OMP 3220 Human-Computer Interaction

Semester 2 2015 - Syllabus

Lectures
Tuesday 2-4pm, Wednesday 2-4pm CSL1
Instructor
Dr. habil. Alexander Nikov, Room FFA UL, alexander.nikov@sta.uwi.edu
Office hours
Tuesdays, Wednesdays 10-12
Pre-requisites

COMP 1200 (Students who have COMP 1401 or INFO 1500 or equivalent should request a pre-requisite override from
department)

Course Rationale
Human-computer interaction (HCI) has become an area of great interest and concern. HCI is concerned with the joint
performance of tasks by humans and machines. It stresses the importance of good interfaces and the relationship of
interface design to effective human interaction with computers. Specifically, we concentrate on so-called interactive systems.
This course uses an integrative and cross-disciplinary approach to bring together a broad variety of topics together in relation
to the problem of developing quality user interaction designs to provide an introduction to the field of HCI. This course is
different from a majority of CS courses like software engineering that take a systems perspective. It focuses more on
application (and less on theory) of user-centered design principles, guidelines, and evaluation. This course provides the
concepts of HCI and user interfaces, focusing on user interface design, evaluation, and technologies. It is a fun course with
interesting user interface design projects and concepts. Unlike a majority of other CS courses, this is NOT programming
intensive.
Course Description
Human-computer interaction is an interdisciplinary field that integrates theories and methodologies from computer science,
cognitive psychology, design, and many other areas. The course is intended to introduce the student to the basic concepts of
human-computer interaction. It will cover the basic theory and methods that exist in the field. The course will unfold by
examining design and evaluation. Case studies are used throughout the readings to exemplify the methods presented and to
lend a context to the issues discussed. The students will gain principles and skills for designing and evaluating interactive
systems.
Among the topics studied are the design and evaluation of effective user interaction designs, including principles and guidelines
for designing interactive systems. Additionally, much emphasis is given to the development process for user interaction designs
as an integral, but different, part of interactive software development. User interaction development activities include
requirements and task analysis, usability specifications, design, prototyping, and evaluation. It is a goal of this course to help
students realize that user interface development is an ongoing process throughout the full product life cycle, and developing the
human-computer interface is not something to be done at the last minute, when the "rest of the system" is finished.
During the course the students will be involved with a real problem solving/software development project. Students will be
required to gather functional requirements, identify the problem, form a solution and present this solution.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course according to course goals, the student should be able to:
 understand the basics of human and computational abilities and limitations.
 understand basic theories, tools and techniques in HCI.
 understand the fundamental aspects of designing and evaluating interfaces.
 practice a variety of simple methods for evaluating the quality of a user interface.
 apply appropriate HCI techniques to design systems that are usable by people.
Specific Objectives (relative to content topics)
The major objectives of the course are:
Definition: students will be able to recognize and recall terminology, facts and principles For example, students can define
'direct manipulation' and list some of its strengths and weaknesses as an interaction style.
Concept Understanding: students will be able to determine the relationships between specific instances and broader
generalizations. For example, students can determine which parts of a system exhibit direct manipulation features and can
explain why a change in the system produced different properties.
Directed Application: students will be able to use concepts and principles to explain, analyze and solve specific situations,
often with the applicable concepts implicit in the setting. For example, students can redesign part of an interface to exhibit
direct manipulation style and predict the likely effects of the change.
Realistic Problem Solving: students will be able to apply course content in coping with real life situations. These differ from
directed applications by having less structured questions and issues, no direction as to which concepts will be applicable and
a range of potentially acceptable answers. For example, students can design an interface for real tasks and users which
incorporates direct manipulation in appropriate ways (and evaluate/defend their choices).
Required Reading
Lecture notes
PowerPoint handouts of the lecture notes will be made available to you via the course web page
Textbook
 Dix A. et al., Human-Computer Interaction. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall, 2004, ISBN-10: 0130461091

Other resources
Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp, Jenny Preece, Interaction Design: Beyond Human Computer Interaction, 3rd Edition, W

