refactor: update thesis protocol to remove test subjects and screen recordings, add tracking documentation, and refine bibliography entries.

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@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ To address the accessibility and reproducibility problems in WoZ-based HRI resea
This approach represents a shift from the current paradigm of custom, robot-specific tools toward a unified platform that can serve as shared infrastructure for the HRI research community. By treating experiment design, execution, and analysis as distinct but integrated phases of a study, such a framework can systematically address both technical barriers and sources of variability that currently limit research quality and reproducibility.
The contributions of this thesis are the design principles of this approach, namely: a hierarchical specification model, an event-driven execution model, and a protocol/trial separation with explicit deviation logging. Together they form a coherent architecture for WoZ infrastructure that any implementation could adopt. The platform I developed, HRIStudio, is one implementation of this architecture: an open-source reference system that realizes those principles and serves as the instrument for empirical validation.
The contributions of this thesis are the design principles of this approach, namely: a hierarchical specification model, an event-driven execution model, and a protocol/trial separation with explicit deviation logging. Together they form a coherent architecture for WoZ infrastructure that any implementation could adopt. The platform I developed, HRIStudio, is a complete realization of this architecture: an open-source, web-based platform that serves as both the primary artifact of this thesis and the instrument for empirical validation.
\section{Research Objectives}
This thesis builds upon foundational work presented in two prior peer-reviewed publications. Prof. Perrone and I first introduced the conceptual framework for HRIStudio at the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) \cite{OConnor2024}, establishing the vision for a collaborative, web-based platform. Subsequently, we published the detailed system architecture and a first prototype at RO-MAN 2025 \cite{OConnor2025}, validating the technical feasibility of web-based robot control. Those publications established the vision and the prototype. This thesis formalizes the contribution: a set of design principles for WoZ infrastructure that simultaneously address the \textit{Accessibility} and \textit{Reproducibility} Problems, a reference implementation of those principles, and pilot empirical evidence that they produce measurably different outcomes in practice.
This thesis builds upon foundational work presented in two prior peer-reviewed publications. Prof. Perrone and I first introduced the conceptual framework for HRIStudio at the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN) \cite{OConnor2024}, establishing the vision for a collaborative, web-based platform. Subsequently, we published the detailed system architecture and a first prototype at RO-MAN 2025 \cite{OConnor2025}, validating the technical feasibility of web-based robot control. Those publications established the vision and the prototype. This thesis formalizes the contribution: a set of design principles for WoZ infrastructure that simultaneously address the \textit{Accessibility} and \textit{Reproducibility} Problems, a complete platform that realizes those principles, and pilot empirical evidence that they produce measurably different outcomes in practice.
The central question this thesis addresses is: \emph{can the right software architecture make Wizard-of-Oz experiments more accessible to non-programmers and more reproducible across participants?} To answer it, I propose a hierarchical, event-driven specification model that separates protocol design from trial execution, enforces action sequences, and logs deviations automatically; implement it as HRIStudio; and evaluate it in a pilot study comparing design fidelity and execution reliability against a representative baseline tool. The goal is not to prove a statistical effect at scale, but to establish directional evidence that the architecture changes what researchers can do and how consistently they can do it.
\section{Chapter Summary}
This chapter has established the context and objectives for this thesis. I identified two critical challenges facing WoZ-based HRI research. The first is the \emph{Accessibility Problem}: high technical barriers limit participation by non-programmers. The second is the \emph{Reproducibility Problem}: fragmented tooling makes results difficult to replicate across labs. I proposed a web-based framework approach that addresses these challenges through intuitive design interfaces, enforced experimental protocols, and platform-agnostic architecture. Finally, I posed the central research question (can a hierarchical, event-driven specification model with explicit deviation logging lower the technical barrier and improve reproducibility of WoZ experiments?) and described how this thesis addresses it through formal design, a reference implementation, and a pilot validation study. The next chapters establish the technical and methodological foundations.
This chapter has established the context and objectives for this thesis. I identified two critical challenges facing WoZ-based HRI research. The first is the \emph{Accessibility Problem}: high technical barriers limit participation by non-programmers. The second is the \emph{Reproducibility Problem}: fragmented tooling makes results difficult to replicate across labs. I proposed a web-based framework approach that addresses these challenges through intuitive design interfaces, enforced experimental protocols, and platform-agnostic architecture. Finally, I posed the central research question (can a hierarchical, event-driven specification model with explicit deviation logging lower the technical barrier and improve reproducibility of WoZ experiments?) and described how this thesis addresses it through formal design, a complete platform, and a pilot validation study. The next chapters establish the technical and methodological foundations.