About
Introduction
This course will cover the design, prototyping, and evaluation of user interfaces and applications for computing devices, often called Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). HCI covers many topics, including:
- Design (e.g., user-centered design, prototyping, and design principles and rules)
- Implementation (e.g., input and output devices, interaction styles, and common interface paradigms)
- Evaluation (e.g., conducting user studies and experiments)
Course Objectives
The goal of the course is for students to learn how to design, prototype, and evaluate user interfaces and computing applications using a variety of methods. Students should come away with an understanding of:
- how to study user tasks in context
- prototyping and testing versions of user interfaces
- the importance of iterative design in producing usable software
- the cognitive and perceptual constraints that affect interface design
- techniques for evaluating the usability of an interface
- how to work together on a team project
- how to communicate the results of a design process, both in oral and written form
Instructors
Professor: Tapan Parikh, 303B South Hall
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1-2PM (please email me if you plan to attend)
TA: Meena Natarajan
Office Hours: By Appointment
Meetings
Class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 PM in 202 South Hall.
Grading
Grades will be determined primarily by a student’s performance on group assignments and in-class participation. The group project will be a core component of the class, and as such will carry a significant weighting in the course grade. The class will not be graded on a curve. While the final grade assignment is subject to the instructors’ discretion, the following is a rough breakdown of the weight given to various components in the course.
- Class Participation (incl. attendance): 20%
- User Observation: 10%
- Prototyping: 15%
- Usability Evaluation: 15%
- Final Prototype: 15%
- Final Presentation: 15%
- Final Report: 10%
Late Policy
Homework is due at the start of class. We will accept late assignments, but the grades will be reduced by one letter grade (if submitted within one week). There is no allowance for late group presentations.
Laptops
The use of laptops is frowned upon during presentations. Laptops are not allowed to be open during presentations by your classmates or guests.
Readings
Readings will be posted to the course schedule. Most will be provided online, some with restricted access. The following books are good references, but will not be needed in class:
- The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman
- Usability Engineering, by Jakob Nielsen
- Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques, by Kevin Mullet and Darrell Sano
- About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design, by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann and David Cronin
- The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity, by Alan Cooper