Matching Items (1,362)
Filtering by
- Creators: Computer Science and Engineering Program
Description
Modern AI tools have made the process of developing chatbots easier than ever. This thesis explores designing and developing two chatbot personas for an event planning and networking application as well as a study about the user interactions with the personas in terms of conversational clarity, relevance of information, and user engagement.
The project began with the design of the two unique personas through a psychology framework called the Five Factor Model. Next, the design and architecture of the chatbot was created, using a loose retrieval augmented generation (RAG) structure, and a two layer API call to OpenAI’s API models. The main layer selects an intent function which is responsible for fetching relevant information from the database, and the second uses the returned data to formulate an appropriate response to the user. This backend server had a single endpoint. The frontend was created using React.js.
To conduct the study, users were asked to interact with both chatbots, while reflecting on their interactions with both. Findings from the study indicate that there was no significant difference in users’ perception of conversational clarity or relevance of information between the two chatbot personas which suggests that both were effective in delivering accurate and understandable content. However, there was a noticeable and statistically significant increase in user engagement with the casual chatbot. The results indicate that while clarity and relevance of information may not depend heavily on the persona, engagement is influenced slightly by chatbot persona.
ContributorsPatel, Khushi (Author) / Chavez Echeagaray, Maria Elena (Thesis director) / Clarck, Jo (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This honors thesis project is an extension of my computer science capstone project, Almanac: Idea to MVP. The capstone project involves an AI agentic workflow that takes in a product idea and generates a functional MVP, and this thesis project adds to its functionality by allowing a customer persona to provide feedback on the generated MVP and iterate on the final product. This project changes the static generation of MVPs into a dynamic, user-centered approach that allows for product iteration based on customer feedback.
ContributorsKelwalkar, Aditi (Author) / Osburn, Steven (Thesis director) / Kommuri, Sai Charan Tej (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Computing and Informatics Program (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
AdhereWear is a sustainable fashion venture aimed at extending the life cycle of custom apparel through the use of reusable, sticker-based designs. Traditional event-specific apparel often contributes to overproduction and waste, especially on college campuses where custom T-shirts are frequently produced for short-term use. AdhereWear offers an eco-friendly alternative by introducing modular, interchangeable stickers that can be applied to a base garment, allowing for easy customization across multiple events. This project explores product development, market testing, pricing models, and operational strategies to validate the feasibility of this approach. By combining creativity, sustainability, and user-centered design, AdhereWear empowers consumers to reduce garment waste and rethink how identity and apparel intersect.
ContributorsPerla, Ameyally (Author) / Agrawal, Saanvi (Co-author) / Gunti, Emilie (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / LaRosa, Julia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
Our campus hosts a substantial population of both Arab and Indian international students who both highly value henna as an artistic tool of cultural expression. This appreciation is never more deeply felt than during traditional events and religious holidays. Despite the demand and readily available audience, there is a noticeable lack of accessible and affordable henna services on campus. As a result, students either resort to paying costly prices for professional services off campus or attempt DIY, at-home solutions that more often than not, have inconsistent and undesirable outcomes. This gap in the market presents a unique opportunity for Henna Petals to deliver high-quality and authentic henna designs at student-friendly prices. By offering convenient, on-campus services, Henna Petals aims to encourage students to embrace and celebrate their cultural practices, even while being continents away.
ContributorsSiddappa, Tanu (Author) / Muraweh, Yasmine (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Cazier, Joseph (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This thesis will cover the trials, tribulations, and breakthroughs of American jazz legend Herbie Hancock from 1971-1984, specifically with regard to his contributions to technological and cultural innovation in the jazz/funk/rock fusion movement. I will draw heavily from his autobiography Possibilities, as it provides Herbie’s first-person account of many relevant events referenced in this thesis. I will cite his autobiography at the end of my paper, with numerous page and chapter references throughout as I quote and paraphrase. I will also use my background in data analytics to see what stories can be told using data from 1971-1984 on the dynamics of the people, instruments, and various technologies used in his productions through that time. I will aggregate data in Excel and produce charts and graphs that may represent statistically significant observations. For my defense, I will condense what is likely to be a 30-40 page paper (double spaced) into a more digestible slide presentation with infographics.
