1. HCC 831- Fundamentals of Human-Centered Computing
Fall 2013
PROJECT:
LifeSync
TEAM:
Helium Knights
TEAM MEMBERS:
Brian Gaines
Praveen Lobo
Goutham Pacha Ravi
Sagar Puro
Tiffanie Smith

2. Team Member
Responsibilities
Brian Gaines
Responsible for initial planning concept, survey
design, data collection, usability testing, visual
design, user experience, and aesthetics, literature
review, research guide, insight statements, how
might we statements, brainstorming, idea selection,
storyboarding, lo-fi prototyping, project proposal,
cognitive walkthrough presentation, experimental
research, creation of final presentation, creation of
final paper, IRB expedited approval
Praveen Lobo
Process site maintenance, creating google form for
the interviews, literature review, research guide,
insight statements, how might we statements,
brainstorming, idea selection, storyboarding, lo-fi
prototyping, project proposal, cognitive
walkthrough presentation, experimental research,
creation of final presentation, creation of final
paper, IRB expedited approval.
User interface design and database design of the
high fidelity prototype. Log in, Sign out,
Registration, Home Page, Socialize and Events
features of the high fidelity prototype
Goutham Pacha Ravi
Sagar Puro
Tiffanie Smith
Interviewing professionals associated with Graduate
School experience at Clemson University. Process
site maintenance, Designing Interaction elements
and flow for low-fidelity prototype of the
application. Developing Events and Calendar
functionalities for the high-fidelity prototype,
literature review, research guide, insight statements,
how might we statements, brainstorming, idea
selection, storyboarding, lo-fi prototyping, project
proposal, cognitive walkthrough presentation,
experimental research, creation of final
presentation, creation of final paper, IRB expedited
approval
Heuristic Evaluation, Design of usable interactive
system, User interviews, Literature review, research
guide, insight statements, how might we statements,
brainstorming, idea selection, storyboarding,
Concept design, lo-fi prototyping, project proposal,
, cognitive walkthrough presentation, experimental
research, creation of final presentation, creation of
final paper, IRB expedited approval
Literature review, research guide, insight
statements, how might we statements,
brainstorming, idea selection, storyboarding, lo-fi
prototyping, project proposal, cognitive
walkthrough presentation, experimental research,
creation of final presentation, creation of final
paper, IRB expedited approval

3. LifeSync: Relieving Stress and Fostering
Collaboration
Tiffanie Smith
Human-Centered
Computing,
School of Computing
Clemson University
Tiffan3@g.clemson.edu
Brian Gaines
Usability Testing Facility,
Department of English
Clemson University
blgaine@g.clemson.edu
Praveen Lobo
Computer Science
Division,
School of Computing
Clemson University
plobo@g.clemson.edu
ABSTRACT
The pressures and stress of obtaining a graduate degree can
often result in isolation amongst the students. We have
found that students closely rely on their friends for support
during these stressful times. Students may incline to
addiction if they do not find the motivation or support that
they expect from their peers. While there are in-house
resources available to students, they first must be
comfortable with reaching out for help. This may lead to
the students losing interest in studying or even dropping
out. We have designed a calendar-centered website that will
allow students to manage their time and schedules as well
as schedule academic and leisure events with their peers.
The website will allow graduate students to collaborate.
The user can join groups of different interests, they are free
to discuss academic related or any other issues with peers
and friends or with those encountering the same problems.
They can step out of solitude and meet up with friends to
unwind from the struggles of graduate school life.
Author Keywords
Design, Graduate Students, Stress, Usability, Web-based
Applications, Article, Stress, Human Factors.
ACM Classification Keywords
H.5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI):
Miscellaneous.
INTRODUCTION
Graduate students spend a large amount of time in isolation
on their multi-year journey to their degree. Graduate
education also involves many interpersonal stressors such
as the pressure to give the impression of an expert in front
of peers and professors, competition among peers, and
competition for research publications and scholarly
presentations. These social struggles often lead to
loneliness, anxiety, role confusion, and alienation (Katz &
Hartnett, 1976; Mallinckrodt, Leong, & Fretz, 1985;
Stecker, 2004). As a result of the stressors that graduate
students face, they may become less effective students, and
their personal and professional lives may suffer. A recent
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978-1-4503-18990/13/04...$15.00.
Sagar Puro
Department of Industrial
Engineering,
Clemson University
plobo@g.clemson.edu
Goutham Pacha Ravi
Computer Science
Division,
School of Computing
Clemson University
plobo@g.clemson.edu
study conducted by the Berkeley Graduate Student Mental
Health Survey, investigated the well being of both
American and international students. The study revealed
that about 45 percent experienced “an emotional or stressrelated problem that significantly affected their well-being
and/or academic performance” and 10 percent “seriously
considered suicide”. International students face an even
greater set of stressors. In addition to the typical stressors
and pressures of graduate studies, these students have to
adjust to a new language and culture; deal with financial
worries; navigate a foreign education system; and grapple
with feelings of loneliness and being homesick (Hyun,
Quinn, Madon & Lustig, 2007). Research has shown that
female students are more stressed out than their male
counterparts (Nelson, et. al, 2010; Dahlin, et.al 2005). In
terms of coping with stress, it was found that domestic and
international students both rely on friends as support group
after dealing with the issues via emotional and problem
oriented approaches, respectively (Sapranaviciute, et al
2012).
When a person is lonely, it often leads to more
psychological distress and creates health issues (Mahon et
al., 1993) Research indicates that loneliness is associated
with relatively poor physical health and depression among
students. (Lin, Shu-Hui, and Yun-Chen Huang. (2012)).
Loneliness is defined as the unpleasant experience that
occurs when a person’s network of social relationships is
deficient in some important way, including a lack of group
participation, a lack of belonging, not relating to others, and
feeling a lack of connection (Perlman & Peplau, 1981).
Loneliness is not just limited to social isolation; it is
possible that an individual can still feel lonely among
groups (Pinquart and Sorensen, 2001).
Overall, we found that most graduate students can relate to
the same stressors. The academic stress of meeting
deadlines and performing research acceptable to the
advisor’s standards was common amongst all levels of
surveyed students. Familial separation or lack of family
support was a common non-academic stressor.
OBJECTIVES
The goal of this project is to design a new system that aims
to neutralize the effects of isolation and provide support in

