Changes

</noinclude>

</noinclude>

====TODO====

=====TODO=====

* Apply in [http://socghop.appspot.com melange, google's web app] '''before''' [http://socghop.appspot.com/document/show/gsoc_program/google/gsoc2010/timeline April 9]

* Apply in [http://socghop.appspot.com melange, google's web app] '''before''' [http://socghop.appspot.com/document/show/gsoc_program/google/gsoc2010/timeline April 9]

* Check the image requirements (Restart). Make changes to code and upload a new image if necessary.

* Check the image requirements (Restart). Make changes to code and upload a new image if necessary.

* 'comment on the talk page of other applications'

* 'comment on the talk page of other applications'

====About me====

===About me===

; What is your name?

; 1. What is your name?

:Mohan Raj Rajamanickam

:Mohan Raj Rajamanickam

; What is your email address?

; 2. What is your email address?

:mohanraj dot cit at gmail dot com

:mohanraj dot cit at gmail dot com

; What is your Sugar Labs wiki username?

; 3. What is your Sugar Labs wiki username?

:Mohanr

:Mohanr

; What is your IRC nickname?

; 4. What is your IRC nickname?

:mohanr

:mohanr

; What is your primary language?  

; 5. What is your primary language?  

:English

:English

; Where are you located, and what hours do you tend to work?  

; 6. Where are you located, and what hours do you tend to work?  

:Vancouver, Canada. I am a morning person and usually not very productive after 9pm.

:Vancouver, Canada. I am a morning person and usually not very productive after 9pm.

; Have you participated in an open-source project before? If not, why do you want to work on an open-source project this summer?

; 7. Have you participated in an open-source project before? If not, why do you want to work on an open-source project this summer?

:I have not contributed code directly so far. My contributions have been limited to a number of bug reports and ideas spread across several projects.

:I have not contributed code directly so far. My contributions have been limited to a number of bug reports and ideas spread across several projects.

I was instrumental in introducing Linux in my undergraduate CS department back in 2001. I have been wanting to contribute to Open-source ever since. I had dreamed of making significant contributions when I quit my corporate job and joined an NGO as the IT manager. But my time there was spent in developing and deploying the IT infrastructure using 100% Open-source software (Plone, Django, Zope, MySQL, Apache, TeX, Ubuntu). I have had this deep desire to contribute. This would often turn to guilt especially when I would be awed by some feature in the Open-source software stack that I use (Linux has been my Primary OS since 2002). I am back in school doing my CS masters now and I think this summer, this SOC could pave way for me to finally take the role of a Open-source developer and community contributor.

I was instrumental in introducing Linux in my undergraduate CS department back in 2001. I have been wanting to contribute to Open-source ever since. I had dreamed of making significant contributions when I quit my corporate job and joined an NGO as the IT manager. But my time there was spent in developing and deploying the IT infrastructure using 100% Open-source software (Plone, Django, Zope, MySQL, Apache, TeX, Ubuntu). I have had this deep desire to contribute. This would often turn to guilt especially when I would be awed by some feature in the Open-source software stack that I use (Linux has been my Primary OS since 2002). I am back in school doing my CS masters now and I think this summer, this SOC could pave way for me to finally take the role of a Open-source developer and community contributor.

====About your project====

===About your project===

; What is the name of your project?

; 1. What is the name of your project?

:Adaptive UI Framework for Different Age Groups

:Adaptive UI Framework for Different Age Groups

; Describe your project in 10-20 sentences. What are you making? Who are you making it for, and why do they need it? What technologies (programming languages, etc.) will you be using?

; 2. Describe your project in 10-20 sentences. What are you making? Who are you making it for, and why do they need it? What technologies (programming languages, etc.) will you be using?

:Can we design UI targeted at different age groups of children such that it improves their experience (usability) with the system ? Can such UI designed specifically for different age groups also facilitate learnability of the UI (the system features that it abstracts) as they move from one age group to another ? (culminating in a desktop, for e.g. from Ubuntu-sugar-remix to Ubuntu).

:Can we design UI targeted at different age groups of children such that it improves their experience (usability) with the system ? Can such UI designed specifically for different age groups also facilitate learnability of the UI (the system features that it abstracts) as they move from one age group to another ? (culminating in a desktop, for e.g. from Ubuntu-sugar-remix to Ubuntu).

:Scope: A UI abstraction framework is too much work: for something that we aren't even sure we need. And I won't be able to do it in 3 months single handedly. So I could start paving way for what could eventually become a framework, but still manage to do something useful for the community in these 3 months. Lets take the feature of discoverability of keyboard shortcuts and context menus. I could start working on bringing this feature into Sugar. But do younger children need keyboard shortcuts? Can the clues for enhancing discoverability of such features lead to confusion for those who dont need it? So depending upon the age of the child using the system (obtained from user profile), the system could choose to expose certain clues or not. I will limit my target groups to two. What age ranges form the groups - needs to be explored (6-10 and 11-15 ?). I think this can be done in 3 months.

:Scope: A UI abstraction framework is too much work: for something that we aren't even sure we need. And I won't be able to do it in 3 months single handedly. So I could start paving way for what could eventually become a framework, but still manage to do something useful for the community in these 3 months. Lets take the feature of discoverability of keyboard shortcuts and context menus. I could start working on bringing this feature into Sugar. But do younger children need keyboard shortcuts? Can the clues for enhancing discoverability of such features lead to confusion for those who dont need it? So depending upon the age of the child using the system (obtained from user profile), the system could choose to expose certain clues or not. I will limit my target groups to two. What age ranges form the groups - needs to be explored (6-10 and 11-15 ?). I think this can be done in 3 months.

; What is the timeline for development of your project?  

