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Bachelor & master theses in the research field of human-computer interaction
We offer thesis topics for bachelor and master level of the study programmes media informatics, computer science, software engineering, and cognitive systems.
Below you can find an uptodate list of topic suggestions. Of cource, we are open to discuss any proposals by students in our research field. The descriptions are partially only visible inside the campus net.
If you are interested, please directly get in touch with a research associate of the research group.
Overview of currently available thesis topics (bachelor level)
Overview of currently available thesis topics (master level)
Details about individual topics
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
The aim of this thesis is to conceptualize and test AI-based interaction in autonomous vehicles. A related work research should be conducted and interdisciplinary, learning psychological, didactic and information science approaches should be considered.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Annika Stampf
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description:
The aim of this thesis is to investigate how trust and acceptance is influenced if the driving style of an autonomous vehicle is adapted to the current state of a user. A prototype should be implemented in Unity and a user study should be conducted.
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
The aim of these thesis topics is to investigate how to aid people with various impairments with the possibilites of future technologies.A related work research should be conducted and interdisciplinary, learning psychological, didactic and information science approaches should be considered.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Annika Stampf
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description:
The aim of this work is to investigate what anthropomorphic features can be used in in-vehicle interfaces (such as physiological signals, e.g. heart beat or a nudge to the driver from the vehicle). These identified features should be implemented prototypically in a VR environment with Unity. Subsequently, a user study should be conducted to evaluate whether those identified features have a positive impact on passengers' trust in HAVs.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: How can human-computer interfaces (e.g., via wearables, robots, AR/VR, smart vehicles, fabrication, habitats, etc.) support humans‘ physical and mental performance in space? This thesis aims to investigate the unique interplay of human-computer interaction (HCI) and space exploration. A prototype of a computer interface in space should be implemented in VR, and the defined concepts should be evaluated by conducting a user study.
Supervisor: Albin Zeqiri
Level: Bachelor & Master
Clicktivism and slacktivism are terms used to describe the phenomenon of people engaging in online activism by taking simple actions, such as liking or sharing a post, without necessarily committing to more substantial or sustained efforts towards a cause. Goals of theses in this area are to explore how widely used clicktivism design mechanisms influence one's motivation in regard to taking real-world action. Researching the effects of clicktivism on real-world action can help understand its potential impact, identify best practices, examine social media's role, and address criticisms of slacktivism. Based on bachelor or master level, the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Albin Zeqiri
Level: Bachelor & Master
The efficiency paradox (also known as "rebound effect") is the concept that increases in resource efficiency can lead to higher consumption, which offsets the environmental benefits. For example, energy-efficient light bulbs may lead to decreased energy consumption per bulb, but leaving them on for longer periods could increase overall energy consumption. Without addressing the issue, sustainable transitions will remain challenging, and environmental issues will persist or even worsen. The goal of theses on this topic is to design and evaluate countermeasures to mitigate these effects. Based on Bachelor or Master level the thesis is adapted.
Supervisor: Luca-Maxim Meinhardt
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description
The first thing we do when we get up and the last thing we do before we go to sleep is to look at our phone to check for new notifications and search for new content on social media. Unfortunately, our dependence on technology is already so deeply integrated into our habits that we do not even realize how often we use our phones. On the one hand, this addiction harms us by being less focused due to distraction via notifications. Additionally, it is said that social media contributes to our attention span getting smaller. On the other hand, technology usage is also harming our social interactions during face-to-face interactions. For example, some people focus on their phones instead of engaging in a conversation, decreasing its quality. Recent trends in wearable technology, such as smartwatches and AR glasses, might even deteriorate this behavior. Therefore, new methods and interactions must be found to nudge people towards healthier technology usage and change their habits unconsciously.
Supervisor: Luca-Maxim Meinhardt
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description
The human peripherical vision provides us with information without shifting our focus from the primary task. This is particularly interesting since peripheral vision demands less cognitive load. So information that is positioned at the edge of the field of view can be received unconsciously without drawing attention. A prominent example is car driving since only a short moment of inattention might end in serious accidents. However, even daily struggles with loud and attention-drawing smartphone notifications that distract from working might be solved calmly with peripherical displays. In order to enable this concept, Augmented Reality glasses are the key since they provide us with wearable displays attached to our view.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: The aim of this thesis is to investigate how to utilize one or multiple drones as a user interface and exploring the design space thereof. A related work research should be conducted, and a prototype built upon existing quadcopters can be designed and implemented. Finally, the defined hypothesis may be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Albin Zeqiri
Level: Bachelor & Master
Environmental labels play a significant role in shaping our behavior towards the environment. Understanding the meaning of eco-visualizations can help consumers make informed and sustainable purchase decisions. However, current eco-visualizations are often complex and difficult to comprehend, leading to a lack of action and confusion among consumers. The Awareness-Behavior Gap describes this issue. Personalized eco-visualizations tailored to individual behavior patterns and lifestyles could be a solution to this problem. This project aims to develop concepts, prototypes, and solutions to integrate personalized context into eco-visualizations and evaluate their effectiveness in user studies.
