CMPT 363 Spring 2007

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Course Syllabus

SFU                       Computing Science                       07-1
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CMPT 363-3 E100"    User Interface Design
 Instructor: C. Jennings                     SFU Burnaby

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OBJECTIVE/DESCRIPTION:

This course will introduce you to the design of effective human-computer
interfaces, with a focus on the type of interfaces you're likely to work
with after graduation.  I am organizing the course around a core group of
design themes, which we will consider throughout the semester.  Lecture
time will be minimized.  Class time will mostly be spent on discussion and
small group work, evaluating and redesigning interfaces.  Assignments for
activities outside the class will also emphasize evaluation and design.
Recognizing a bad interface is easy, and recognizing a good one is a little
more work, but it's truly demanding to describe *why* an interface succeeds
or fails.  The best way to learn this skill is to describe the strengths
and weaknesses of many interfaces, in speech and writing.  You will spend a
lot of time talking and writing about interfaces.  But the course will
progress from mostly informal exercises, with little impact on your final
grade, to more formal ones that will count more.  You will have lots of
practice before you reach the high-stakes stuff.  I will not be assigning
many readings from the recommended text, "User Interface Design and
Evaluation", but instead will expect you to use it as a resource for
answering questions, during class and for outside exercises.  Access to the
text will be important, but you may choose to save some money by sharing a
copy with a friend.

TOPICS:

   o Basic Concepts and Goals of Human Computer Interaction
   o Human-Centered Design and Development Process
   o Cognitive Psychology of Computer Use
   o Interface Technologies
   o Design Methods
   o Prototyping Methods
   o Evaluation Methods
   o Committing to Good Design

GRADING:

50% Assignments and Projects
    25% Short Assignments
    25% Project
40% Examinations
    15% Midterm Exam
    25% Final Exam
10% Participation

TEXTBOOKS:

   o None

RECOMMENDED:

   o User Interface Design and Evaluation, Stone, Jarrett, Woodroffe, and
     Minocha, Morgan Kaufman, 2005

REFERENCES:

   o The Humane Interface, Jef Raskin, Addison-Wesley, 2000
   o Human-Computer Interaction:  Towards the Year 2000, Ron Baecker,
     Jonathan Grudin, Bill Buxton, & Saul Greenberg, Morgan Kaufman, 1995
   o The Design of Everyday Things, Donald A. Norman, Basic Books, 1989:
     Also published as The Psychology of Everyday Things
   o The Non-designer's Design Book, Robin Williams, Peachpit Press/Addison
     Wesley, 1994
   o Designing the User Interface (4th Edition), Ben Shneiderman and
     Catherine Plaisant, Addison Wesley, 2005
   o Interaction Design:  Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, Preece,
     Rogers, and Sharp, John Wiley and Sons, 2002
   o Usability Engineering, Mary Beth Rosson and John M. Carroll, Morgan
     Kaufman, 2002

PREREQUISITES/COREQUISITES:

CMPT 225 (or its equivalent, CMPT 201, which is no longer offered)

Distributed:  December 5, 2006

.......................................................................

Academic Honesty plays a key role in our efforts to maintain a high
standard of academic excellence and integrity.  Students are advised that
ALL acts of intellectual dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action by
the School; serious infractions are dealt with in accordance with the Code
of Academic Honesty (T10.02) (http://www.sfu.ca/policies/teaching/t10-02.htm).
Students are encouraged to read the School's policy information
(http://www.cs.sfu.ca/undergrad/Policies/).

Attendance

Much of the learning in this course will take place in class, and a large portion of your grade will be based on work done in groups. Therefore, please make an effort to get here and to be on time. You and your groupmates will be counting on each other. As an added incentive, the majority of your participation mark will be determined by peer evaluation. Thursday will not be a good night for staying home and playing Neverwinter Nights 2 or catching up on your sleep.

Cheating

Don't. It dishonours the school and it dishonours you. Besides, you pay a lot of money to take these courses. You should get as much out of them as you can.

Lecture Notes

Students have requested that slides be available. They can be downloaded here. They are stored as .zip compressed PowerPoint presentations. Be aware that studying from the lecture notes will not provide sufficient preparation for assignments and tests by itself.

Assignments and Projects

• Short Assignment 1
• Short Assignment 2
• Short Assignment 3
• Short Assignments 4 and 5
   
• Project: Requirements Analysis
• Project: Design
• Project: Evaluation
• This is a link to the paper you may find useful as an example of qualitative analysis (see Section 7, page 5).
   
• Project: Group Evaluation Form

Exams

Updated November 28, 2008