4. reaching the academic goals of graduate students. The
constraints of the project design implies a system that
would allow students to get organized in order to
accomplish their goals as well as help offset isolation by
supporting collaboration. In order to design a system that
was easily accessible to all the students at any point of time,
a website was developed which students can access even on
their mobile devices. A web-based application can assist
graduate students in organizing their schedule and allow
them to collaborate with friends and colleagues through a
shared calendar feature. Moreover, a shared calendar
feature would reduce the chances of isolation by allowing
users to organize time for social events with their friends.
Initial brainstorming sessions with the team gave some very
promising ideas. These ideas were funneled considering
what was practically possible to develop. We decided to
divide ourselves into subgroups of two members each and
design pages for our website. The concepts were combined
and the design was standardized for consistency. The initial
idea was to develop an application for a mobile that the
users can use whenever required. This concept was quickly
scrapped because of the lack of expertise of the team in app
development. We decided that creating a website would be
a better option as the user can login through his phone and
access it anywhere he wants.
In order to facilitate collaboration, the system should
include a feature that would allow intuitive sharing of
information and allows the users to not only record their
goals, but also to clearly identify when the goal has been
accomplished. The completion of goals should also be
easily identifiable and verifiable by a particular user’s peer
group within the framework of the application.
Features
The following features were developed for implementation
within the design of the web-based application:
 Profile and linked interests
 Allowing users to have friends and add them to
custom or prepopulated groups based on Interests
 A calendar of events
 Sharing calendars among friends, allowing public
events to be viewed while hiding private events.
 Allowing users to share interesting information or
academic information through groups
 Allowing users to ‘cheer up’ by providing them
with links to popular humor, music websites.
PROTOTYPE
A paper prototype was devised to demonstrate the login,
profile, calendar, and calendar comparison features of the
interface.
Figure 1. Low Fidelity Paper Prototype
Figure 2. Low Fidelity Paper Prototype Home Page
Initial ideas also included features like interactive alarm
clocks, a timeline to set goals, gamification of the concept
to help develop interest in the application, providing the
users with a health guide that would help them eat better
and reduce stress and to create an extensive forum that
would help in collaboration. Other ideas, such as utilizing a
mobile device’s accelerometer and incorporating music to
be played after a certain distance walked were proposed
during the brainstorming sessions. Although some of these
ideas indicated positive benefits to the user and would have
increased the use and functionality of the product
tremendously, the team realized that it would be difficult to
implement those features in the allotted timeframe. Instead,
the design team decided to pursue the features that focused
upon collaboration, in order to streamline the design
process and to meet the early December deadline.
The team decided that users would log in to their profile
using the Clemson University (g.clemson) user
identifications. This identification will log them into their
Google account and import their calendar and other events.
This would be beneficial as it would not only provide
security and authorization to the users but also allow them
to sync their calendar and events with Google calendar.

5. Further, the ethos of the Google brand can serve to ensure
trust among users of the interface.
and the friend’s calendar side by side for easy and quick
comparison.
The homepage (Figure 2) was the main design challenge
that the team struggled with. What information to provide
in the home page and how user friendly and understandable
it will be to the users were the two main issues. We decided
to have a minimalistic approach, where the user will be
greeted with the question asking him about the state of his
mind. The user can choose if he is sad, lonely or happy.
Depending upon his choice the website will provide the
user with a set of activities that will help him/her cope with
the situation and prevent it from getting worse. The
homepage will have three other tabs that were linked to
each other to help provide all the functionality of the
website. The user can create events, he can access his
calendar and can choose to socialize with his friends if he
desires. These three menu items form the backbone of the
website.
These pages acted as the guidelines for further iterations.
Figure 3. Low Fidelity Paper Prototype Friend’s
Calendar View.
The events tab would help them create an event by selecting
the date and time and send invitations to other inviting them
to the event. The user can choose to keep the event private
or chose to make it public for others to view. Events can
also be created though the calendar option by comparing
one’s calendar to someone else’s. Other users in a person’s
friend’s list will have the option of sharing certain events
from their calendar with other users or not share their
calendar with some users. The user can request someone in
his/her list to share his or her calendar. Once the calendar is
shared the user can check the availability of the other
person and invite him/her for an event. An email
notification would be sent to the user on invitation. The
compare calendar feature would place the user’s calendar
Prototype Testing
The team went through multiple iterations of every page on
testing it with the users and obtaining feedbacks. The team
wanted to be certain that the features were intuitive to the
users as well and that they found the interface easy to use.
The team decided to administer a group of volunteers with
three tasks varying in the level of difficulty:
Low- Creating a user profile.
Medium- Locating a specified calendar date for a user
profile.
High- Comparing calendars in order to create events.
The usability testing participants, comprised of staff
members of Clemson University’s Multimedia Authoring
Teaching And Research Facility (MATRF), were asked to
perform a series of tasks and to utilize a think-aloud
protocol in order to obtain extensive feedback (Redish and
Dumas, 1999). Prior to the actual testing, the participants
were given the task of assembling a ballpoint pen to
demonstrate the think-aloud protocol and to develop a
rapport prior to testing (Redish and Dumas, 1999). The
think-aloud protocol was recorded via digital video, and
notes were taken on the responses of each participant. At
the conclusion of the test, a Standard Usability Scale (SUS)
survey was administered to the participants. The SUS was
chosen as it has been determined to be an effective tool for
measuring usability (Bangor, et. al., 2009). The results of
the SUS surveys were compared to the videos and the notes
to identify potential usability issues and to inform future
iterations of the interface.
Results
The prototypes received an overall positive response. The
results of the SUS were calculated using the method of
scoring a range of 0-4 in a Likert-type scale over 10
questions. For questions 1,3,5,7, and 9, the score
contribution is 1 minus the scale position. For items 2,4,6,8,
and 10, the score is five minus the scale position. The mean
score of the SUS among the participants was 76, which can
be described as being “above average”. Additionally,
comments from the usability test participants during the
think-aloud protocol indicated positive interactions with the
interface prototype.
Anecdotal data from the think-aloud protocol provided a
wealth of potential usability issues, and provided a
framework to inform future iterations of the interface

