in subsequent projects should we so wish. We do not have the ability to treat any of your IP as confidential.
CONTACT
Kiki Schneider, HCIL
AV Williams Bldg
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-2769
hcil-info [at] cs.umd.edu
