Draft, 3/20/2016
   

btw...  and also...


INF 132: Project in HCI and Evaluation 

Instructor: Alfred Kobsa

Teaching Assistant: Yao Li (yao.li)

 

Disclaimer: These are guidelines intended to help students plan their work in this course. However, the instructor does reserve the right to make changes if needed, including students' signups.

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

General Educational Aims:
Students will learn and practice the process of user interface design and/or evaluation. They will learn different methods for user interface evaluation and experimental design. In real-world projects, students will have to carefully chose among available 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 needs analysis and user interface evaluation
- select an appropriate design for user studies
- 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
Prerequisite: INF 131

Class format:
Half of the class will be lecture-format, and the other half will consist of student presentations on their plans and progress in their projects. Students will collaborate in teams of 5 to 6, depending on the total class enrollment and the project requirements.
Location/Times:               MoWe  5:00am-6:20pm      DBH 1500
Discussion (as needed):  F 1:00-1:50pm                   
ICS 174
Readings:

Required
Optional The readings are also available from a course reserve in the Ayala Science Library.

Lecture part overview (links to chapters accessible from within the UCI domain only)
1. Overview of class and user studies
2. User needs analysis
2.1 Interviews (Baxter et al. Ch.9)
2.2 Surveys (Baxter et al. Ch.10)
2.3 Focus groups (Baxter et al. Ch.12)
2.4 Card sorting (Baxter et al. Ch.11)
2.5 Field studies (Baxter et al. Ch.13)
3. Usability evaluations (Barnum Ch.3; maybe start at page 61)
3.1 Heuristik evaluation
3.2 Cognitive walkthrough
3.3 Usability experiments
3.1.1 Preparing a usability experiment (Barnum Ch.5-6, Baxter et al. Ch.4)
3.3.2 Selecting, recruiting and informing users (Barnum Ch.4, Baxter et al. Ch. 6+3)
3.3.3 Running a user study (Barnum Ch.7)
3.3.4 Analyzing and Presenting Results (Barnum Ch.8+9, Baxter et al. Ch.15)
4. Establishing a User Orientation (optional: Interview with Kim Goodwin 25 min.)

Projects:    More details and signup
Projects 1a,b: Website Supporting the Racial Violence Archive (customer Geoff Ward gward)
Projects 2a,b: Website for Questions about Fundamental Physics and Cosmology (customer Kevork Abazajian kevork)
Project 3: Usability Evaluation of the UCI Libraries Website (customer: Ashley Burke afburke, Robert Crippin crippinr)
Project 4: Website Accessibility and Usability Evaluation focusing on Students with Disabilities (customers: Somphone Chen somphone, Todd McGill tmcgill)
Project 5: Evaluation of the Usability and Usefulness of EEE Scout (customer: Raymond Vadnais rvadnais)
Project 6: Evaluating Navigation in Online Courses (customer: Mathew.Williams)
Project 7: Smartphone and Web App to Help Caregivers Construct Safe Routes (customer: Amelia Regan aregan)
Project 8a,b: Patient Administration System for an Exergame for Leukemia Patients
(customers: Yunho Huh yunhoh, Magda El Zarki elzarki)

Grading:
           60% for project work (team score, unless vetoed)
           30% for final exam
           10% for class attendance (plus penalties
for missing customer/group presentations and customer meetings)
           up to 10% bonus for active in-class participation

Efficient reading: see here
Cheating: see here
Students with Disabilities
: see here
Absences:
   
Medical, emergency: send email with documentation to TA
   
Professional: send email with documentation to TA beforehand

Add/dropBy Tuesday 3/29 midnight (on 3/29, registration will switch to X. Request a code from the instructor in this case.)
Course Evaluation: 

Hours:
          
Alfred Kobsa: after class, or Mondays 4-5pm in 5092 Bren Hall (send email if you plan to come)
           Yao Li (
yao.li): Fridays 1:00-1:50pm (send email if you plan to come and ask for location)

Syllabus (changes possible)


Tip
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  • Discussion sessions are normally for meetings with the team, customer or TA