Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Design

Course Description

Through lectures and a project, learn the fundamentals of human-computer interaction and design thinking. Work together in teams of three on a quarter-long project. Each week, in small design studios, present and discuss work with peers. The setting for the course is mobile web applications. The constraints of this small form factor make this an exciting challenge. At the end of the course, present to a jury of IT and design leaders.

I. INTRODUCTION

•  History of HCI, Part 1
•  History of HCI, Part 2

II. DISCOVERY

•  Participant Observation
•  Interviewing
•  Other Strategies

III. USER-CENTERED DESIGN

•  Design for People
•  Design as Simulated Annealing
•  Goals and Objective Functions
•  Prototyping as Communication

IV. PROTOTYPING

•  Functional Fixation and Parallel Prototyping
•  Conformity v. Novelty
•  Brainstorming
•  Wizard of Oz

V. HEURISTIC EVALUATION

•  Some Heuristics
•  How and Why

VI. DIRECT MANIPULATION

•  The Gulf of Execution and The Gulf of Evaluation
•  Map Interface Controls
•  Command Line versus GUI

VII. REPRESENTATION MATTERS

•  Good Representation
•  Representational Shifts
•  Attention, Stress, and Risk

VIII. VISUAL DESIGN

•  Type Matters, Part 1
•  Type Matters, Part 2
•  Matching Semantics and Visual Layout

IX. INFORMATION DESIGN

•  Interlaced Browsing and Navigation
•  Design for Glanceability
•  Color
•  Rating Scales and Graphs

X. EVALUATING DESIGNS

•  Evaluation Strategies
•  Designing User Studies
•  Participants and Tasks
•  Chi-Square Test and Probability

XI. CONDUCTING USER STUDY

•  Goals, Tasks, and Details
•  Capturing Results and Recruiting
•  Setting Up, Debriefing, and Summarizing Results
•  Introducing Controlled Web Experiments

XII. COLLABORATION ON THE WEB

•  Designing Software for Collaboration
•  Collocation versus Remote, Part 1
•  Collocation versus Remote, Part 2
•  Wisdom of the Crowds
•  Challenges

FINAL PRESENTATIONS

•  Fall 2010 Presentations

MOBILE WEBAPP DEMOS

•  Fall 2010 Demos