6. design. Approximately 40% of the participants failed to
notice the Compare feature in regards to comparing two or
more calendars. A majority of the participants were either
opposed to push notifications, or were not familiar with the
concept in those terms. Other usability concerns derived
from the anecdotal data included an automatic time and
date fill on the Calendar feature, the positioning of certain
buttons, such as “Home” and “Share”, and the lack of an
intuitive and discernable way to view the “Week at a
Glance” feature. Most users felt the need for “Exit”,
“Back”, “Cancel”, and “Done” buttons for the interface.
three most important features, i.e., Calendar, New
Event and Socialize in an interactive button.
Design changes were made to the prototype
implementing the feedback obtained from the users.
The users are suggested a list of activities they can
perform, if they specify that they are
happy/sad/lonely by clicking on the emoticons
which indicate the mood.

All pages have a weather widget and a clock to
keep the user informed

Most of the users had positive reactions to such features as
the iTunes-like scrolling of the friend’s profiles in Calendar
View mode, stating it was intuitive, made the interface “fun
to use”, and increased their understanding of the interface
based on the correlation to existing applications.

The New Event feature lets users create an event
with the description, time, etc., and once the event
is created it is added to the user’s list of events.

The Event table is color coded, i.e., events that the
user marks as urgent will be displayed in a reddish
hue, events that are marked as regular will have a
greenish hue, etc.

The Calendar feature lets the users view their own
calendars, their event list and their friend’s events.

The Socialize, one of the most striking features of
our application, as it has two components to it, i.e.,
Friends and Groups.
by
Discounted usability testing techniques such as heuristic
evaluation was carried out on the entire system to ensure
that no usability principles were being violated.
Consistency and standardization were given utmost
importance. Error messages were provided at every point to
avoid confusion. The system over all did quite well in
heuristic evaluation where no major violations found during
testing.
FINAL DESIGN
LifeSync, a web-based application where a user can
collaborate with friends and colleagues, as well as manage
their personal and professional obligations is the result of
the final design.
Features
Friends
LifeSync enables the user to have friends, i.e., other users
of the interface that may belong to a social, academic, or
professional group.

The user can view a list of friends and visit each of
their respective profiles.

A friend’s profile displays the friend’s
information, group affiliations, and any events that
the friend is scheduled to attend.

The user is also able to add friends from the pool
of all the registered users.
LifeSync contains a number of features to enhance the user
experience:

Any user that wants to use this application should
be either registered or logged in if already
registered. This prevents unauthorized access to
our application.

While registering with an account, users can
upload their own profile pictures onto a server, and
they can also add the groups they like.

We have incorporated personalization specifically
when the user is in the home page; they are greeted
by their names.

Groups
LifeSync contains groups, where users may interact with
others who share mutual interests, such as social, academic,
or professional.

LifeSync contains pages that are interactive. For
example, if the user hovers on any images, it will
grow in size. Also, the homepage displays the
Users can view the list of groups they have added
and also visit the group’s page

The group page is designed to let the users interact
with other users in a similar fashion as that of a
forum.

