The
Catholic University of America
School of Library and Information Science
LSC 877 - Special
Topics: User Interface Design and Evaluation
Dr.
Bill Kules
Spring 2009
Updated March 16, 2009
Prerequisites: LSC
555: Information Systems in Libraries and
Meetings
Class will meet face-to-face 4:10 PM to 6:40 PM on the
Wednesdays in Shahan 302,
with
exceptions
noted in the schedule below. There
will
be online and out-of-class work.
We will use Sakai (sakai.nitle.org)
extensively for announcements,
discussion, assignments,
etc. Students are expected to monitor Sakai frequently. Updates,
administrative information and reminders are frequently posted to
Sakai. Online
participation is expected as part of the course. Note that we do not
use the CUA Sakai system (sakai.cua.edu).
Instructor Contact Information
Bill Kules, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Marist Hall Room 248
(202) 319-6278 (o)
(301) 755-7982 (m)
kules@cua.edu
http://faculty.cua.edu/kules/
Office hours are posted on my
web page.
Description
This course explains how to use design and evaluation techniques to develop successful user interfaces for information systems and other interactive technologies. Students will develop an understanding of the cognitive principles and social issues that affect human-computer interaction. Topics covered include: understanding users and interaction, design strategies, iterative prototyping, formative and summative evaluation, and usability testing. Through a team project, students will apply and refine their knowledge. They will prototype and evaluate the design of a user interface for a real-world system.
Previous projects include:
This course focuses on interactive design -- on developing user interfaces that support people in their everyday and working lives. Students will gain knowledge and skills that will help them advocate for improved user interfaces for library catalogs, digital archives/libraries, web applications and more.
Course Goals
Students will develop an understanding of and apply:
|
Week
|
Meeting
Date |
Topics / Readings
|
Major Assignments
|
| 1 | Jan 14 | Introduction - User-Centered design. System Development Life
Cycle (SDLC) Read: Interaction Design chapter 1 Wadlow, M. G. (1994). Design as a way of life. SIGCHI
Bulletin, 26(1): 7-8
|
|
| 2 | (online) | Interaction. Interaction Design Read: Chapters 2, 9 A
History of HCI
Stubblefield, W. A. (1998). Patterns of change in design metaphor: A case study. In Proceedings of the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 73-80. The interface hall of shame |
|
| 3 | Jan 28 |
Introducing Evaluation. Usability Testing
and Field Studies. Usability Evaluation of Scholar - Summary version Usability Evaluation of Scholar - Full version (skim this) |
Homework 1 due |
| 4 | Feb 4 | Data Gathering. Data Analysis. Read: Chapters 7, 8 |
|
| 5 | Feb 11 |
Analytical Evaluation Usability in e-Learning Platforms: Heuristics comparison between Moodle, Sakai and dotLRN |
Homework 2 due Project teams formed |
| 6 | Feb 18 |
Understanding Users. Designing for Collaboration and Communication Read: Chapters 3, 4 |
|
| 7 | (no f2f meeting due to Administrative Monday Feb 25) |
Pilot sessions for BlackBoard and Sakai usability evaluation |
|
| Mar 2-8 | Spring Break | ||
| 8 | Mar 11 | Interfaces and Interactions Read: Chapter 6 |
|
| 9 | Mar 18 |
Identifying Needs
and Establishing Requirements. 1st
Principles of Design
Norman, D. (1999). Affordances, conventions and design. ACM Interactions Magazine May/June, 38-42. |
Project Plan due |
| 10 | Mar 25 |
Design, Prototyping and Construction. Arent, M., ed. (2006) Special
Issue: The Art of Prototyping. ACM Interactions Magazine.
January/February 2006. 13 (1).
|
Use Scenarios, Requirements Analysis and Conceptual Design |
| 11 | Apr 1 | Project-based application: Elaborating requirements &
prototyping |
|
| 12 | (online or guest lecture) |
Project-based application: Evaluation |
Prototype 1 due Homework 2 due |
| 13 | Apr 15 | Accessibility and Diversity Read: |
|
| 14 | Apr 22 | Guest lecturer: Bill Killam, President, User-Centered Design, Inc. |
Prototype 2 due |
| 15 | Apr 29 | Presentations. Course evaluations | Team projects due |
| May 6 |
Final assignment due |
Required Course Text
Interaction Design: Beyond
Human-Computer Interaction, 2nd ed.
Sharp, H., Rogers, Y., and Preece, J.
John Wiley and Sons, West Sussex, England (2007)
ISBN 978-0-470-01866-8
Optional Course Texts
User Interface Design and Evaluation (UIDE)
Stone, D., Jarrett, C., Woodroffe, M. and Minocha, S.
