Project Details: |
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| PI Name | Anirudha N Joshi |
| Title of the Project | Principles of localisation for an Indian language |
| Brief description of the project | While we have seen large scale technology adoption in India over the last 20 years, we still look at technology as something to be used primarily in English. When we switch on any digital device such as a phone or a TV, you are more likely to see English text rather than an Indian language. Even if an option to switch to an Indian language exists, very few people actually use it.
Here are a few tests that you can perform on yourself to get a sense of what we mean here: Is your phone in English or is it in your mother tongue? Try it yourself: If your phone is in English, go to settings and change the language to your mother tongue. Try to use the phone for 2 weeks without switching back to English. Write a daily blog about your experiences (preferably in your mother tongue). What are the most appropriate words for these commonly used social media terms: Like, Share, Subscribe? In your mother tongue, name three terms that will precisely communicate the sense behind these four commonly used social media terms: Friend, Follow, Subscribe, Take Membership. |
| Project Duration | 6 months |
| Expected outcomes of the project | In this project, the student will identify a few principles of localisation, convert them into designs, create prototypes, and conduct an empirical evaluation with real users who are native speakers of that language. I expect that the outcomes will be published in the form of a paper that will be submitted in July 2027. |
| Possible learning outcomes for the interns | The student will learn how to conduct design research. She or he will learn how to start with a research question and a hypothesis, operationalise it in a study, and conduct the study. |
| Requirements from the interns |
| Degrees | Third / fourth year of a Bachelors program |
| Discipline | This internship is for students doing a BDes or MDes. Students in their final year of BDes will be preferred. Students in final year of MDes or 3rd year of BDes may also apply. |
| Technical background (eg. Courses that should have been done, topics that should have been known) |
Students should have a strong interest in Interaction Design, with courses related to user studies, design, prototyping and evaluation. Students need to have a good command over an Indian language, and a strong interest in working towards designing tools and resources for that language. |
| Specific skill set (eg. Programming, theoretical reasoning, constructing mathematical proofs, handling specific laboratory equipments such as CRO, Electron Microscope etc.) |
Students need to have a strong interest in research, especially conducting studies involving users. |
| Additioal Info (File Attached) | Click here to view attachment |