7. 
A user can post links to areas of interest, such as
an academic or news article, comment upon it, and
share within the group.
meaning derived by the aesthetic sense of the user. (Heath
and Heath, 2008; Sturken and Cartwright, 2009).
Experimental Design
Design Aesthetics
LifeSync features several design aesthetics, which greatly
enhance the user’s experience, as well as establishes
concreteness to the user through the allowance of
visualization.
The LifeSync logo (Figure 4), which features a depiction of
the sync icon in blue, surrounds the words “life” and “sync”
rendered in orange with a gray drop shadow. The words are
positioned in such a way that creates a downward arrow
within the negative space created by the letters. These
visual cues establish credibility with the user, by creating a
visualization of some of the applications more salient
features. Moreover, the use of a complimentary color
palette evokes a level of connoisseurship that seeks to be
indicative of, and resonates with the intended audience,
graduate students, for the application (Sturken and
Cartwright, 2009). Additionally, the unified image and its
interpellations substantiate a deeper meaning and
understanding for the viewer (Althusser, 1971; Sturken and
Cartwright, 2009).
In order to determine the effectiveness of the web
application, understanding the target audience and testing
them with definitive techniques is essential.
Target Audience: Demographic
Survey suggested that the demographic best suited for this
system would be both male and female graduate students
from Clemson University, aged between 18 and 29. Since
this design challenge was specifically designed for
university graduate students.
Some of the common problems that this demographic faces
according to our findings are:
1.
Family aloofness: A very high percentage (74%)
of the candidates we interviewed mentioned that
they do not reside near their families and will most
likely use our application to ease their loneliness.
2.
Time management: Users who have a hard time
managing their day to day events can utilize our
application to prioritize their tasks.
Testing will be done with Graduate students who would be
differentiated by the program they are enrolled in: Master’s,
Master’s (Thesis) or PhD. Students would be given three
tasks varying in the degree of difficulty.
Task 1: Sign up and register in the website.
Task 2: Create events and check the updated list of
events.
Figure 4. LifeSync Logo. (Note the sync icon and arrow
formed in the negative space of the letters “I”, “f”, and
“Y”.)
Through visualization of features such as user profiles and
calendars, meaning is derived. The profile avatars, acting as
a de facto “representative” of the user, establishes
credibility and seeks to create appeals to both logos
(intellect) and pathos (emotion) (Ulmer, 2012). The
calendars, which provide a visualization to the abstract
concept of time, allows for the user to make informed
decisions concerning time management, as well as informs
the user of the value of time allotted for work and leisure.
By employing a simple layout for the user, the interface
retains an elegance and intuitiveness that is neither
contrastive to the functionality of the interface nor the
Task 3: Post on a forum of their Academic group.
Procedures and Evaluation Methodology:
The users will be encouraged to voice their opinions using
the Think Aloud Protocol as they complete each task. Each
session will end with a short survey for the participant to
complete. notes were taken on the responses of each
participant. At the conclusion of each test, a Standard
Usability Scale (SUS) survey will be administered to the
participants. The results of the SUS will be scored on a
range of 0-4 in a Likert-type scale over the questions.
A smaller subset of these users would perform a more
extensive Cognitive Walkthrough.

8. The survey would contain questions associated to the
features of the website, areas needing improvement,
features that they like etc. The collected information could
be used to determine if the website needs any further
improvement and if it would prove useful in solving the
original purpose it was intended for.
DISCUSSION
Our team’s desire to include assistance for all stressors in
the life of a graduate student was an impediment in our
design process. Our scope was entirely too broad to attempt
to complete in a semester’s time. Whittling down our scope
was difficult, as we wanted to incorporate as many features
as we could, but still fit within our time constraint and listed
requirements. We decided to focus on the time management
and social support that we found was needed as a result of
our surveys. Before focusing on the calendar-based website,
we wanted to include an alarm clock feature, a financial
management aspect, as well as a music player.
The focus of building this application using particular
technologies was always keeping in mind the possibility of
extensions in the future. We wish to scale the existing
functionality that we have provided and provide similar and
related stress relief solutions to the user. We chose to use
web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, PHP, JavaScript
to leverage the existing services provided free by third
parties. We intend to extend this application to create, if
unavailable, and maintain Google Accounts in order to use
some of Google’s services. The application currently
supports the use of Client ID authorization where we have
permanent access to the user’s Google services since his
username and password authentication is performed locally
and these parameters are shared with Google’s
authentication server to access the user’s specific assets,
such as calendar, message queue and contact details. In the
future, we expect to establish a session specific
authentication, where the user authorization for access to
his/her Google assets is controlled and performed by
Google’s Authentication system. This resolves the issues of
aging or changed passwords and enhances user security and
privacy by letting the user authenticate himself on the
server and allowing the user to see what all Google assets
can be accessible by this application and in what way.
Hence, we intend to port this application to Google’s Cloud
Console for production.
In this high level prototype showcasing essential
functionality, we have not used Google’s Client-ID or
OAuth features, instead we created a custom authentication
at the application level. Hence, we do not have access to the
user’s Google Assets. We created the closed universe
around the user to show the Social interaction that the
application was capable of providing. We represented the
user’s events in our own calendar implementation. In its full
implementation, we expect to be able to compare Calendars
of friends.
We did not implement a message queue so users could send
and receive messages from other users of the system. This
would be added to enhance the “Social” aspect, the goal
being to deal with isolation and promote socialization.
There are areas we would like to improve on our existing
design. We wanted to complete a “Compare Calendar”
feature where one user could view a friend’s shared
calendar. This feature was conceived to assist in reducing
isolation and increasing socialization. The user could see
the friend’s availability and possibly propose a social event.
We also hope to increase the amount of socialization
offered by the website. Originally, we wished to include a
chat feature for members of the same group. Currently,
members can communicate via a simple forum. In the
future, we want to incorporate reminders via email, SMS
(Short Message Service) or by pop-up notifications.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to extend special gratitude to: The
Multimedia Authoring Teaching and Research Facility
(MATRF), Clemson University; The Usability Testing
Facility and Tharon W. Howard, Ph.D., Clemson
University; Kathy Mabry, Clemson Area International
Friendship; Neil Burton, Center for Career and Professional
Development; and a very special thanks to Shaundra Daily,
Ph.D., for her guidance and patience throughout the
semester.
REFERENCES
1.Bangor, A., Kortum, P., & Miller, J. (2009). Determining
what individual SUS scores mean: Adding an adjective
rating scale. Journal of usability studies, 4(3), 114-123.
2.Byars, J. L. (2005). Stress, anxiety, depression, and
loneliness of graduate counseling students: the
effectiveness of group counseling and exercise (Doctoral
dissertation, Texas Tech University).
3.Dumas, J. S. (1999). A practical guide to usability testing.
Intellect Books, 278-286.
4.Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some
ideas survive and others die. Random House Digital, Inc.,
25-62.
5.Lin, S. H., & Huang, Y. C. (2012). Investigating the
relationships between loneliness and learning burnout.
Active Learning in Higher Education, 13(3), 231-243.
6.Sapranaviciute, L., Perminas, A., & Pauziene, N. (2012).
Stress coping and psychological adaptation in the
international students. Central European Journal of
Medicine, 7(3), 335-343.

