I Wanted My Thesis to Have Purpose

-By Anurag Gadgil

At the Interaction Lab, we’re always curious to explore the diverse journeys students take through their research. In this conversation, I sat down with Vanessa — a master’s student in Interaction Technology — to talk about her thesis, her motivation, and what it’s like combining motion tracking with autism diagnostics. What followed was an honest and inspiring reflection on not just research, but personal growth.

Here’s Vanessa, in her own words.

I wanted my thesis to be more than just a research project

Hi, I'm Vanessa, a master’s student in Interaction Technology at the University of Twente. I’ve been around for four years now, starting with a pre-master's, and before that, I studied Interaction Design in Germany. Why did I choose this programme? Honestly, I was looking for something more hands-on, more technical, and just... broader. I wanted something that mixed technology with design, research, and even entrepreneurship. UT’s Interaction Technology felt like a place where I could explore all of that. My project is called “Design and Development of an Interactive Technology to Support the Diagnostic Process for Autism.” The idea came from a few places, mainly from a desire to do something meaningful, something that can help people. Autism is still widely misunderstood, and many people, especially women, remain undiagnosed because current tools don’t always pick up on subtleties. They rely on questionnaires or observations, which can be too general or biased.

So, I wanted to ask:
Can we detect autism-relevant motor traits using motion tracking?
The experiment had two parts — one alone, one with a partner. In the first part, participants had to follow a moving ball on a screen. Simple on the surface, but they were wearing motion tracking markers — so I could study how they responded to interruptions or perturbations in their flow.

In the second part, two people had to synchronize their movements together, but without talking, and without being told who should lead or follow. Just pure, real-time interaction.

From this data, I looked at two main things:

• Continuous Relative Phase — how in sync their movements were.
• Co-confident motion — those magical moments when two people move together smoothly, without anyone clearly leading or following.

And to add depth, I also did qualitative interviews.

What surprised me? How focused some autistic participants were

I had assumed that interruptions would disrupt participants with autism — that they might struggle to adapt or become distracted.

But I was wrong.

Some participants were so deeply focused that they didn’t react to perturbations at all. They were completely absorbed, unaffected by interruptions.

This challenged some common assumptions about attention and behaviour in autistic individuals — and opened my eyes to the diversity of experience within the spectrum.

This might not be in clinics tomorrow, but it’s a start

My research is exploratory, but it opens up exciting possibilities. Maybe, in a few years, motion tracking can be used to support diagnosis — not replace it, but add a layer of objectivity.

I see it as a tool for clinicians, researchers, and educators. Maybe in the future, this could even apply to ADHD or other neurodiverse conditions. And if other students or researchers want to pick up where I left off — that’s a win.

Technically, I’ve grown more than I expected

I had never used the OptiTrack system before this. I wasn’t even super confident in programming. But now, I can say I’ve become pretty solid with Python and MATLAB. I’ve learned how to handle huge datasets — 68 participants — and how to clean, analyse, and make sense of it all.

But even more than that, I’ve learned how to work independently, question everything I’m doing, and make critical decisions.

What’s Next on the Horizon?

Right now, I’m still finishing up data analysis. I’m at that exciting-but-stressful stage where I’m checking if my findings are actually statistically significant. I’m also wrapping up the second task (the joint movement one) — that’s still in progress.

After I defend my thesis, I’m taking a break from studying. I’ll be backpacking solo through Southeast Asia — time to reset and recharge. After that, who knows? I might do a PhD, or maybe jump into the tech and design world here in the Netherlands.

Want to reach out? Feel free!

If you’re curious about my work, want to read my thesis, or attend the defence, you’re very welcome to reach out. You can also contact my supervisor, Dees Postma, who’s been a big part of this journey and is doing fantastic work in this space too.

📩 Email me: vanessa.markos1@gmail.com
🧠 Or get in touch with Dees Postma [d.b.w.postma@utwente.nl]

Thanks for reading, and if you’re starting your own thesis journey soon, choose something that excites you, and don’t be afraid to aim for impact.

💡 Follow Along for More

Want to hear more stories like Vanessa’s?

👉 Follow the Interaction Lab for more interviews, updates, and student journeys.

📢 Next up: [Student Name] will share [nice punchline or subject of thesis] Stay tuned!