iSchool Capstone

2019

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Entree.ai

Entree.ai is a Google Assistant action that makes ordering meals via voice as easy as having a normal conversation. Entree.ai does this by combining a NLU model created specifically for food ordering, which allows it to process complex food order queries. This is bolstered alongside a conversational voice based user experience that is exactly that: conversational. Current solutions make voice-based food ordering possible, but nigh unusable. Entree.ai hopes to become an Uber Eats of voice, which if adopted at scale, can lead to increased sales for restaurants and more pleasant experiences for customers.
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Equitable Transit - Mobile Ticket App Enhancement for Equitable Access To Public Transportation System

King County Metro and Sound Transit look towards a future of cashless fare collection through the Transit GO Ticket mobile app. To ensure that technological advances are designed to meet the needs of all King County residents, our team studied barriers preventing marginalized riders (low-income, limited English proficiency and unbanked) from adopting the app. Our results revealed these riders recognize the app but never used it and would need some benefits to use it. Public transport designed with an inclusive approach will benefit all parties involved, ensure equitable access, increased usage/outreach and boost the economy towards a sustainable future.
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EthnoMed 2.0: Navigating through cross-cultural healthcare information with ease

EthnoMed, a web-based resource for healthcare providers to learn medical and cultural information about immigrants and refugees, has been struggling with its poor user experience. By identifying target user groups, digging into users’ pain points with extensive user research, crafting and iterating the website based on users’ feedback, Team Infothusiast came up with a refreshed design - EthnoMed 2.0. The new design not only brings a new look and feel to the site, but also improves the site’s information architecture and navigation, allowing providers to find information easily and quickly, thus attracting and retaining more users to the website.
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Faceliftr

People of various backgrounds suffer from different facial skin issues. Although there are many skincare products, skin varies and may react differently to products. FaceLiftr, an “all-in-one” platform, identifying and fixing skincare problems. By taking a photo of the user, FaceLiftr evaluates face health issues and recommends products to improve complexion and skincare. These products can be imported into a regimen builder that tracks user’s daily skincare routine. The users can share their routines with others, or use public routines. Regular checkups and new photos will also allow a user to track their progress closely, getting new recommendations over time.
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First Responder Information Coordinators (F.R.I.C.): A Tool For Faster 911 Response Times

You learn to call 911 in the event of an emergency, but what comes next? Our project aims to educate the public on how, and when to call 911. This includes getting the caller and the call receiver on the same page. Our solution is the creation of a virtual tool to document emergency incidents consistently. Having a standard incident form allows callers to be aware of what information is required by 911 for fast help. In an emergency, the caller is the real 'first responder', and with proper training you can be the difference between life or death!
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FoodFluence

Do you know the impact of your food choices? Whether you know it or not, every food you eat has its own unique impact on the environment. Foodfluence takes users on a journey that helps people understand how their food choices influence deforestation, groundwater contamination, water use, and other environmental issues. Our tool helps demystify your impact and provides climate-friendly alternatives that you can incorporate into your weekly grocery shopping trip to continue enjoying the foods you love.
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For Your Browsing Pleasure

Browsing for genre fiction and graphic novels is difficult for library users and staff with the current organization styles at Scenic Regional Library branches. Genres are inconsistently and incompletely labeled and graphic novels are organized in the 741.5s by author last name. In my proposal, I recommend the addition of more genre spine labels (fantasy/science fiction, romance, suspense) to the current use of mystery, religious fiction, and western. To make graphic novels more browser-friendly, I suggest disregarding the customary use of author name in the call number in favor of the series names to organize the materials on the shelf.
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From Aliens to Zorro: Resource Organization Proposal for the Macalester College Library Media Collections

The media collections of the Macalester College Library are organized in a less than optimal way, particularly the film collection, which is fragmented into nearly indistinguishable collections, which do not lend themselves well to patron engagement. As such, an organizational plan was constructed for these collections, synthesized from a literature review, observations taken at similar institutions, and a patron survey aimed at discovering the ways in which patrons wish to utilize media. The proposal called for a reorganizing of collections and the creation of a dedicated media space in order to better help the library to best meet those wishes.
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From Collections to Data: Assessing Opportunities to Transform Archival Materials into Data at University of Washington Special Collections

“From Collections to Data” analyzes UWSC holdings that can be used to develop, describe, make accessible, and support reuse of data derived from collection materials. UWSC has collections that are candidates for computational research, but the organization does not have the means, personnel, or infrastructure to make the data accessible. The developed report suggests how UWSC can provide access to datasets in the following sections: (1) background on the Collections as Data (CaD) movement through a case study analysis of cultural heritage institutions, (2) recommendations for developing a CaD initiative, and (3) suggested next steps for implementing a CaD project.
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From Datum to Data: A Qualitative Research Protocol for Studying Data Science in the Public Sector

This capstone project is a protocol intended for researchers conducting qualitative sociotechnical research on data science in the public sector. Its purpose is twofold. First, to design an interpretive qualitative study to further understanding of the as-of-yet understudied area of data science workers who operate in the public sector. Second, to produce a protocol that addresses persistent challenges in transparency within qualitative sociotechnical research by providing a toolkit for doing open, credible, and reproducible collection and analysis of qualitative data. As with data science research itself, this protocol borrows from multiple disciplines to allow for a high degree of usability.