ITI46307 Interface Design (Autumn 2011)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Mandatory course in the master programme Applied Computer Science.

Lecture Semester

First semester (autumn)

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge

On completion of the course, the student shall be

• fluent in the theories of interaction design, from an historical as well as operational perspective.
• able to shape the process as well as the products coming out of interaction design.

Skills

On completion of the course, the student shall be able to

• configure the technology and program a modern user interafce
• conduct an evaluation of a user interface and interpret the results of the evaluation

General competences

The students have learned about technology leadership on the project level, as well as team building dynamics. The course will give ample opportunities to train presentation skills.

Content

The students shall learn the most important theories that form the background for interaction design. They shall also understand the impact of different perspectives on cognition, communication and cooperation on design of possibilities for interaction. The students will also gain knowledge concerning the most important techniques and methods based on the theories. The students will learn about a selection of models and metaphors for interaction. The course will make the students able to account for the relation between user needs and demands, and the implementation of these. Emphasis will be on formulation of principles for good interaction design, and the use of prototyping as a tool for this. By different approaches to evaluation, the students shall learn to evaluate different interaction design and interaction processes. This is an important part of the course.

The course aims to be a solid foundation for working with interaction design. The course will teach both traditional techniques as well as those parts of the design process that make user participation possible and expedient.

The course will have a large practical component, where the students themselves shall program and evaluate solutions. The course demands a large effort from all the students, as well as willingness to carry out the project work.

Forms of teaching and learning

Lectures, tasks, presentations of own work, discussions and assignments. The students shall work both in groups and individually. The group work demands cooperation on all parts of the assignments (no splitting of tasks between the group members), and hand-ins and presentations that do not adhere to this principle, will be rejected.

The course will be organized around ca. 4 intensive seminars. Each of the seminars will extend over several consecutive days. The students are expected to invest a lot of work outside the seminars, both individually and in groups. 

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

Two mandatory exercises have to be completed. In connection with the lectures, the students shall contribute to the presentations and
the discussions and act as users/evaluators for each other.

Examination

A four hour individual written exam without aids. 
Assessment on the A - F grading scale.

Course evaluation

This course is evaluated by a

• Mid-term evaluation (voluntary)
• End evaluation (compulsory)

The lecturer compiles a report based on the evaluation forms filled in by the students and his/her own experience with the course. The report is the discussed by the study quality committee of the faculty of Computer Sciences.

Literature

- David Benyon, "Designing Interactive Systems -  A comprehensice guide to HCI and Interaction Design", Addison Wesley, Second Edition, ISBN 0321435338.

The curriculum will be supported by material handed out in the lectures (scientific papers), but essentially it comprises the course materials prepared by the lecturer for the seminars.