CSc 280
User Interfaces
Syllabus
Instructor: Chris Fernandes
Office: Steinmetz 229
Phone: 388-6401
Email: cfernand@union.edu
Course Web page: http://cs.union.edu/csc280
Office hours: Mon 1-2:30, Thurs 4-5, Fri 11-1
Course Summary
This course will introduce you to the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), a part
of computer science focusing on how end-users interact with hardware and software systems.
HCI is a large, interdisciplinary field involving psychologists,
linguists, artists, and designers to name a few. We will focus on the part of HCI dealing with
the usability of interfaces -- the things that make them easy or difficult
to use. Specifically, you will learn:
- the theory behind what makes an interface usable or unusable
- design processes that support usability such as task and user analyses,
participatory design,
GOMS analysis, and ethnographic observation
- how to evaluate an interface through the careful design and execution of
an empirical study
- how to use sophisticated software packages to record and analyze data from subject
observations
- how to use statistical techniques to analyze results
- how to present a complete usability research study in both oral and written form
Texts (2 required)
- H. Sharp, Y. Rogers, J. Preece, Interaction Design,
2nd edition, Wiley, 2007.
- Donald
A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, Basic Books, 2002.
- Some kind of notebook. See below.
Evaluation
There will be four
projects assigned during the term, and the majority of your grade will be based
on them. Projects are team-based, and although grades will be given to each
team as a whole, your individual grade can go up or down depending on your
contribution.
Each project will include a variety of activities including, but not
limited to, literature reviews, experiment design, prototype creation,
live subject testing, statistical analysis, research writing, and making presentations to the class.
No lates will be accepted for any of the projects.
There will be no midterm for the course. The day of
the final exam will be used for making presentations on your final project.
Grading
- Project 1: discount usability: 15%
- Project 2: hi-fidelity prototyping and coding: 20%
- Project 3: experiment design: 25%
- Project 4: open-ended redesign: 30%
- Class participation -- 10%
What you need to do
To prepare for class, you are required to do the following:
Show up
You are expected to be present for
every class. However, I realize that sometimes other things come up
(interview, illness, etc.) so just please let me know in advance or by
phone/email if you're going to be absent. If you miss class, get notes from
someone and do the readings before coming to see me. I'm happy to explain
things, but I won't repeat lectures for you.
Read the stuff I hand out
In addition to textbook readings, there will be quite a few
articles I will hand out that we'll be discussing in class.
Class participation is a big percentage of your grade, and
if you haven't read something, you won't do well in this
category. It's easy to tell when you try to fake it.
So no foolin': read!
Carry a notebook everywhere
Sometimes the best ideas for an interface come from things you see
or just happen to think of out in the world. Carry a small notebook
with you throughout this term and use it to jot down ideas, make
sketches, ask important questions, take notes during your group
meetings, record the methods that you used, analyze your results, etc.
This is invaluable way of
bringing inspiration (and organization) to your group projects.
Check the webpage
The reading assignments (and other
announcements) will be posted regularly on the course webpage. You are required
to check it at least once a week. The address is at the top of this document.
Get involved!
HCI is a very different part of computer science than you may be used to in your
other CS classes. It does not focus on programming or on how to get a machine
to do something new and exciting. And while those things are cool, it is just as important
for those new, exciting apps to be made in a way that people can actually use them.
In many ways, this course focuses on people -- how they think, how they react,
and how that informs the development of the cool hardware and software we make.
You'll get the most out of this class by diving right in to this non-traditional approach
to CS: reading the papers, debating with your classmates, designing with your
teammates, really listening to your end users, and taking time to reflect on
what you've built. It's part rigorous science, and part creative art. Get involved.
Any student with a documented learning disorder is welcome to come talk to
me privately about options for completion of course assignments.
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