Important note: This class requires a high amount of coursework.

General Educational Aims:

In this class, students will practice the design and evaluation of user interfaces. They will learn about different methods for user interface evaluation and experimental design. In concrete projects, students will have to carefully chose between competing methods and apply them to obtain empirically verified evaluation results. They will practice collaboration in teams, including the presentation of the project results in oral and written form.

 

Specific Objective:

At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:
- realize the importance of user-centered design, and formative and summative evaluation
- choose between different methods for user interface evaluation
- select an appropriate experimental design
- carry out usability experiments
- have attained the ability to evaluate user interfaces of low and medium complexity
- have familiarity with some of the outstanding research problems in the field of Human-Computer Interaction

Lecture, and student presentations about project progress
Students will collaborate in teams of 3 to 5, depending on the number of students enrolled and the nature of their projects.

 

• Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter (2005): Understanding Your Users: A Practical Guide to User Requirements -- Methods, Tools, & Techniques. Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN-1-55860-935-0
• Joseph S. Dumas and Janice C. Redish (1999): A Practical Guide To Usability Testing. Norwood, N.J. Ablex Publishing Corp. Revised edition 1999, Intellect Ltd.: ISBN 1841500208
  
  The readings are available from a course reserve in the Science Library and from the UCI bookstore (also check online: Courage/Baxter, Dumas/Redish).
  

Optional readings:

• Jeffrey Rubin (1994): Handbook of Usability Testing: How to Plan, Design, and Conduct Effective Tests. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0471594032
• Jakob Nielsen and Robert L. Mack (1994): Usability Inspection Methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-01877-5.

 

Location/Times:   TTh  11:00am-12:20pm.  SE2 1306
Discussion:          Fr 2-2:50pm SE2 1306 (teaching assistant: Yang Wang <yangwang@uci.edu>)

Grading:
           70% for project work (team score, unless vetoed).
           25% for final exam
             5% for "tidbits"
           10% bonus for active in-class participation

Efficient reading: see here
Cheating: see here
Students with Disabilities: see here

Add/drop:   Only until the BEGINNING of the class on 1/16.
Course Evaluation:  7pm Friday, March 9 through 11:45pm Sunday, March 18

Office hours: Alfred Kobsa: after class, or Tue 12:30am-1:30pm, Rm 430C, CS Building (302)
                       (contact me in class or send email beforehand)

Syllabus (changes possible, discussions will be added as needed on Fridays 2-2:50pm)
 

#	Date & Time	Location	Topic	Readings/materials due before class
1	1/09 11-12:20	ICF 101	1. Introduction 2. User Needs Analysis 2.1 Interviews	D&R Ch.3, C&B Ch.7
2	1/11 11-12:20	SE2 1306	2.2 Surveys	C&B Ch.8
3	1/16 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Customers' presentation of Projects 1-4
4	1/18 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Customers' presentation of Projects 5-10
5	1/23 11-12:20	SE2 1306	2.3 Wants and Needs Analysis, Card Sorting	C&B Ch. 9-10
6	1/25 11-12:20	SE2 1306	2.4 Field Studies	C&B Ch.13
	1/30 11-12:20	SE2 1306	No class
7	2/1 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Initial presentation of projects 1-4	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
8	2/2 2-3:20pm	SE2 1306	Make-up class: Initial presentation of projects 5-9	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
9	2/6 11-12:20	SE2 1306	2.5 Focus groups, group task analysis	C&B Ch 12, 11
10	2/8 11-12:20	SE2 1306	3. Usability evaluations 3.1 Heuristik evaluation 3.2 Cognitive walkthrough 3.3 Usability experiments	D&R Ch5,7,8,12,13
11	2/13 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Interim presentation of projects 1-3	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
12	2/15 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Interim presentation of projects 4-6	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
13	2/20 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Interim presentation of projects 6-9	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
14	2/22 11-12:20	SE2 1306	3.3.1 Preparing a usability experiment	D&R Ch.14-16; C&B Ch.4
15	2/27 11-12:20	SE2 1306	3.3.2 Selecting, recruiting and informing users	C&B Ch.3,5,6; D&R Ch.10
16	3/1 11-12:20	SE2 1306	3.3.3 Running a user study	D&R Ch.17-20
17	3/6 11-12:20	SE2 1306	3.3.4. Analyzing and presenting the results 4. Establishing user orientation in a company	D&R Ch.8,20-24; C&B Ch.14
18	3/8 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Final presentation of projects 1-3	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
19	3/13 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Final presentation of projects 4-6	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
20	3/15 11-12:20	SE2 1306	Final presentation of projects 6-9	Powerpoint slides of presenting projects
	3/20 10:30-12:30	SE2 1306	Final Exam
	3/23 midnight		Final reports due

Legend:

C&B = Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter (2005)
D&R = Joseph S. Dumas and Janice C. Redish (1999)
C&B Ch.7 = Chapter 7 of Catherine Courage and Kathy Baxter (2005)