9. 7.Sturken, M., Cartwright, L., & Sturken, M.
(2001). Practices of looking: An introduction to visual
Culture Oxford: Oxford University Press, 50-51, 56-69.
8. Ulmer, G. L. (2012). Avatar emergency. Parlor Press

10. Expedited / Full Board Review Application
Clemson University (CU) Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Version 9.7.2012)
Clemson University IRB Website
Office use only
Approved
Protocol Number:
Expedited
Full Board
Expiration date: ___________________________
______________________________________
________________________________________
Signature of IRB Chair / Designee
Date
Level of Review (Questions 13 & 14 determine if the protocol can be expedited):
Expedited
Full Board
1.
Developmental Approval: If you already have developmental approval for this research study (you
should know if you do), please give the IRB protocol number assigned to the study. More information
available here.
2.
Research Title:
LifeSync
If different, title used on
consent document(s)
If class project, include HCC 831: Fundamentals of Human Centered Computing
course number and title
3.
Principal Investigator (PI): The PI must be a member of the Clemson faculty or staff. You cannot be the
PI if this is your thesis or dissertation. The PI must have completed IRB-approved human research
protections training. Training will be verified by IRB staff before approval is granted. Training
instructions available here. CITI training site available here.
Name: Shaundra Daily
Faculty
Staff
Department: Human Centered Computing
E-mail: sdaily@clemson.edu
Campus address:
Phone: 864.656.5778
McAdams 214
Fax:

11. 4.
Co-Investigator(s): Co-Investigators must have completed IRB-approved human research protections
training. Training will be verified by IRB staff before approval is granted. Training instructions available
here. CITI training site available here.
Name: Brian Gaines
E-mail: blgaine@g.clemson.edu
Department:
Phone: 619-240-6322
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Name: Praveen Lobo
E-mail: plobo@clemson.edu
Department: Computer Science
Phone: 864-376-6790
Faculty
Staff
5.
Graduate student
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Additional Research Team Members: All research team members must have completed IRB-approved
human research protections training. Training will be verified by IRB staff before approval is granted.
Training instructions available here. CITI training site available here.
List of additional research team members included. Form available here.
6. Research Team Roles: Describe the role of each member of the research team (everyone included in Items 3,
4 and 5); indicating which research activities will be carried out by each particular member. Team members
may be grouped into categories.
Description: Brian: Responsible for usability testing to assure user friendliness, a positive user experience,
and the look and feel of the interface
Praveen: Responsible for implementation of features and functionality through code for the high-fidelity
prototype
Goutham: Responsible for conceptualizing interaction flow and implementing part of the functionalities for
the high-fidelity prototype and assist with user testing.
Sagar: Responsible for designing a user friendly interface and assure smooth integration of all components
Tiffanie: Responsible for assisting with system design and collecting viable data from usability testing

12. 7. Email Communications: If you would like one or two of your team members (in addition to the PI) to be
copied on all email communications, please list these individuals in the box below.
Name: Brian Gaines
E-mail: blgaine@g.clemson.edu
Name: Praveen Lobo
E-mail: plobo@clemson.edu
8. Study Purpose: Provide a brief description of the purpose of the study. Use lay language and avoid technical
terms. IRB members not familiar with the area of research must understand the nature of the research. Upon
conclusion of the study, how will you share your results (e.g., academic publication, evaluation report to
funder, conference presentation)?
Description: The study is designed to evaluate the final protoype of the LifeSync website. The study will
have participants step through the website to evaluate its user-friendliness as well as its ability to meet
the requirements for the class' final project. The results will be shared in the final report for the class as
well as in the final presentation.
9. Anticipated Dates of Research:
Anticipated start date (may not be prior to IRB approval; may be “upon IRB approval”): January 12, 2014
Anticipated completion date (Please include time needed for analysis of individually identifiable data):
January 26, 2014
10. Funding Source: Please check all that apply.
Submitted for internal funding
Internally funded
Submitted for external funding
Funding source, if applicable (Do not use initials):
Proposal number (PPN) for the Office of Sponsored Programs:
Name of PI on Funding Proposal:
Externally funded
Funding source, if applicable (Do not use initials):
Proposal number (PPN) for the Office of Sponsored Programs:
Name of PI on Funding Proposal:

13. Intend to seek funding
from whom?
Not funded
11. Support provided by Creative Inquiry Initiative:
Yes
No
If yes, all Creative Inquiry students will be members of the research team, please see item # 5.
12. Other IRB Approvals:
Has this research study been presented to any other IRB?
Where?
Yes
No
When?
If yes, what was their decision?
Approved
Disapproved
Pending
Please attach a copy of any submissions, approvals, or disapprovals from other IRBs.
13. Level of Risk: Does this project include any procedures that present more than minimal risk to the
participants? (A project is considered to present minimal risk if the probability and magnitude of harm or
discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during
the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations.)
Yes
No
If your study presents no more than minimal risk to participants, your study may be eligible for expedited
review.
14. Expedited Review Categories: The Code of Federal Regulations [45 CFR 46.110] permits research activities
in the following seven categories to undergo expedited review. Please check the relevant expedited category /
categories.
The Federal Office of Human Research Protections has made Decision Charts available here to help in
determining whether a particular study may be reviewed using Expedited Review Procedures.