Teams
Students will team up in groups of 2-4 for their assignments. The assignments are a considerable amount of work and
require a team to help manipulate the equipment or perform a portion of the human subject interactions. Teams are also the
standard fashion in which user interface design is carried out, i.e., through feedback from another colleague.
1. Students will need to find their own team members. A portion of the time in tutorials can be used to talk with other students
and build a team.
2. Students can break with a team (i.e., divorce) but they and their team members must all come to the instructor together
and give good reasons for why they are breaking up the team. Otherwise a team will be considered in place for the
entire term.
3. Students can join new teams (i.e., remarry), but they must join a team that is compatible (i.e., a team that is working on the
same interface design). There is no need to tell your tutor about the new team membership. This will become obvious
by the new names on the assignment.
4. Teams can consist of no more than four students. A team can choose to continue with only two members but no single
membered teams will be permitted. The assignment is simply too much work.
5. Note: You will often have to work with other people throughout your life who you feel are not carrying their share of the
load or doing the work at the level you desire. Now is a good time to get practice in dealing with these people,
negotiating compromises and making the best of the situation.
Course Outline (subject of change)

Week Lecture Topic Reading Assignment Tutorial Topic

Project Status

Week Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction. Chapters 1 & 2

1 Semester project and student teams pages 1-47, 54-102

Task-centred system design: task-centered process,

Week development of task examples, evaluation of designs through Chapter 7 Task-centred
2 a task-centered walk-through pages 260-291 designHand out
Assignments

User-centred design and prototyping: assumptions,

Week participatory design, methods for involving the user, Chapter 5 Assist with Assignment
3 prototyping, low fidelity prototypes, medium fidelity pages 179-221 1

prototypes, wizard of Oz examples

Week Assist with Assignment
4 1

Methods for evaluation of interfaces with users: goals of

Week evaluation, approaches, ethics, introspection, extracting the Chapter 11 Assist with Assignment
5 conceptual model, direct observation, constructive interaction, pages 406-441 1
interviews and questionnaires, continuous evaluation via user
feedback and field studies, choosing an evaluation method

Week Psychology of everyday things: psychopathology of Chapter 1 Assignment 1 due

6 pages 48-51

Week everyday things, examples, concepts for designing everyday Return and discuss
7 things Assignment 1
Assist with Assignment
2
 Week Beyond screen design: characteristics of good Chapter 6 Applying psychology of
8 representations, information visualization, Tufte’s guidelines, pages 223-259 everyday things
visual variables, metaphors, direct manipulation Assist with Assignment
2

Week Graphical screen design: graphical design concepts, Chapter 3 Assignment 2 due
9 components of visible language, graphical design by grids pages 103-139 Assist with Assignment
3

Week Design principles and usability heuristics: design principles, Chapter 4 Return and discuss
10 principles to support usability, golden rules and heuristics, HCI pages 141-177 Assignment 2Assist with
patterns Assignment 3

Week HCI design standards: process-oriented standards, product- Assignment 3 due

11 oriented standards, strengths and limitations of HCI Standards

Week Past and future of HCI: the past, present and future, Chapter 16 Return and discuss
12 perceptual interfaces, context-awareness and perception pages 593-610 Assignment 3

Teaching methodology
A project-intensive methodology for teaching HCI is applied. To stress that the class work involved in this course directly
complements the project work, the approach of project-intensive teaching is to go step by step through the process of
preparing for the course, teaching the individual classes, and coordinating with the project pretty much as outlined in the
syllabus. We will describe the activities needed at each step, along with support materials, assignments, and we provide
annotations and discussions of specific points.
Students will team up in groups of 2-4 for their project. Students will need to find their own team members. The project is a
considerable amount of work and requires a team to help manipulate the equipment or perform a portion of the human
subject interactions. Teams are also the standard fashion in which user interface design is carried out, i.e., through feedback
from another colleague.
In fact, we will NOT be concerned with implementing a piece of software in this class. We will be concerned with creating and
testing DESIGNS of human-computer systems through low and medium fidelity mockups.
Assessment
Method of Evaluation Percentage of Grade Due Date
Assignment 1
Tasks and requirements 20 week 6
Assignment 2
Low-fidelity prototype and walkthrough 20 week 9
Assignment 3
Computer prototype 20 week 11
Final Exam Students must get a passing
One 2-hours written paper 40 grade on final to pass the
Covers entire course - all lectures, readings and tutorials course
Alexander Nikov COMP 3220 Syllabus
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