This page lists other projects that do not have their own section but still provide an insight into my previous work.

During my apprenticeship as an IT specialist, I created an app that is intended to draw attention to the important things in life and present them as playful tasks.

Challu

The programming learning game Finley Fox is designed to playfully introduce children and young people to the world of programming and teach them basic knowledge in a practical and accessible way. Embedded in a playful context, knowledge is imparted through levels, obstacles, and interactive tasks, and logical thinking and concentration are promoted. Simple programming commands move the game characters across the virtual playing field and guide them safely through obstacles to the finish line.

Finley Fox - The Java Programming Learning Game

The app is intended to stimulate creativity by suggesting one half of an image and allowing users to record the second half with the camera.

Flin

As part of the "Visual Computing" module, I worked with 3D representations and programmed a configurator.

Lego Configurator

A mini golf app was designed as part of the "Natural User Interfaces" module. A user-friendly and interactive application was created through careful analysis, targeted implementation, and testing.

Mini Golf App

During and after my apprenticeship as a certified computer scientist for application development at AXA, I was part of a great team and learned an incredible amount. For example, the following technologies: React.js, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, REST, and SQL. My personal highlight was the connection of the payment service provider Datatrans, which makes it possible to pay invoices directly online.

Co-development of the AXA customer portal

I love discovering new places and cultures. And every now and then, I also have a camera with me. Here are a few pictures from my collection that would otherwise gather dust on my hard drive.

Smile, please! The world from my point of view

During the one-month work placement in Shanghai, we had the task of implementing a project from analysis to the finished product, including handover.

The goal of our startup is to link objects in a dynamic environment (e.g., coffee machines in coworking spaces) with digital documentation via QR codes. The web application provides an editor for recording documentation (texts, videos, and images), generates the QR codes from them, and displays them when the code is scanned.

Work placement in Shanghai

The project, which was originally intended as a joke, is growing and growing.

In addition to the original display of fines, there is now a complete transaction overview of all income and expenses, a "Best P(l)ayer" leaderboard, and an admin tool to manage it all.

The software is programmed so that it can also be made available to other clubs.

Team Fund Management Web App

Collection

Design a digital artwork and ensure that all rights to it are clarified.

Create artwork

Select a suitable blockchain such as Ethereum based on its functions and fees.

Choose blockchain

Set up a wallet like MetaMask to manage the cryptocurrencies needed for creation and to store the NFTs.

Set up a crypto wallet

Choose a marketplace like OpenSea to create and sell NFTs. Factors are fees, user interfaces, functions, and reach.

Select a marketplace

The actual creation of the NFT is also called minting. To do this, upload the artwork to the chosen marketplace, define metadata, and pay the minting fees to create the NFT. After minting, the artwork is secured as a unique token on the blockchain and can be purchased or exchanged by buyers.

Mint NFT

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are unique digital assets on a blockchain that represent digital art, music, videos, and other creative works.

Unlike fungible tokens like Bitcoin, NFTs are unique and secure ownership rights and authenticity of a unique object or work of art, as they cannot be copied or faked thanks to blockchain technology.

Creation

Art has always fascinated me, as has computer science. So it's a highlight when these two worlds meet. Since I believe you learn the most by trying something out directly, that's exactly what I did. This collection was created in just a few days.

The idea for the collection came about one ordinary Sunday morning when I was tidying up and came across some old childhood drawings of mine.

I scanned and digitized these memories to compare the naive childhood ideas with today's reality.

With this, I want to revive the innocence and creativity of my early years, to preserve and celebrate the childishness.

Origin

So that I can also have a say in NFTs

Here is a little look behind the scenes of my work. This is me.

About me

You can reach me at this email address if you'd like to talk to me.

And here you can find me on (social) media.

Now that we know each other!

From the first idea to the final implementation – these projects are especially close to my heart.

Projects

But it's nice that you're here and see what I love to do most, just maybe not on this page. Why don't you try again by clicking on the link.

Oh, this page unfortunately does not exist

As part of the project, an application was developed that allows therapists to record standardized speech samples and efficiently document diagnoses during psychotherapy sessions. The goal is to support the research of voice-based digital biomarkers and enable objective diagnostics of mental illnesses.

The user interface offers simple navigation and complies with the guidelines of ISO-9241. Inputs are validated.

User-friendliness

Patients can be recorded and managed with a unique patient ID. They can be found using a search function.

Patient Management

Cases can be created and managed with a unique case ID. They always belong to a patient and have a status.

Case Management

The recording of the read texts managed in the application works reliably with various audio formats.

Speech Recording

Codes can be selected and searched for. They are assigned to a case.

ICD-10 Code Recording

Insights

In collaboration with the University Psychiatric Services Bern (UPD), a system was designed that provides therapists with a user-friendly interface for recording diagnoses using ICD-10 codes. The implementation involves the use of modern web technologies to develop a cross-platform application with a focus on user-friendliness, data security, and scalability. The developed web application forms the technical basis for the subsequent empirical study as part of the bachelor's thesis.

Objective & Project Context

A literature review provided up-to-date scientific findings and foundations for subsequent development.

Theoretical Foundations & Research

An expert interview with the group leader of UPD Bern provided valuable insights that were incorporated into the creation of personas and the definition of user needs.

User Analysis & Requirements Definition

The central entities and their relationships were mapped in a domain model, supplemented by a glossary as well as functional and non-functional requirements.

Modeling & Specification

Various platforms such as iPad, web app, or special device were compared in terms of usability, technical feasibility, and cost.

Evaluation of Alternative Design Approaches

Based on user stories, interactive prototypes were developed and tested iteratively to identify potential for optimization early on.

