Peter LoBue

This intense, three month project began with evaluating the IT help-desk facing interface of an implementation of ServiceNow, a SaaS IT service desk solution. We researched previous helpdesk metrics, user requirements, functional specifications and ITIL-based process documents. After user testing with agents from India, we presented the client with a prioritized list of recommendations to improve the interface based on budget restrictions and technical limitations of the platform.

During phase 2 of the project, we designed, created and iterated on a prototype of an employee-facing IT services portal that included incident reporting, self-help articles, tutorials, and an e-commerce style ordering system. We conducted testing sessions with employees from every region of the world.

The prototype was the basis for a system deployed to the company's 100,000+ employees and translated into 12 languages.

While attending the HPI School for Design Thinking, I also worked as a student researcher on the team for Tele-Board, a digital whiteboard system (part of the HPI-Stanford Design Thinking Research Project). I implemented some new features to help manage the virtual space on a SMART Board®, and then designed and conducted an experiment to test them.

My findings were published at HCI International 2011, July 9-14 in Orlando, Florida.

Abstract:
Digital whiteboard systems can simulate an infinite amount of surface area on a single display; however the hardware's limited size necessitates supplementary virtual tools to navigate the area. In what ways does this less convenient setup hinder established collaborative workflows? Participants in our pilot study were asked to synthesize data on either a traditional whiteboard setup with multiple touch displays or a single display that had to be navigated virtually. Results show that working under the restrictions of a single display required slightly more time, yet workflows could continue. Users accepted the visual restriction as a condition of working with a digital system. Team members were also impelled to work more closely together, which both helped and hurt collaboration.

Poster (.pdf) • SpringerLink page

For my capstone project at Temple University, I analyzed and categorized the types of knowledge needed for solving an RTE dataset. I then set up and conducted an experiment where other students evaluated how well-defined the categories were.

The results were published at ACM's Association for Computational Linguistics: Human Language Technologies 2011 conference, June 19-24, 2011 in Portland, Oregon.

Abstract:
Understanding language requires both linguistic knowledge and knowledge about how the world works, also known as common-sense knowledge. We attempt to characterize the kinds of common-sense knowledge most often involved in recognizing textual entailments. We identify 20 categories of common-sense knowledge that are prevalent in textual entailment, many of which have received scarce attention from researchers building collections of knowledge.

Poster (.pdf) • ACM Digital Library page

Airport security was the topic of our twelve-week project at the HPI D-School in Germany. The project's sponsor, the "Director of the 'Security Research Master Plan' Agency" from the Brandenburg Economic Development Board liked the presentation of our research results so much that he invited us to present them at a workshop for the top airport security experts in Germany. According to him, our fifteen minute presentation summed up the issue of airport security better than any security official could.

Simplified and translated presentation (.pdf)

I implemented a delay-tolerant networking protocol in C++ to send information between low-range wireless devices. Fellow students and I then ran an experiment with pedestrians, bicyclists, moving robots and an RC airplane to observe how the data propagated throughout the network.

National Science Foundation funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU), SURF-IT 2009 at University of California Santa Cruz

Poster (.pdf) • Project page