ClassInfo

HCI 450 Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction

Fall 2013-2014
Class number: 11047
Section number: 701
Tu 5:45PM - 9:00PM
LEWIS 01208 Loop Campus

Summary

This course applies psychological theory to the design of computer interfaces. It presents an overview of research methods and findings on perception, cognition, errors, and screen design. Attention will be given to creating and applying guidelines derived from research.

Goals

The goals of the course are to:
  • Become familiar with current research on interface design and use.
  • Learn how to read new research on interface design and use.
  • Learn how to apply research to design decisions and evaluations.

The lectures and readings focus on current research. The assignments focus on to reading and applying research findings to design.

Prerequisite

IT 223

Assignments

The goal of the assignments is to introduce you to reading and applying research to design. The assignments build upon each other and are done individually.

Assignment 1 - Doing Research

It is easier to read research once you have done it yourself. This assignment will give you a chance to conduct and write up an experiment and discuss how the results do or do not relate to design.

Assignment 2 - Summarizing Research

This assignment will focus on reading and understanding the implications of individual research articles. You will read and summarize 3 articles on a topic you choose. From the articles you summarize, you will write 4 design guidelines.

Assignment 3 - Reviewing Research

In this assignment, you will build on the research articles summarized in Assignment 2 to write a review paper about your topic. From the articles you review, you will write an additional 4 design guidelines.

Assignment 4 - Applying Research

The reason for reading research is to be able to apply findings while designing or evaluating interfaces. In this assignment, you will use design guidelines you have written to evaluate an interface.



Texts

Required Texts

HFE
Wickens, C. D., Lee, J. D., Liu, Y., & Becker, S. E. G. (2004). An introduction to human factors engineering, (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-183736-2. Note: the international edition is also acceptable.
DET
Norman, D. A. (2002). The design of everyday things. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-385-26774-6. Note: the earlier edition, The psychology of everyday things, is also acceptable.

Optional Readings (Available in Useful Links on COL)

Magic 7
Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63, 81-97.
Info Forage
Pirolli, P., & Card, S. (1999). Information foraging. Psychological Review, 106, 643-675.
Action Slips
Norman, D. A. (1981). Categorization of action slips. Psychological Review, 88, 1-15.


Grading

Tentative Schedule

Wk Date Topic Chapters Due
1 Sep 17 Course overview DET: Ch. 1 -
2 Sep 24 Research Methodology HFE: pp. 10-23
DET: pp. 43-53
Post data for
Assignment 1
Due Sep 21!
3 Oct 1 Basic Research - Perception HFE: pp. 61-82 Assignment 1 -
Doing Research
4 Oct 8 Basic Research - Attention, Working Memory HFE: pp. 120-143
Optional: Magic 7
Topic and Articles
for Assignment 2
5 Oct 15 Basic Research - Cognition, Skill DET: Ch. 3 -
6 Oct 22 Basic Research - Errors, Shared Actions HFE: pp. 156-177
DET: Ch. 5
Optional: Action Slips
Assignment 2 -
Summarizing Research
7 Oct 29 Applied Research - Theory, Search DET: Ch. 7
Optional: Info Forage
-
8 Nov 5 Applied Research - Site and Page Structure - Assignment 3 -
Reviewing Research
9 Nov 12 Applied Research - Page Content and Controls HFE: pp. 184-192
HFE: pp. 218-226
DET: Ch. 4
-
10 Nov 19 Applied Research - Aesthetics, Practice, and Mobile - Assignment 4 -
Applying Research
11 Nov 26 Final exam - -

Links to optional reading are in the Useful Links section of COL.
This schedule is tentative and subject to change as the course progresses. Lecture slides (PDF) will normally be available just before each lecture.

Assignment-Exam Weighting

10% Assignment 1 - Doing Research
20% Assignment 2 - Summarizing Research
25% Assignment 3 - Reviewing Research
20% Assignment 4 - Applying Research
25% Final exam

Grading Scale

A100-93
A-92-90
B+89-87
B86-83
B-82-80
C+79-77
C76-73
C-72-70
D+69-67
D66-60
F59-0

Expectations

This course will be the most effective learning experience if you:
  • Read the assigned chapters before class
  • Participate in class discussion and emails.
  • Do a good, thorough job on the assignments.

Attendance

Class attendance is strongly encouraged, but not mandatory. If you are absent from class you are responsible for understanding the lecture material and for finding out about any announcements made in that class. Lectures typically present additional material not covered in the assigned chapters. The Final Exam will cover both lecture and assigned reading material.

Assignments and Exams

Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Assignments must be submitted via Course Online.

The final exam will be held in the regular classroom on Tuesday, November 26, 2012. Online students may either take the final with the rest of the class or may arrange to take it between Nov 19 through Nov 26.

All assignments may be turned in early for feedback. Assignments 1, 2, and 3 may be turned in late. After receiving your grade, Assignments 1, 2, and 3 may be redone without penalty. Assignment 4 cannot be redone. Assignment 4 can be turned in late and the final exam missed and made up, only if prior permission is obtained, or there is a serious documented reason (e.g. illness, death in the family).



School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296