; 3. What is the timeline for development of your project?  

<!--The Summer of Code work period is 7 weeks long, May 23 - August 10; tell us what you will be working on each week. (As the summer goes on, you and your mentor will adjust your schedule, but it's good to have a plan at the beginning so you have an idea of where you're headed.) Note that you should probably plan to have something "working and 90% done" by the midterm evaluation (July 6-13); the last steps always take longer than you think, and we will consider cancelling projects which are not mostly working by then.-->

<!--The Summer of Code work period is 7 weeks long, May 23 - August 10; tell us what you will be working on each week. (As the summer goes on, you and your mentor will adjust your schedule, but it's good to have a plan at the beginning so you have an idea of where you're headed.) Note that you should probably plan to have something "working and 90% done" by the midterm evaluation (July 6-13); the last steps always take longer than you think, and we will consider cancelling projects which are not mostly working by then.-->

:This work will be part of my Master's thesis. I would hence be working on the project for the next 1.5 years.

:This work will be part of my Master's thesis. I would hence be working on the project for the next 1.5 years.

*Sign-off GSoC

*Sign-off GSoC

   

   

; Convince us, in 5-15 sentences, that you will be able to successfully complete your project in the timeline you have described.

; 4. Convince us, in 5-15 sentences, that you will be able to successfully complete your project in the timeline you have described.

* Over 6 years experience in Python

* Over 6 years experience in Python

** Worked as a contractor at Google for 1 year 5 months (Python programming throughout)

** Worked as a contractor at Google for 1 year 5 months (Python programming throughout)

====You and the community====

===You and the community===

; If your project is successfully completed, what will its impact be on the Sugar Labs community?  

; 1. If your project is successfully completed, what will its impact be on the Sugar Labs community?  

<!--Give 3 answers, each 1-3 paragraphs in length. The first one should be yours. The other two should be answers from members of the Sugar Labs community, at least one of whom should be a Sugar Labs GSoC mentor. Provide email contact information for non-GSoC mentors.-->

<!--Give 3 answers, each 1-3 paragraphs in length. The first one should be yours. The other two should be answers from members of the Sugar Labs community, at least one of whom should be a Sugar Labs GSoC mentor. Provide email contact information for non-GSoC mentors.-->

:Sugar (& OLPC), I believe, is based on the principles of Constructionism. Discoverability and learnability of the system with minimal/no external help hence becomes a very important factor. My work will pave way for a framework for improving the discoverability of the features of the system in a customized manner depending upon the individual using the system. I am going to bank upon only one factor: age. But once the framework is mature (couple of years from now), I can imagine various plugins that take into account other differences: culture, previous experience with technology, physical disabilities - to name a few. This will immensely improve the system's reach and usability among the millions of children using it every day.

:Sugar (& OLPC), I believe, is based on the principles of Constructionism. Discoverability and learnability of the system with minimal/no external help hence becomes a very important factor. My work will pave way for a framework for improving the discoverability of the features of the system in a customized manner depending upon the individual using the system. I am going to bank upon only one factor: age. But once the framework is mature (couple of years from now), I can imagine various plugins that take into account other differences: culture, previous experience with technology, physical disabilities - to name a few. This will immensely improve the system's reach and usability among the millions of children using it every day.

; <!--Sugar Labs will be working to set up a small (5-30 unit) Sugar pilot near each student project that is accepted to GSoC so that you can immediately see how your work affects children in a deployment. We will make arrangements to either supply or find all the equipment needed.--> Do you have any ideas on where you would like your deployment to be, who you would like to be involved, and how we can help you and the community in your area begin it?

; 2. <!--Sugar Labs will be working to set up a small (5-30 unit) Sugar pilot near each student project that is accepted to GSoC so that you can immediately see how your work affects children in a deployment. We will make arrangements to either supply or find all the equipment needed.--> Do you have any ideas on where you would like your deployment to be, who you would like to be involved, and how we can help you and the community in your area begin it?

I will be travelling between Canada and India. I am interested in observing how children with radically different levels of exposure to technology react to Sugar. I would like a primary deployment center at Vancouver. But I would also like to visit a center at India when I make a visit (once a year) and observe how differently the children who haven minimal exposure to technology react to the design of Sugar UI.

I will be travelling between Canada and India. I am interested in observing how children with radically different levels of exposure to technology react to Sugar. I would like a primary deployment center at Vancouver. But I would also like to visit a center at India when I make a visit (once a year) and observe how differently the children who haven minimal exposure to technology react to the design of Sugar UI.

; What will you do if you get stuck on your project and your mentor isn't around?

; 3. What will you do if you get stuck on your project and your mentor isn't around?

Use the alternate contacts obtained from mentor beforehand. Fall back on community: IRC and then if still the problem exists after 12h contact mailing list. If nothing works and if it seems like I am slipping behind on schedule, contact the GSoC person: Tim McNamara.

Use the alternate contacts obtained from mentor beforehand. Fall back on community: IRC and then if still the problem exists after 12h contact mailing list. If nothing works and if it seems like I am slipping behind on schedule, contact the GSoC person: Tim McNamara.

; How do you propose you will be keeping the community informed of your progress and any problems or questions you might have over the course of the project?  

; 4. How do you propose you will be keeping the community informed of your progress and any problems or questions you might have over the course of the project?  

Maintain wiki page documenting progress, encountered problems and solutions obtained. Blog when a milestone is reached. Mail a weekly summary to the mentor, other developers interested/knowledgeable in the area and if necessary, the developers mailing list.

Maintain wiki page documenting progress, encountered problems and solutions obtained. Blog when a milestone is reached. Mail a weekly summary to the mentor, other developers interested/knowledgeable in the area and if necessary, the developers mailing list.