General Educational Aims
This course gives an introduction to human-computer interaction with an emphasis on user interface design. Students learn about HCI theory, guidelines for effective interaction design, and the evaluation of user interface.
Specific Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
- explain HCI and interaction design to non-experts,
- describe cognitive foundations of HCI and user-centered design process,
- gather and understand user requirements,
- design and evaluate UI of low and medium complexity,
- communicate effectively about design and evaluation,
- discuss some of the outstanding research problems in HCI.
Required Readings
Helen Sharp, Yvonne Rogers, Jenny Preece (2007): Interaction Design: beyond human-computer interaction, 2nd edition, Addison-Wesley Pub, 2007,ISBN 0470018666.
Optional Readings
Ben Shneiderman and Catherine Plaisant (2009): Designing the User Interface, 5th Edition, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-321-53735-1.
Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter (2005): Understanding Your Users: A Practical Guide to User Requirements -- Methods, Tools, & Techniques. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN-1-55860-935-0.
Schedule
| Date | Topic | Reading* | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/4 |
Intro to the course and HCI Conceptual models and metaphors |
P1-2 | Homework 1 (due 8/7 5pm) |
| 8/6 |
Cognitive foundations Social interaction |
P3-4 | |
| 8/11 | Affective aspects Interfaces and Interactions |
P5-6 | Homework 2 (due 8/14 5pm) |
| 8/13 | Design process User requirements |
P9-10 Personas |
|
| 8/18 | Data gathering and analysis |
P7-8 | Homework 3 (due 8/28 5pm) |
| 8/20 | Mid-term |
||
| 8/25 | Design and prototyping | P11 | |
| 8/27 | Evaluation | P12-15 | Homework 4 (due 9/4 5pm) |
| 9/1 | Case studies: Design for nomadic work (Norman Su) GroupMind (Patrick Shih) |
Nomadic GroupMind |
|
| 9/3 | Project presentations | ||
| 9/8 | Final (1-3pm) |
* P: the Preece/Rogers/Sharp book.
Grading
Assignment: 50%
Mid-term: 20%
Final exam: 20%
Active in-class participation: 10%