14. Categories of Research that May Be Reviewed by the
Institutional Review Board (IRB) through an Expedited Review Procedure
1. Clinical studies of drugs and medical devices only when condition (a) or (b) is met:
a. Research on drugs for which an investigational new drug application is not required. (Note:
Research on marketed drugs that significantly increase the risks or decrease the acceptability of the
risks associated with the use of the product is not eligible for expedited review.)
b. Research on medical devices for which 1) an investigational device exemption application is not
required or 2) the medical device is cleared or approved for marketing and the medical device is
being used in accordance with its cleared/approved labeling.
2. Collection of blood samples by finger stick, heel stick, ear stick, or venipuncture as follows:
a. From healthy, non-pregnant adults, who weigh at least 110 pounds. For these subjects, the amounts
drawn may not exceed 550 ml. in an eight week period and collection may not occur more than two
times per week; OR
b. From other adults and children, considering the age, weight, and health of the subjects, the
collection procedure, the amount of blood to be collected, and the frequency with which it will be
collected. For these subjects, the amount may not exceed the lesser of 50 ml. or 3 ml. per kg. in an
eight-week period, and collection may not occur more than two times per week.
3. Prospective collection of biological specimens for research purposes by non-invasive means.
Examples:
a. hair and nail clippings in a non-disfiguring manner;
b.
c.
d.
e.
deciduous teeth at time of exfoliation or if routine patient care indicates need for extraction;
permanent teeth if routine patient care indicates need for extraction;
excreta and external secretions (including sweat);
uncannulated saliva collected either in an unstimulated fashion or stimulated by chewing gum base
or wax or by applying a dilute citric solution to the tongue;
f. placenta removed at delivery;
g. amniotic fluid obtained at the time of rupture of the membrane prior to or during labor;
h. supra- and subgingival dental plaque and calculus, provided the collection procedure is not more
invasive than routine scaling of the teeth and the process is accomplished in accordance with
accepted prophylactic techniques;
i. mucosal and skin cells collected by buccal scraping or swab, skin swab, or mouth washings;
j. sputum collected after saline mist nebulization.

15. 4. Collection of data through non-invasive procedures (not involving general anesthesia or sedation)
routinely employed in clinical practice, excluding procedures involving x-rays or microwaves. Where
medical devices are employed, they must be cleared/approved for marketing. (Studies intended to
evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the medical device are not generally eligible for expedited
review, including studies of cleared medical devices for new indications.)
Examples:
a. physical sensors that are applied either to the surface of the body or at a distance and do not involve
input of significant amounts of energy into the subject or an invasion of the subject’s privacy;
b. weighing or testing sensory acuity;
c. magnetic resonance imaging;
d. electrocardiography, electroencephalography, thermography, detection of naturally occurring
radioactivity, electroretinography, ultrasound, diagnostic infrared imaging, Doppler blood flow and
echocardiography,
e. moderate exercise, muscular strength testing, body composition assessment, and flexibility testing
when appropriate given the age, weight, and health of the individual.
5. Research involving materials (data, documents, records, or specimens) that have been collected or will
be collected solely for non-research purposes (such as medical treatment or diagnoses).
6. Collection of data from voice, video, digital, or image recordings made for research purposes.
7. Research on individual or group characteristics, behavior (including, but not limited to, research on
perception, cognition, motivation, identity, language, communication, cultural beliefs or practices, and
social behavior), or research employing survey, interview, oral history, focus group, program
evaluation, human factors evaluation, or quality assurance methodologies.
15. Study Sample: (Groups specifically targeted for study)
Describe the participants you plan to recruit and the criteria used in the selection process. Indicate if there are
any special inclusion or exclusion criteria.
Description: Graduate Students at Clemson University
Age range of participants: 20-28
Projected number of participants: 15

16. Employees
Students
Minors (under 18 in SC, may differ elsewhere) 1, 2
Pregnant women 1
Fetuses / neonates 1, 2
Educationally / economically disadvantaged 1
Minors who are wards of the state, or any other
agency, institution, or entity 1, 2
Individuals who are incarcerated 1, 3
Persons incompetent to give valid consent 1
Other–specify:
military personnel
1
State necessity for using this type of participant:
2
Please note that research involving children (minors) requires submission of a Child Research Addendum.
Further information about this addendum is given at the end of this application.
3
Please note that research involving prisoners (incarcerated individuals) requires submission of a Prisoner
Research Addendum. Further information about this addendum is given at the end of this application.
16. Study Locations:
Clemson University
Other University / College
School System / Individual Schools
Other – specify
You may need to obtain permission if participants will be recruited or data will be obtained through schools,
employers, or community organizations. Are you required to obtain permission to gain access to people or to
access data that are not publicly available? If yes, provide a research site letter from a person authorized to
give you access to the participants or to the data. Guidance regarding Research Site Letters is available here.
Research Site Letter(s) not required.
Research Site Letter(s) attached.
Research Site Letter(s) pending and will be provided when obtained.
17. Recruitment Method:
Describe how research participants will be recruited in the study. How will you identify potential
participants? How will you contact them? Attach a copy of any material you will use to recruit
participants (e.g., advertisements, flyers, telephone scripts, verbal recruitment, cover letters, or followup reminders).

