HCI 450 Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction
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
A | | 100-93 |
A- | | 92-90 |
B+ | | 89-87 |
B | | 86-83 |
B- | | 82-80 |
C+ | | 79-77 |
C | | 76-73 |
C- | | 72-70 |
D+ | | 69-67 |
D | | 66-60 |
F | | 59-0 |
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).
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.
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.
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.
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 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