Concept Development & Prototyping

The application was implemented in a user-friendly manner, taking into account usability guidelines according to ISO-9241 and a consistent style guide.

Implementation

The quality and sustainability of the application were ensured through user tests, code reviews, and documentation.

Quality Assurance & Documentation

To best integrate the solution into practice, a thorough analysis was carried out.

Approach

The participants rated their mood before and after a music intervention (uplifting or relaxing) and each spoke an identical, neutral text.

Standardized Study Design

An automated data pipeline extracted prosodic, acoustic, spectral, and formant-based features from the recordings, e.g., pause duration, pitch, or MFCCs.

Feature Pipeline

Significant changes, among other things, in pause duration and in certain MFCCs showed that speech can reflect short-term mood.

Statistical Analysis

Models such as Random Forests and Gradient Boosting showed promising predictive power for positive affect (accuracy up to 87%).

Machine Learning

Study

Standardized data collection in psychotherapy sessions: Facilitating the study of speech-based digital biomarkers in mental health

Construction

RoPot is an artificial intelligence that "lives" where only natural life normally grows: in a flowerpot. You can communicate with the robot via a large language model by voice. It can imitate human emotions via a display.

Upper eyelid touches the iris, lower eyelid is relaxed

Neutral

The cheeks lift and push the lower eyelid. Upper eyelid can be lifted

Happy

Eyes slightly squinted, upper lid hangs down due to eyebrows

Eyes focused and wide open. The upper eyelid seems to be lower due to the eyebrows

Anger

Emotions

My first contact with this idea dates back to 2008, when the Pixar film "WALL-E" came to cinemas. It fascinated me so much that my father and I built a replica of the robot out of cardboard. Even back then, I dreamed of being able to interact with the object. The programmable LEGO Mindstorms robot was the next opportunity to do so. Perhaps that was the impetus to start an apprenticeship as an IT specialist 8 years later. The wish that had been lost in the meantime was rekindled in 2022 when ChatGPT, an AI assistant based on natural language, was made available to the public for the first time. This is how this project began as a private playground during my bachelor's degree in computer science.

Idea

Speech recognition converts spoken language recorded via a microphone into text in real time.

Speech-to-Text

The recognized text is passed to a pre-trained language model, which uses probabilities to predict the next suitable text module.

Language Model

The received response text can now be translated back into an artificially generated voice and played.

Text-to-Speech

To give users visual feedback on what the robot is currently doing, various animations are displayed on a screen.

Display

Speech recognition (speech-to-text) currently takes the most time and makes the interaction seem unnatural during longer waiting times. This step could be improved by introducing multimodal LLMs, which can now process speech directly instead of just text-based input.

Interaction is currently only possible in half-duplex. A duplex implementation would be conceivable for a more accurate replication of human interactions.

In the future, other sensors could be connected in addition to the microphone. This would allow the robot to recognize objects or orient itself when moving with the help of a camera.

Another idea would be to place a real plant in the housing and adapt the RoPot's emotions to the water conditions, for example.

Notes

RoPot

Level Types

Audio

Light

Move the smartphone or apply pressure, for example by moving it upwards or pulling.

Tilt / Acceleration / Pressure Sensor

Tap on a color that is shown on the display.

Touch

Demo

In this local multiplayer game, the Android smartphone is passed around in a circle, and the players have to solve sensor-controlled tasks within a given time. With each round, the time available for the random challenges shortens. If the task is not solved within the given time or the person performs a wrong action, they lose a life. If all lives are used up, you are eliminated from the round. Can you make it to the end?

The game can be started directly on the start page. In the settings, the necessary permissions such as the microphone can be managed. You can also view high scores and the ranking of the players with the most wins.

Start Page

Before the game starts, the names of the participants are entered. Each person receives a unique icon that represents them during the game.

Players

At the beginning of each round, the time remaining until the next task is displayed. This continuously increases the tension during the game.

Round

If a challenge has been successfully solved, a confirmation appears and the smartphone is passed on to the next person.

Challenge Successful

If the player does not manage to master the task in time or a wrong activity is performed, they lose a life. If the person loses all lives, they are eliminated from the game.

Challenge Failed

The game ends when only one player with remaining lives is left.

End of Game

Gameplay

Rushy

Apprenticeship as a Certified Computer Scientist for Application Development, AXA

Vocational Baccalaureate School Winterthur

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, ZHAW

Master of Arts in Interaction Design, ZHdK

Certified Computer Scientist for Application Development, AXA

Civilian Service

Since 2018, this dream hasn't left my mind. Sustainable and fair clothing embroidered by me. With this project, I leave nothing to chance. Everything goes through my hands. From the first sketch to the finished product, including the website.

With the self-programmed editor, you can place your own text on the textiles.

Size, font, color, and alignment can be adjusted.

Editor

Here I embroider on a newly produced garment.

From FIRST hand

Here I collect used clothing and embroider it with a new design.

From SECOND hand

Here, a custom design can be created and embroidered.

From YOUR hand

The first attempts were made with print orders from various companies.

This was followed by initial experiments with my own screen printing system and finally the purchase of an embroidery machine during the Corona period.

The following products were created from this:

Seal the Kickbag tightly with the Velcro fastener.

Close

Fold the empty Kickbag to the specified size.

Fold

Attach the enclosed return label and drop it in the mailbox.

Send

The clothing is sent in recycled shipping bags that can be folded and returned pre-stamped.

This way, the bags can be easily reused and we avoid disposing of cardboard or plastic.

Näf

Dominik

Projects

RoPot

Clothing

Therapy

Rushy

NFTs

About me

Career

Interests

Now that we know each other!

naef.dominik@hotmail.com