Betreuer: Tobias Wagner
Level: Bachelor & Master
Beschreibung: The goal of this project is to develop a technology-enhanced learning tool that supports language learners in learning new vocabulary through watching TV shows and movies. You will evaluate the system in terms of usability and explore its effects on learners’ learning success and motivation.
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
These topics aim to look at how autonomous vehicles can be used in the future besides transportation. For example, an autonomous vehicle standing at the side could monitor its surroundings and warn both pedestrians and oncoming vehicles of potential threats.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Luca Meinhardt and Jana Funke
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description: Based on literature research and related work, this thesis will aim for a solution to boost our self-control in phone usage. Our goal is to help people establish healthier smartphone usage by nudging them to do sports instead of browsing the phone.
Supervisor: Annika Stampf
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description:
The aim of this work is to design and prototypically implement an in-vehicle avatar, which is able to adapt to the appearance of a passenger, for example by using DeepFake. The avatar should be further able to mimic the passenger. Subsequently, a user study should be conducted to evaluate whether similarity and mimicry have positive impacts on passengers trust in highly automated vehicles.
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
The aim of these thesis themes is to investigate which information needs there are in the case of highly automated driving when no actual involvement of the human driver is needed. A related work research should be conducted and interdisciplinary, learning psychological, didactic and information science approaches should be considered.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
The aim of this thesis is to conceptualize and test information needs and/or external communication necessity in autonomous helicopters. A related work research should be conducted and interdisciplinary, learning psychological, didactic and information science approaches should be considered.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Jana Funke
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description:
The goal is to implement a smart tool using any kind of Hard- and Software (AR, Eyetracking, Motion Capture, Smartphone) that motivates or even convinces people to stand up and move at least a bit. In a following study the tool should be tested and evaluated.
Supervisor: Annika Stampf
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description:
The aim of this work is to design new implicit in-vehicle interaction concepts for highly automated vehicles (HAVs). These concepts should be implemented with Unity (in a driving simulator or VR environment). Subsequently, a user study should be conducted to evaluate whether those concepts have a positive influence on passengers’ trust, acceptance, and user experience in HAVs.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: This thesis aims to create an interface concept for explainable in-vehicle AI in automated vehicles. Related work research should be conducted, and a virtual reality prototype should be designed and implemented. Finally, the created interface should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Annalisa Degenhard
Level: Bachelor / Master
The aim of this thesis is to explore the phenomenon of presence in virtual reality. A literature analysis should be conducted. By designing a suitable virtual environment a hypothesis on the behavior of presence will be tested in a user study. The goal is to get insights into how users perceive virtual environments and to draw conclusions on how they should be designed to improve the experience of virtual reality.
Betreuer: Tobias Wagner
Level: Bachelor & Master
Beschreibung: This thesis aims to develop a tool for sharing gaze and gesture cues to improve communication between the teacher and learners in video conferencing systems. You will evaluate the tool in terms of usability and explore the effects of nonverbal cue sharing on learning, co-presence, and interaction between teacher and students.
Supervisor: Luca-Maxim Meinhardt
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description
Imagine the scenario that you need to translate a document in a foreign language that you are not familiar with. You will probably look for an online translator such as Google Translator or DeepL and just copy the translator’s output. But how can you trust this translation? How can you be sure that the translation is precisely what you are trying to say? Prominent examples are sayings that might have no meaning if translated word by word. But since you are not familiar with the language, you cannot verify if the online translator grasped the hidden meaning behind the saying. Current online translators lack this explainability. They provide multiple alternatives for the translated phrase, but there is no explanation about why these alternatives were shown and how well they suit the inputted text.
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description:
Autonomous vehicles will change the way we interact with such systems. As a driver could be missing, these vehicles will likely be equipped with, for example, displays to communicate with pedestrians or cyclists. But how will this effect traffic on a larger scale? Will traffic flow be higher? Will there be a reduction of CO2 gases?
The aim of this thesis is to define requirements for a simulation of traffic with inclusion of varying degrees of eHMIs and to implement such in a traffic simulation (e.g., SUMO). This includes a literature survey on eHMIs and the definition of well-grounded assumptions on the future behavior of pedestrians.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Making Drive-AI
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
The aim of this thesis is to build a possibility to educate the general public about driving-related Artificial Intelligence. A related work research should be conducted and interdisciplinary, learning psychological, didactic and information science approaches should be considered.
