This is an optional module intended for undergraduate students who are studying computing-related subjects. HCI is the core academic discipline that examines the relationship and interface between human and computer. It informs and provides the theoretical and methodological foundation for user experience, the professional discipline which is practically applied. Although this module forms part of the user experience guided pathway it can be taken as a standalone module.
You will explore major themes in HCI from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. The module will establish an understanding of key concepts within HCI theory and methods, and examines techniques for HCI design and evaluation. It offers students a practical domain in which to apply knowledge and skills, including those from other modules, to the design, implementation and analysis of interfaces between people and computer systems. You will undertake practical exercises in which you will evaluate real-world problems to identify user experience issues. You will utilise the synthesis of data from methods which explore user needs and requirements and also users' cognitive models to build a suite of artefacts eg. personas, user journeys, empathy maps etc which will inform a prototyping phase. This process involves iteratively building on low, medium and high fidelity prototypes of increasing complexity and levels of iteration. Thus you will synthesise theory and empirical data to build prototypes of a redesign solution to usability issues. These artefacts will iteratively and incrementally inform a user centred design.
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
The curriculum is designed around the user centred design process:
| Organising and Collating Raw Data | Evaluate |
| Usability testing | Evaluate |
| Usability testing tools | Evaluate |
| Analyzing and reporting usability evaluation data and subsequent designs | Evaluate |
| Ethical issues (studying human subjects, vulnerable individuals) | Evaluate, understand |
| Experimental design and statistics | (overarching) |
| Evaluation tools | Evaluate |
| Designing user interfaces | Design |
| Use of critieria from established styleguides as benchmarks for (re)design | Design |
| Dashboards and visualisations | Design, Understand |
| Designing for Accessibility | Design, Evaluate |
| Information Architecture | Design, Evaluate |
| Designing for Credibility and Persuasion | Design, Evaluate |
| Identification of usability issues | Evaluate |
| Prioritisation of issues for (re)design | Design |
| Justification of (re)design solutions with appropriate theory | Design, Evaluate |
| Techniques for gathering qualitative and quantitative data | Evaluate |
| Personas | Understand |
| Specifying usability requirements | Understand |
|
Cognitive models of tasks (hierarchical task analysis, cognitive walkthrough, pluralistic walkthrough) |
Understand |
| Distributed cognition | Understand |
| Low, mid and high-fidelity prototypes | Prototype |
| Prototyping tools | Prototype |
The module will use a combination of case-based, problem-based and cooperative learning to facilitate the development of high-level cognitive skills (eg. application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation), and the ability to think critically. Conventional lectures will establish a knowledge and theoretical basis for the module, supplemented by flipped classroom strategies and materials. Students will be given
a variety of preparatory materials to provide a springboard for in-class discussion and activities. Practical studio sessions will involve ‘problem-solving demonstrations' which specialize coverage of the material to coursework topic domains. Students will be encouraged to use metacognitive strategies for thinking through problem-based learning, sharing insights during coorperative learning, finding solutions and encouraging divergent and/or multiple solutions. Opportunties for reflection will be embedded into activities and assessment; reflection is necessary to anchor and establish learning and stimulate deeper thinking and understanding. Student participation and formative feedback may also be supported with student presentations of intermediate coursework deliverables.
The programme is designed to guide student progress through the completion of the coursework and provide opportunities for formative feedback, peer-assisted learning and instruction.The schedule is such that material is covered a few weeks before students need to apply it for their coursework project. This ‘entrains' students in the module and makes relevance of taught material easy to perceive.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Lectures, industry-informed studio sessions | 100 |
| Guided independent study | Continuation of group collaborations, additional video-based material, set reading and preparation activities for studio sessions | 200 |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
Students will be assessed through two individual courseworks. These assessments combine to form an overarching project involving a usability evaluation and redesign project on a topic of their choice. Students will then undertake an oral presentation in which they will showcase their independent work within their chosen domain. Projects will be selected from a number of real world "topic areas" eg. ecommerce and finance. Topic selection allows students to pursue their own interests and develop niche skills within the overall framework of the module. A single coherent project is broken down into a number of milestones spread throughout the academic year - this facilitates a balanced distribution of effort, and progress monitoring.
Teaching will take place within a design studio structure to allow facilitation of core knowledge and skiils eg. cognitive walkthrough and usability testing and useful pedagogic strategies such as the design crit will enable peer design reviews and presentations. These will provide valuable formative feedback which can be applied to summative activities. The studio structure enables key theory and core skill building to occur collaboratively and co-operatively in groups which students could then effectively apply independently to their individual work.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Research and analyse user markets, environments and/or domains | Evaluation component |
| Research and analyse user behaviour, practices and needs | Evaluation component |
| Select appropriate HCI design methodologies and apply them in the solution of real world design problems | Design component |
| Select appropriate methodologies for the evaluation of HCI systems. | Evaluation component |
| Implement, analyse and discuss the results of the deployment of these methodologies in the real world | Design component, oral presentation |
| Demonstrate an understanding of the use of cognitive modelling techniques and their use in HCI | Evaluation component, design component, oral presentation |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation Component | Coursework | 45% |
| Design Component | Coursework | 45% |
| Oral Presentation | Practical Exam | 10% |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction 2015 by Jenny Preece, Helen Sharp, & Yvonne Rogers 4th Edition
The Design of Everyday Things 2013 by Donald Norman
Research Methods in Human Computer Interaction (Second Edition) 2017 by Jonathan Lazar, Jinjuan Heidi Feng and Harry Hochheiser
A Project Guide to UX Design: For User Experience Designers in the Field or in the Making (Voices That Matter) by Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler, 2009, New Riders, Berkeley CA. ISBN 0-321-60737-6
HCI Models, Theories and Frameworks: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science (Interactive Tecnologies) 2013 by John Caroll
Designing User Experience: A Guide to HCI, UX and Interaction Design (2017) by David Benyon, Pearson
Mapping Experiences: A Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints and Diagrams (2015), James Kalback, O'Reilly
UX Research: Practical Techniques for Designing Better Products (2016) by Brad Nunnally and David Farkas, O'Reilly