Course Expectations and Tentative Syllabus

INL 650 User Interface Technologies Fall 2008

Bucks Campus  - Room 125                                                                                                             Tue 6:15-9:00pm

Professor:         Dr. Michael Redmond   

                                330 Olney Hall  (215) 951-1096

                                redmond@lasalle.edu

                                http://www.lasalle.edu/~redmond/teach/650

Office Hours: T 5:00-6:15pm

                                And at other times by appointment. Also, by phone and e-mail.

Text:

Shneiderman, B., Designing the User Interface. 4th Edition, Addison Wesley Longman, Reading MA, 2005 

ISBN: 0-321-19786-0

Course Description:

This course will examine the issues associated with human-computer interaction including human-computer task allocation, interface technologies, such as GUIs, speech, virtual reality. It will address how to design interfaces likely to enhance performance. Discussion of interface technologies’ support for good interface design, so technology managers can understand interface issues in technology choice. Evaluation methods will also be examined, so UI designers can determine if their interfaces are enhancing or degrading human performance and managers know to support it. WWW and multimedia interface technologies.

A foundational assumption of the ITL program is that technical managers should have an understanding of what their employees are doing, that they can manage better if they have experience. Therefore, and especially since this class is in the technical track of the ITL program, this class goes much beyond an executive summary of interface principles, technologies and techniques to expect students to develop simple prototype interfaces with at least one technology. After an introduction to principles and guidelines for interface design, the next section of the course follows a common methodology of interface development – understanding user tasks and needs, rapid prototyping with iterative expert evaluation and usability testing with users. Technologies are then presented, and then as students follow this process on their projects, more advanced interface technologies (not used in the project) such as natural language understanding, speech recognition, and virtual reality are presented. Lastly important social issues of handicap accessibility and globalization are discussed. 

Grading:

Midterm Exam                    20%

Final Exam                           15% 

Non-Project Assignments     5%

Project

                                Initial Report                                        10%

                                Initial Design                                        10%

                                First Prototype                                      10%

                                Final Prototype                                    20%

                                Class Presentation                                 5%

                Assessment of Other’s Design             5%  (individual assignment)

Final Grades:

                                A             92-100

A- 90-91

B+           88-89

B             82-87

B-            80-81

C             60-79

F              <60

No make up exams unless arranged in advance.

Final exam is not cumulative, due to the intense project emphasis in later parts of the course

The project is divided into stages with due dates spread over the course of the semester. Project deliverables may not be turned in late

Course Objectives

Concepts

• The student will understand current theories, principles and guidelines for effective interface design
• The student will develop an appreciation for the societal and individual impact of user interfaces, including job satisfaction, privacy, safety

· The student will develop an understanding of issues involved in the generality of interface design: globalization and accommodation of disabilities.

Applications

• The student will be able to analyze a user interface design for its fit to good design principles
• The student will learn to manage the interface design process for interactive systems.
• The student will be able to assess user interface tools for their support of good design
• The student will compare current user interface tools for their ease of developing interfaces
• The student will work directly with direct manipulation interface environments
• The student will develop an understanding of when virtual reality environments may be appropriate
• The student will gain experience with designing, prototyping and assessing a user interface.

Tentative Course Plan:

Week	Date	Topic	Reading	Assignments
1	8/26	Human factors of interactive systems and user interfaces	Shneiderman Chapt 1
2	9/2	Theories, Principles, and Guidelines	Shneiderman Chapt 2
3	9/9	Managing Design Processes	Shneiderman Chapt 3
4	9/16	Evaluation of User Interfaces	Shneiderman Chapt 4
5	9/23	User Interface Tools	Shneiderman Chapt 5
6	9/30	Software Development Tools and Interface Design	VB Intro TBD	Initial Report Due
7	10/7	Midterm Exam
8	10/14	Software Development Tools and Interface Design	Other UI Intro TBD
	10/21	FALL BREAK – NO CLASS
9	10/28	Software Development Tools and Interface Design	Other UI Intro TBD
10	11/4	Direct Manipulation and Virtual Reality Environments	Shneiderman Chapt 6	Design Assignment Due
11	11/11	Natural Language and Speech Interfaces	Shneiderman parts of Chapt 8, 9	Assess Design Due
12	11/18	Natural Language and Speech Interfaces	Technology Ref TBD	First Prototype Due
13	11/25	Accommodation of Disabilities, Globalization	TBD
14	12/2	Project Presentations		Final Prototype Due
15	12/9	Final Exam