Morgan Kaufmann,
|
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT
|
|
Grading |
|
Grades for this course will be based upon the following elements:
|
Final grades will be assigned as follows:
|
|
University grades: The University grading system is
available at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/gradesfull.cfm#II
for undergraduates and http://policies.cua.edu/academicgrad//gradesfull.cfm#iii
for graduate students. Reports of grades in courses are available at
the end of each term on http://cardinalstation.cua.edu . |
|
Class Participation - In class and online |
|
Each class is critical to your learning experience. Your energy in contributing to class discussions, small-group exercises, and online activities and discussions will be important. Therefore, coming to class prepared (e.g., reading all course readings before class, working on project research, etc.) and actively participating will be necessary to receiving full credit for class participation. The readings are intended to stimulate questions in addition to providing information. It is a good strategy to make notes of questions and comments as you read - these can be useful contributions to the discussion. |
|
Ungraded Exercises |
| Ungraded exercises are provided to help you learn and practice course material, especially specific techniques or tools. We will often start an exercise in class and have you finish afterwards. |
|
Homework |
| Each homework assignment will incorporate the topics being covered and selected skills. Assignments span multiple weeks. All assignments must be posted or submitted by noon on the day they are due, unless otherwise noted. If the assignment is submitted anytime after noon, your grade will be reduced by 10%. Each day it is late thereafter you will lose an additional 5% point (e.g., submitting one day late would reduce your grade by 15%). |
|
Team Project & Presentation |
|
Students will work in teams of 2-4 to prototype and evaluate an information access application of substantial size and complexity over the course of the semester. The focus of this project is the design process, not implementation, so you do not need to build a working implementation. At the final presentation, clients as well as other faculty and students will be invited.
The project will proceed in the following phases (subject to revision):
Weeks
2-6 Form project teams, decide on a goal, and draft project proposal 8-9 Requirements analysis 9-11 Design strategies and first round prototype 12-14 Second round prototype and evaluation 15 Class presentation and project portfolio For the team project, you will partner with at least one other person in the class to to (re)design a user interface for an information system. Working with a larger group allows you to undertake a more ambitious and rewarding project. You will gain experience working on a technology project in a group - which is a real-world requirement for most jobs. You group will present its work during the last class session. NOTE: Each part of the team project must be submitted by the due date at noon. If it is not submitted on time that day, your grade will be reduced by 10%. For each subsequent day it is late your grade will be reduced by 5%. |
| Final Assignment |
|
The
final assignment will include 1-2 essays that cover material from the
course. This will give you an opportunity to critically examine
your experience
and what you have learned during the semester. |
|
Submitting Assignments |
|
All assignments are to be submitted electronically through the Sakai Learning Management System or posted online as instructed. Late work. The instructor will not accept late work except by prior arrangement. If accepted, it may not be graded until the end of the term. Makeup work. If a student has a legitimate reason, such as a medical or family emergency, the instructor may allow a student to do makeup work. The amount and nature of the work is up to the instructor's discretion. It will be graded at term's end. Documentation of the emergency (e.g. a doctor's letter) may be required. Place your name and email address at the top of all pages. Any work submitted with numerous grammar, spelling or format problems will be penalized. Accommodations for students with disabilities: Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact Disability Support Services (at 202 319-5211, room 207 Pryzbyla Center) to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. To read about the services and policies, please visit the website: http://disabilitysupport.cua.edu. The CUA guide for services and accommodations for students with disabilities can be found at http://counsel.cua.edu/ADA/publications/disbro/contents.cfm. Some basic guidelines and links to other information may be found at: http://counsel.cua.edu/ADA/clicks/. |
|
University Grades |
|
The University grading system is available at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/gradesfull.cfm#II
for undergraduates and http://policies.cua.edu/academicgrad//gradesfull.cfm#iii
for graduate students. Reports of grades in courses are available at
the end of each term on http://cardinalstation.cua.edu . |
|
COURSE POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS
|
|
Academic Honesty |
|
Academic honesty is expected of all CUA students.
Faculty are
required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find
violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a
student's own work, cheating, and fabrication. The following
sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student
Academic Dishonesty (from http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrityprocedures.cfm):
"The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for
academic
dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances,
however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student's
past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion,
would be appropriate. In the context of graduate studies, the
expectations for academic honesty are greater, and therefore the
presumed sanction for dishonesty is likely to be more severe, e.g.,
expulsion. ...In the more unusual case, mitigating circumstances may
exist that would warrant a lesser sanction than the presumed
sanction." Please review the complete texts of the University
policy and procedures regarding Student Academic Dishonesty, including
requirements for appeals, at http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm
and http://policies.cua.edu/academicundergrad/integrity.cfm. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Always cite your sources. |
|
Participation and Conduct: |
|
Attendance is required, in keeping with university policy. Your class participation grade depends on being in class and actively participating in class and online. If you will be unavoidably absent, you must consult with the instructor as early as possible. Arrive on time. Late arrival will affect your class participation grades. If class is cancelled due to weather or other emergency, check the online announcements the next day. We will generally hold class online when this happens.Behave respectfully. Students are expected to behave respectfully at all times: while in class, in public discussion forums, and when using email. Participation grades will reflect a student’s maturity level and professionalism; cooperation and collaboration with the class; and whether the meaningfully contributes to course discussions. No phone calls during class. Turn off or silence cell phones and pagers. Students leaving the room for calls may not be allowed to return to that class session. No grade discussions in class. Instructor will not discuss grades in class. First consider why the instructor deducted points. If you still disagree, explain your disagreement in an e-mail to the instructor. |
|
Accommodations for students with disabilities |
| Any
student who feels s/he may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the
instructor
privately to discuss specific needs. Please contact Disability Support
Services
(at 202 319-5211, room 207 |
|
Syllabus changes |
|
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this syllabus as needed. Nothing in this syllabus may be construed as a contract. All changes will be provided to students via the class site. |
|
Acknowledgements |
|
This material was originally adapted from material by Doug Oard. I co-taught this class with Ryen White during the Spring 2006. |
|
Revision History |
| 1/22/2009 - Added readings for week 3 and 5. 3/16/2009 - Updated schedule |