Human Computer Interaction (Fall semester, 2015)

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Human Computer Interaction for bachelor students (5 ECTS credits). Syllabus.

Recommended readings (available in the library):

1. Preece Jennifer, Yvonee Rogers, Helen Sharp. Interaction design: Beyond human – computer interaction. John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 2007, 2002.
2. Benyon, David. Designing Interactive Systems: A comprehensive guide to HCI, UX and interaction design, 3/E Addison-Wesley Pearson Education, 2013, 2005.
3. Dix, A., Finlay, J., Abowd, G., Beale, R. Human Computer Interaction. London: Prentice Hall Europe, 2006.
4. Shneiderman, Ben; Plaisant, Catherine. Designing the user interface: strategies for effective human-computer interaction (5th edition). Pearson: Addison Wesley, 2010, 2005.

Exam questions

Schedule:

1. Organisational meeting
   Introduction to the course (pdf)
   Reading: [1]. Chapter 1, sections 1.1-1.4.
   ([1] means the first book: Preece, Rogers, Sharp. Interaction design: Beyond human – computer interaction.)
2. System usability, accessibility and acceptability issues (pdf)
   Reading: [1] Chapter 1, sections 1.5-1.6.
   Homework 1.1: Develop an idea of design project: what usability and acceptability can be improved for currect people activities? Develop the course product assumptions that should be based on the problems observed in user current activities.
3. Gathering data to understand user needs (pdf)
   Reading: Chapter 7.4
   Homework 1.2: Do observations, interviews and describe situations in which the human computer interactions can be improved. The specific usage problems or unused opportunities should be emphasized.
4. User need analysis – PACT framework
   Reading: [2] Chapter 2, PACT: a framework for designing interactive sustems.
   Homework 1.3. Generate at least 15 user goals that will support user activities in the context of developed technology. PACT framework will support the analysis of current user activities, identification of new opportunities and development of the vision how user will act with a new technology. Prepare the first assignment and send it before the class.
5. Conceptualising interaction (pdf)
   Reading: [1]: conceptual models
6. Interaction design process: User-centered design, users/stakeholders (pdf)
   Identifying needs and establishing requirements.Reading: [1] Chapter 6, sections 6.1-6.3, Chapter 7.1 – 7.4
   Presentation of the 1st assignment.
   Homework 2.1: Define the scope of the project by specifying user point of views. Point of view is user goal with usability success measure.
7. Task analysisReading: [1] Chapters 7.6 – 7.7.
   Homework 2.2: Analyse the tasks that are presented in the points of view. Analysis involve the task decomposition into the steps and deciding what user input and system feedback is requirews for the each step. You can choose which method to use: storyboaring, hierarchical task analysis or UML use case and sequence diagrams.
   Assignment 2 step 3: Finding inspirations. Select the interface examples that suggest solutions for the goals, developed in previous step. Each interface example should be explained in the following way: which user goal relates the presented example and which usability design rule (see last lecture) is applied in selected example,
   The second submission (can be either text document or slides) should be sent and will be presented during the next class.
8. Usability design rules (pdf)
   Reading: [3]. Chapter 7, section 7.2.
   Presentation of the 2nd assignment.
   Homework 3. Rapid electronic prototype. Recommended tool: Balsamiq mockups
9.  Analytical evaluation: Heuristic evaluation (slides 1-25).
   Examples:
   •  Usability guidelines for heuristic evaluation,
   •  examples of heuristic evaluations: checklist for web systems , heuristics with examples

Presentation of the 3rd assignment.
Assignment 4: a report of a heuristic evaluation. Recommended structure of the deliverable: title page, executive summary (1-2 pages), evaluation environment (Which computers and software (if any ) has been used doing evaluation), methods (what heuristics where chosen for evaluation), task and scenarios, results and recommendations, conclusions.

1. Visual design principles(pdf).
   Presentation of the 4th assignment.
   Homework 5. Develop a high-fidelity prototype using rapid prototyping tool.
2. Testing with users in  controlled and natural environments.
   Reading: [1] chapter 14.1-14,4
   Presentation of the 5th assignment.
   Homework 6: the report of usability testing. Recommended structure of the delivarable: title page, executive summary, evaluation environment, participants, methods, task and scenarios, results and recommendations, conclusions.
   Examples:
   • A report template from usability.gov.
   • Usabiliyt testing report example form Dialog Design.
   • Informed consent form

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3. Introducing evaluation (pdf).
   Analitical evaluations (Slides from 26 to the end)
   Reading: [1] Chapter 10, 13.5, 14.1-14,4
4. Social interaction: designing for collaboration and communication.
   Reading: [1] Chapter 4. Designing for collaboration and communication.
5. User interface types (part 1, part 2). Course summary.
   Presentation of the 6th assignment.