ContributorsSchumacher, Alex (Author) / Kocour, Michael (Thesis director) / Zhang, Mingyang (Committee member) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
With the growth of technology globally, the usage for hardware with Mixed Reality functionalities has expanded over the past few years. Specifically, its usage in an educational setting is something that warrants more research. Virtual Reality specifically is a form of experience that transports users into a different landscape for education. This paper explores the intricacies of a game developed in Virtual Reality to explore bartering as an educational tool. Specifically, it explores the game system that could use the benefits of Virtual Reality in educating users through experience. The hypothesis is that Virtual Reality can help facilitate this gaming experience to accomplish the goals aligned in the game overview.
ContributorsKamasamudram, Anuj (Author) / Johnson, Mina (Thesis director) / Wylie, Ruth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Thunderbird School of Global Management (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This thesis discusses the evolution of the gambling industry and the dark path we as a society are heading towards. One of the newest forms of gambling is through online sweepstake casinos, the newest poison, allowing players to gamble anywhere and anytime. Through this same sweepstake model, there is an identified arbitrage opportunity that I took advantage of during the fall 2024 semester.
ContributorsChumbley, Braylen (Author) / Pofahl, Geoff (Thesis director) / McKee, Kyle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / School of Accountancy (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
This thesis analyzes and compares the arguments, bold claims, and passionate beliefs that have shaped vegetarian literature for years. By exploring how authors have used their writing to argue for a plant-based diet, I uncover how these arguments connect and what they reveal about society’s deep-rooted beliefs. Through this thesis, I show that literature plays a crucial part in shaping our understanding of ethical and logical issues, and how these discussions about food go deeper than what’s on our plates–they’re about building a society that values ethics, logic, and compassion.
ContributorsNeddoff, Emma (Author) / Barca, Lisa (Thesis director) / Meloy, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
Modern Grind is a local coffee shop located in Avondale, AZ and is currently struggling with high employee turnover. Being a small, family owned business, high turnover can be detrimental to the company, causing high costs and lost revenues as well as a decrease in employee motivation and satisfaction. We utilized the help of our team to conduct interviews and a survey of current baristas to understand and answer the question, “What motivates baristas to stay at their job for as long as they have?”, because determining underlying motivations, whether it be financial rewards, growth opportunities, recognition, etc, is crucial to determining how to help Modern Grind with their turnover issue. After conducting our research, we analyzed the data and found out that growth opportunities and recognition play a huge role in baristas' motivation, satisfaction, and overall commitment to their company. Additionally, having a structured workplace and training schedule was important to employee and company growth and success. Finally, utilizing our research, we created an employee incentive plan and program for Modern Grind to implement in the years going forward to decrease employee turnover and increase not only the motivation of their employees, but also of the owners.
ContributorsSingh, Prioska (Author) / Bressner, Lyndi (Co-author) / Moore, James (Thesis director) / Koretz, Lora (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2025-05
Description
Abstract
South Bend Drive: An Original Album and Creative Reflection is a joint senior thesis project by Sophie Gerardi and Oscar Frias that documents the conception, creation, and recording of an eight-track original album. Born out of their shared love for music and a relationship that began with a songwriting session, this project intertwines artistic development with personal growth. Over the course of two semesters, the duo collaborated with their bandmates and producer to write, refine, and record songs that trace their relationship’s evolution, express their individual and collective values, and showcase their creative synergy. Each song explores different stages of their journey, from infatuation and uncertainty to distance, faith, and commitment, offering both musical and emotional depth. The process revealed key insights about humility, collaboration, and the importance of letting go of initial visions to serve a greater creative purpose. These lessons extend beyond music into their professional aspirations: Sophie’s path toward nursing and Oscar’s career in financial advising. The album stands not only as a musical artifact, but also as a metaphor for the life they hope to build together, one shaped by selflessness, growth, and enduring love.
ContributorsFrias Martinez, Oscar (Author) / Gerardi, Sophie (Co-author) / Schmidt, Peter (Thesis director) / Pofahl, Geoff (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2025-05