17. Description: Research participants will be recruited verbally and through email. Any graduate student of
Clemson University will qualify as a potential participant. They will be contacted through email.
18. Participant Incentives:
a. Will you pay participants?
Amount: $
Yes
No
When will money be paid?:
b. Will you give participants incentives / gifts / reimbursements?
Yes
No
Describe incentives / gifts / reimbursements:
Value of incentives / gifts / reimbursements: $
When will incentives / gifts / reimbursements be given?:
c. Will participants receive course credit?
Yes
No
d. Will participants receive extra credit?
Yes
No
If YES, an equivalent alternative to research participation must be provided and described in your
informed consent document(s).
19. Informed Consent:
If all of your participants will be children, please skip this question (19) and complete the Child Research
Addendum (available here). If you will have both children and adults as participants in your study, please
complete this question (for the adult participants) AND the Child Research Addendum (for the child
participants).
a. Will you use concealment or deception in this study?
Yes
No
If YES, please see guidance regarding Research Involving Deception or Concealment here, submit a
copy of the Additional Pertinent Information / Permission for Use of Data Collected in a Research
Study form you will use, and request a waiver of some elements of consent below [see 19(e)].
b. Do you plan to obtain informed consent from all your adult research participants (and / or legally
authorized representatives for adult participants with diminished capacity)?
1)
Yes
No
N/A
If YES, please skip to question 19(c).

18. Please submit all applicable Informed Consent documents with application (e.g., adult
consent forms, informational letters, verbal consent scripts).
Consent Document Templates
If NO, please proceed with questions 19(b)(2)-19(b)(4) to request a waiver of informed consent.
If N/A, please explain and skip to question 20.
2) For what groups will you need this waiver of informed consent?
for all participants
for some participants (describe for which participants):
3) Please explain the need for the waiver.
4) As provided in 45 CFR 46.116(d), an IRB may waive the requirement for the investigator to obtain
informed consent from research participants if it finds that all of the following criteria are met. Please
explain how your study meets each of the criteria below:
Criteria for Waiver of Consent
How is this criterion met within this study?
The research involves no more than minimal
risk to subjects.
The waiver will not adversely affect the rights
and welfare of the subjects.
The research could not be
practicably without the waiver.
carried
out
Whenever appropriate, the subjects will be
provided with additional pertinent information
after they have participated in the study.
If you completed questions 19(b)(2)-19(b)(4) for all adult research participants, please skip to
question 20.
c. Who will obtain the participants’ consent? Check all that apply:
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator
Other Research Team Members
Contracted / Hired Data Collection Firm:
Other:
d. Will you collect participants’ signatures on all consent documents?
1)
Yes
No
If YES, please skip to question 19(e).

19. If NO, please proceed with questions 19(d)(2)-19(d)(3) to request a waiver of documentation
(signature).
2) For what groups will you need this waiver of documentation?
for all participants
for some participants (describe for which participants):
3) As provided in 45 CFR 46.117(c), an IRB may waive the requirement for the investigator to obtain a
signed consent form for some or all participants if it finds that one of the following sets of criteria is
met. Please check ONE box below to indicate which set of criteria is met by this study:
That the research presents no more than minimal risk of harm to subjects and involves no
procedure for which written consent is normally required outside of the research context.
That the only record linking the subject and the research would be the consent document and the
principal risk would be potential harm resulting from a breach of confidentiality. If the subject
wants documentation linking the subject with the research, the subject’s wishes will govern.
e. Do you plan to use all of the consent elements in all your consent documents or procedures (see list
below)?
1)
Yes
No
If YES, please skip to question 20.
If NO, please proceed with questions 19(e)(2)-19(e)(5) to request a waiver of some elements of
consent.
2) For what groups will you need this waiver of some consent elements?
for all participants
for some participants (describe for which participants):
3) Please explain the need for the waiver request.
4) A list of consent elements is given below. Please indicate which of these elements you would like to
have waived. (In the case of a study involving deception or concealment, the IRB must waive the
requirement to use all elements that are not truthfully presented in the initial consent document.)

20. List of Elements of Informed Consent
participation involves research
maintenance of confidentiality
purposes of the research
for more than minimal risk research, compensation
/ treatment available in case of injury
duration of participation
procedures to be followed
identification
procedures
of
experimental
foreseeable risks / discomforts
benefits to subjects or others
appropriate
alternatives
advantageous to subject
voluntariness of participation
no penalty for refusal to participate
may discontinue participation without penalty
disposition of data already collected,
withdrawal of participant
upon
contact for questions about research
contact for questions about participants’ rights
5) As provided in 45 CFR 46.116(d), an IRB may waive the requirement for the investigator to present
all consent elements to participants if it finds that all of the following criteria are met. Please explain
how your study meets each of the criteria below:
Criteria for Waiver of Elements of Consent
How is this criterion met within this study?
The research involves no more than minimal risk
to subjects.
The waiver will not adversely affect the rights
and welfare of the subjects.
The research could not be carried out practicably
without the waiver.
Whenever appropriate, the subjects will be
provided with additional pertinent information
after they have participated in the study.
Please make sure to submit all Informed Consent documents (i.e., adult consent forms, informational letters, and / or verbal consent scripts) for which elements of consent are being waived.
20. Procedures:
a.
What data will you collect? We will collect the users' responses on the user-friendliness of the website.
b. Please describe in detail the process each participant will experience and how you will obtain the data.
Each participant will attempt to complete three tasks with different difficulty levels on the LifeSync
website. They will first attempt to make a profile for the site. Then they will create an event for their own
calendar. Lastly, they will attempt to view a friend's calendar to see if they are free to plan an event
together. The users will be encouraged to voice their opinions as they are complete each task. Each

