CSCI310 Fall 2024

An introduction to understanding human behaviour as it applies to interface design, implementation, and evaluation. Topics include: design issues and goals, the limits of the human cognitive system, user-centered design, prototyping, establishing requirements, evaluation techniques, and design implications of emerging technologies. Prerequisite: Min. "C" in CSCI 161 and CSCI 162.

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Instructor

Sarah Carruthers

  • Email: sarah.carruthers at viu.ca
  • Office: 315/217
  • Office Hours: Tuesday 11:30-12:30, Wednesday 14:00-15:00

Course Website

VIU Learn

Schedules

  • Lecture Schedule:
    • First day of classes: September 3, 2024
    • Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00-11:30
  • Lab Schedule:
    • Labs begin second week of classes
    • Please attend your registered lab. Attendance is mandatory
  • Delivery Mode:
    • face-to-face

Required Technology

This course will take place face to face, but teams will need to work and collaborate both during and outside lecture/lab time on various documents and tasks. Therefore, students are required to have access to a minimum level of technology to successfully collaborate with classmates. This includes:

If you are lacking in access to any of the above technologies, please contact the instructor to discuss options (which may include using the Library Commons for wireless access.)

Topics

This course provides a hands-on introduction to a number of Human Computer Interaction activities and concepts. It will focus on a User-Centred Approach, and will include the following topics:

  • User-centered Design in Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
  • Requirements Gathering
  • User and Task Analysis
  • Conceptual Models and Design
  • Prototyping Techniques
  • Design Principles
  • Psychological Principles
  • Evaluation Techniques (expert and user)
  • Study and Experiment Design

Course Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Collect user and task data through the use of techniques like interviews, questionnaires, and observation.
  • Describe and communicate target users and their needs by converting gathered data into appropriate models
  • Design an interface that meets user needs by considering the user's domain knowledge and tasks to select appropriate design patterns
  • Evaluate an interface design through the use of expert and user inspections methods
  • Implement an interface design by using various prototyping techniques during a term-long project as a team
  • Use user and expert feedback to improve a design by incorporating feedback into the design cycle
  • Use psychological principles to interpret and explain design choices by critiquing prototype interface designs
  • Communicate the results of a usability study or HCI experiment through a formal written report and presentation

Course Schedule

This course will consist of 5 modules, with each module one to three weeks in duration

  1. Introduction to HCI, User-centered Design, and Team Based Learning
  2. Requirements Gathering
  3. Conceptual Design and Prototyping Techniques
  4. Implementation of User Interface
  5. Evaluation Techniques for User Interfaces
Each module will consist of:
  • Assigned reading
  • Reading assessment
  • In-class activities

A detailed schedule is available on VIU Learn.

Textbooks

Recommended Texts:

This course will make use of a number of resources, including:

  • book chapters
  • online articles

Please see VIU Learn for an up-to-date list of resources for each module.

Grading

Course includes lecture (theory) and lab (practical) components. Students will receive a single final grade assessing their performance in the lab and lecture components, combined. Students must also achieve separate passing grades in the lecture and lab assessments in order to earn an overall passing grade in the course.

  • Lecture
    • Individual Reading Assessment Tests (iRATs) (1% each): 5%
    • Team Reading Assessment Tests (tRATs) (1% each): 5%**
    • Final Exam: 30%
  • Lab
    • Project (multiple deliverables as part of the Team Project): 50%
  • Participation: 10%

Team assessments (project deliverables and tRATs) will be given a team score. The proportion of this score that each individual team member receives will be scaled based on how much they contributed to that component

** Note: for each tRAT, a score of at least 50% must be achieved on the iRAT to qualify for the tRAT grade portion. Failure to achieve 50% on your iRAT, your individual score will be used for both the team and individual grades. This is designed to encourage all team members to adequately prepare for the RAT.

Grading Scheme

The following scale will be used. The instructor reserves the right to lower the numerical score required for a particular letter grade if that seems appropriate, but the same conversion will be applied to all persons in the class. Under no circumstances will the numerical score required for a particular letter grade be raised.

A+90-100
A-80-84
B+76-79
B72-75
B-68-71
C+64-67
C60-63
C-55-59
D50-54
F0-49

Readiness Assessment Tests

Each course module will begin with assigned lecture videos and readings that all students are responsible for completing before class. Readings will be assessed using Reading Assessment Tests (RATs).