Based on bachelor/master level, the scope is adapted.
Obstacle-Avoidance and Path Visualisation in Urban Air Mobility
Supervisor: Luca-Maxim Meinhardt
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description
This thesis aims to test different kinds of obstacle-avoidance visualization during bad weather conditions in Urban Air Mobility. Furthermore, investigations should be conducted regarding path visualizations of the own vehicle and other vehicles in order to support the passenger‘s mental model of the flying urban traffic. A prototype should be designed and implemented in VR that investigates the concepts mentioned above in a user study.
Supervisor: Luca-Maxim Meinhardt
Level: Bachelor & Master
Description: Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has started to gain increasing interest in future mobility. Unlike conventional transportation such as buses and trains, flying taxis will not be limited to predefined routes, thus avoiding transportation delays. Hence, the vision is to create a network of flying vehicles operating in metropolitan areas to connect short and medium distances.
Experts predict that the first UAM vehicles will lift passengers in the mid 2020th. In fact, the first crewed flight of the German start-up Volocopter successfully ran 2019 in Singapour.
UAM will shift air mobility from the current mass transportation to a relatively private ride with 2-4 passengers, which creates new interesting aspects for HCI research since the passengers are focused.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: This thesis aims to create a concept for an AI-based interaction or intention prediction that can be applied in vehicles. A related work research should be conducted. Besides, a virtual reality prototype should be designed and implemented that investigates several of these aspects. Finally, the defined hypothesis should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Mark Colley
Level: Bachelor & Master
The aim of this thesis is to define requirements for remote control of multiple automated vehicles.
A user-centered design process shall be undergone, a prototype implemented, and a usability study should be conducted.
Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Albin Zeqiri
Level: Bachelor & Master
Goals of theses in this area cover the development of new, interactive concepts that introduce living materials or even microorganisms into hardware and map its respective needs to various device functionalities. Based on bachelor or master level, the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: The aim of this thesis is to explore a suitable use case for shape changing interfaces in automated vehicles. A related work research should be conducted and a prototype, e.g., in virtual reality should be designed and implemented that investigates several of these aspects. Finally, the defined hypothesis should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the applicability of asymmetric multi-user AR and arising social dynamics. For this, a prototype based on the ShARe concept (see images) should be designed and implemented. Finally, the defined hypothesis should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: The aim of this thesis is to investigate the social interplay of multiple passengers in a highly automated vehicle in a ride-sharing scenario. A related work research should be conducted, and a multiplayer virtual reality prototype should be implemented. Finally, the defined hypothesis should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Betreuer: Annalisa Degenhrad
Level: Bachelor & Master
Beschreibung: Goal of this thesis is to investigate VR exposure scenarios for trauma therapy of childhood sexual abuse can be designed to reduce drop out rates. Therefore, to different approaches to create the patients' childhood room together with the therapists will be developed. In subsequent trials, stress and presence will be measured to compare the effectiveness of both approaches.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: The aim of this thesis is to build a low-cost high fidelity motion simulator in virtual reality based on a motorized wheelchair. A related work research should be conducted, and interdisciplinary and information science approaches should be considered. A prototype based on existing hardware should be designed and implemented that investigates several of these aspects. Finally, the defined hypothesis should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Pascal Jansen
Level: Bachelor / Master
Description: The aim of this thesis is to investigate how to prime drivers for a takeover, to increase effectiveness, reduce driving errors, and to make the takeover as relaxing as possible. A related work research should be conducted and a prototype using the existing SwiVR-Car-Seat should be designed and implemented that investigates these aspects. Finally, the defined hypothesis should be evaluated by conducting a study.
Supervisor: Albin Zeqiri
Level: Bachelor
Goals of theses in this area cover the development of new, interactive concepts that explicitly or implicitly induce behavior change regarding mobility choices. Theses include reviewing relevant literature, implementing, and evaluating the developed concepts. Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted.
Supervisor: Annalisa Degenhard
Level: Bachelor
The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether users tend to be more present ("the feeling of being there") in virtual environments if they don't know about their real-world surroundings. Therefore, a corresponding literature analysis should be conducted and a study should be designed to test this hypothesis.
Supervisor: Albin Zeqiri
Level: Bachelor
The aim of this thesis is to develop strategies that mitigate the effect of dark patterns in MR. This includes reviewing/categorizing relevant literature, implementing, and evaluating the developed concepts. Based on bachelor/master level the scope is adapted