21. session will end with a short survey for the participant to complete.
c.
How many participation sessions and how much time will be required for each participant, including
follow-up sessions?
1 Session for each participant, with a fifteen minute slot for each participant.
d. How will you collect data?
in-person contact
telephone
snail mail
email
website
other, describe
Please include copies of surveys, interview questions, data collection tools and debriefing statements. If
survey or interview questions have not been fully developed, provide information on the types of
questions to be asked, or a description of the parameters of the survey / interview. Please note: finalized
survey or interview instruments will need to be reviewed and approved by amendment, before
implementation.
e. Will you audio record participants?
Yes
No
f. Will you video record participants?
Yes
No
g. Will you photograph participants?
Yes
No
If you will audio or video record or take identifiable photographs of participants, please consult the
IRB’s Guidance on the Use of Audio / Video Recording and Photography here. Please include all the
information addressed by this guidance document in the application and, where appropriate, in the
consent document(s).
21. Protection of Confidentiality: Describe the security measures you will take to protect the confidentiality of
the information obtained. Will participants be identifiable either by name or through demographic data? If
yes, how will you protect the identity of the participants and their responses? Where will the data be stored
and how will it be secured? Who will have access to the data? How will identifiers be maintained or destroyed
after the study is completed?
Description: The participants will not be indentifiable by name or demographic. They will only be stored by
number.
22. Risk / Benefit Analysis:
a. Describe all potential risks (before protective measures are put into place) and benefits for this study.
Risks can include physical, psychological, social, legal or other risks connected with the proposed
procedures. Benefits can include benefits to the participant or to society in general.

22. Description: There are no risks associated with this study. The participants may benefit by actually
wanting to use the site in their everyday life.
b. Describe the procedures to be used to protect against or minimize potential risks. Assess the likely
effectiveness of these procedures.
Description:
23. Agreement, Statement of Assurance, and Conflict of Interest Statement by the PI:
I have reviewed this research protocol and the consent form, if applicable. I have also evaluated the scientific
merit and potential value of the proposed research study, as well as the plan for protecting human participants.
I have read the Terms of Assurance held by Clemson University and commit to abiding by the provisions of
the Assurance and the determinations of the IRB. I request approval of this research study by the IRB of
Clemson University.
I understand that failure to adhere to any of these guidelines may result in immediate termination of the
research. I also understand that approval of this research study is contingent upon my agreement to:
1. Report to the IRB any adverse events, research-related injuries or unexpected problems affecting the
rights or safety of research participants (All such occurrences must be reported to the IRB within three
(3) working days.);
2. Submit in writing for IRB approval any proposed revisions or amendments to this research study;
3. Submit timely continuing review reports of this research as requested by the IRB; and
4. Notify the IRB upon completion of this research study.
Conflict of Interest Statement:
Could the results of the study provide an actual or potential financial gain to you, a member of your
family, or any of the co-investigators, or give the appearance of a potential conflict of interest?
No.
Yes. I agree to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest prior to IRB action on this study.
Financial Conflict of Interest Policy for PHS / NIH Supported Research
Financial Disclosure Policy for All Other Sponsored Programs
Disclosure Statement for All Other Sponsored Programs

23. _____________________________________________
________________________
Signature of Principal Investigator
Date
24. Statement of Assurance by Department Chair (or supervisor if PI is Department Chair):
I have reviewed this research protocol and the consent form, if applicable. I verify this proposed research
study has received approval in accordance with department procedures. I have evaluated the plan for
protecting human participants. I have read the Terms of Assurance held by Clemson University and commit
to abiding by the provisions of the Assurance and the determinations of the IRB. I request approval of this
research study by the IRB of Clemson University.
Department Chair or supervisor if PI is Department Chair (Printed Name)
_____________________________________________
________________________
Signature of Department Chair
Date
Submission Instructions:
Expedited applications are processed as received. There is no deadline for submitting expedited
applications for review. Please allow three weeks for processing.
Full Board applications are accepted according to the schedule given here. Researchers are encouraged
to attend the meeting at which their protocol will be reviewed, in order to be available to answer any
questions IRB members might have about the protocol.
Please submit this application and all associated documents electronically to the IRB staff. In addition,
please submit a signed, hard-copy of the application via mail or delivery to the Office of Research
Compliance, 223 Brackett Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-5704. Alternatively, you may fax the signed copy
to 864-656-4475 or scan and email to irb@clemson.edu.

24. Child (Minor) Research Addendum:
If your study involves children / minors as participants, click here to complete the Child Research
Addendum. Once completed, please submit the Addendum with your Expedited / Full Board Review
Application.
Prisoner (Incarcerated Individuals) Research Addendum:
If your study involves individuals who are incarcerated as participants, click here to complete the
Prisoner Research Addendum. Once completed, please submit the Addendum with your Expedited / Full
Board Review Application.

25. Additional Research Team Members
Clemson University Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Version 5.13.2009)
Clemson University IRB Website
All research team members must have completed IRB-approved human research protections training.
Use this sheet as many times as necessary.
Name: Tiffanie Smith
E-mail: tiffan3@g.clemson.edu
Department: Human-Centered Computing
Phone: 804-502-8853
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Name: Sagr Puro
E-mail: spuro@g.clemson.edu
Department: Industrial Engineering
Phone: 864-367-2615
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Name: Goutham Pacha Ravi
E-mail: gpachar@g.clemson.edu
Department: Computer Science
Phone: : 864-357-8568
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Name:
E-mail:
Department:
Phone:
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Name:
E-mail:
Department:
Phone:
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Name:
Other. Please specify.
E-mail:

26. Department:
Phone:
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.
Name:
E-mail:
Department:
Phone:
Faculty
Graduate student
Staff
Undergraduate student
Other. Please specify.