Each student will receive their individual (iRAT) grade and the team grade. Details are available on VIU Learn.

Students who miss an assessment for a valid reason, such as illness, and who communicate this reason in a timely manner to the instructor will be given an option to make up the missed assessment. Students who miss a team assessment will not be eligible for the team assessment grade, and their individual assessment will be assigned to both assessment marks.

Project

Each team will, over the course of the term, work on a project that has a number of deliverables. Time will be spent in class working on these deliverables and receiving peer feedback. Details of each deliverable and their deadlines can be found on VIU Learn. The project will include an opportunity to learn, hands-on, the following:

  • Writing a project proposal
  • Performing and documenting the requirements gathering process
  • Develop Personas and Task Scenarios
  • Develop a Conceptual Design
  • Develop prototypes of varying fidelities
  • Perform evaluations of prototypes
  • Modify a prototype based on the results of an evaluation
  • Design a formal usability study or experiment
  • Give a presentation of the outcome of your study or experiment

Students who are unable to contribute to a team deliverable for a valid reason, such as illness, and who communicate this reason in a timely manner to the instructor and team will be given an option to alter how the students participation or assessment for that deliverable is undertaken. When considering how this will be done, the instructor will take into consideration the impact on the instructor, team, and individual, and attempt to find a solution that is fair for everyone.

Course Policies And Guidelines

Use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative-AI: Students are expected to respect the Intellectual Property (IP) of others, and only input their own content or IP into any Large Language Model, chatbot, or generative-AI tool. All course content is the IP of the instructor and permission is not granted to input it, in part or whole, into any LLM, chatbot, or generative-AI tool. Students should assume the same for any fellow students' work unless explicit permission is granted. In accordance with VIU's student code of conduct, student work that is handed in for formative or summative assessment is assumed to be original (both individual work, or a team collaborative work) unless proper attribution (citation) acknowledges any outside sources, including LLM, chatbot or generative-AI tools. LLMs and generative-AI can be useful tools, but students should be cautious of bypassing learning opportunities through their use. Please bring any questions or concerns you have regarding the use of LLMs or generative-AI tools to your instructor.

Late Submissions: Late submissions will be penalized 20% per day unless previously approved by the course instructor. Personal extensions will be granted only in extenuating circumstances (e.g. illness).

Team participation: This course will use a Team-based learning approach, and as such all students will be assigned a team with which to work. Assessment will be a mix of individual and team assessment.

Individual participation: In addition to attendance, participation during class is required.

Lab participation: Lab attendance is required. Lab time will include a scheduled team meeting with the instructor. All team members are expected to attend and engage.

Coursework Mark Appeals: All marks must be appealed within 7 days of the mark being posted.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all labs and lectures. During this time, students will work with their teams on the term project and give and receive feedback on preliminary project components. It is entirely the students' responsibility to recover any information or announcements presented in lectures from which they were absent. However, students should not attend class or come to campus with any cold or flu symptoms. Stay home if you're sick. See Absenteeism, below, for how to handle missing classes or labs.

Absenteeism: If you are unable to attend a lecture or lab, you are expected to behave responsibly and in a timely manner:

  • Inform your team of the absence and ensure your tasks and responsibilities are covered
  • Inform the instructor of the reason for your absence

This is a team-based course, and the absence of a team member impacts the rest of the team. Students must be able to attend at least 75% of lectures, and must participate in all team deliverables and presentations unless a valid reason is given, such as illness or personal emergency. If the absence of a team member might cause hardship to the rest of the team, the instructor reserves the right to redistribute tasks or assign alternate assessments as needed.

VIU Resources and Policies

Accessibility Vancouver Island University recognizes its legal duty to provide educational opportunities that enable students with a documented disability to access courses, programs, facilities, and services. The Policy and Procedural Guidelines apply to all students who have identified themselves to the institution as having a documented disability who are inquiring about, applying to, or registered in credit or non-credit courses in both on and off-campus programs. Policy 32.02 - Services Available to Students with a Documented Disability

Academic Integrity: Integrity in academic work is a central element of learning and is the basis of intellectual pursuits in any academic community. It is also your responsibility to abide by the Student Conduct Code and Student Academic Code of Conduct. For more information see: Academic Integrity, Policy 32.05

Links to University Policies, Standards, and Guidelines