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General IAT 201 Course Information

Note: this is the former and out-dated website from the 2012 course offering. Please see iSpaceLab.com/Riecke/Teaching/ for my latest course offerings and information

About IAT-201: Human-Computer Interaction & Cognition

This course is about understanding humans and how they interact with computers. Designing the world with people in mind is the core idea of SIAT ("design technology as if humans mattered"). You will seek to understand human perceptual and cognitive abilities, how they support us when we interact with computers and computer-assisted artifacts, and finding better ways of designing these interactions to improve the overall effectiveness and user experience. You will engage in the process of interaction design (ID) or user experience design (UxD). You will be introduced to the fundamental components involved in interaction design, that is, designing human-computer interfaces from a human perspective as opposed to a technology-centered one.

Details and further information can be found in the course syllabus on the course management system.

Previous course project portfolio videos are available at here or diretly on youtube or vimeo. See below for a few sample videos.

Contact Information

  • Instructor: Professor Bernhard Riecke {ber1}[at]sfu.ca
  • TAs: Terry Lavender & Jim Silvester: {tjlavend,dsilvest}[at]sfu.ca (please respect email etiquette)
    • replacing Terry starting November 1st: Diliara Nasirova: dnasirov[at]sfu.ca
  • Office hours: by appointment; talking to us after lecture/workshops works the best typically

Time & Location

110 min. Lecture: D100, Surrey Room 2600, Thursday 10:30-12:20

110 min. Workshops: Thursdays & Fridays

Sakai: Course Management System

Visit http://sakai.sfu.ca/, login, then go to "iat201 Fall 2012" tab.

Try the schedule tab for an overview on assignents and deliverables.

Important Dates

  • First day of class: Lecture on 6. Sept. 2012
  • SFU Last day of class: 3. Dec. 2012
  • Final project video presentations: Date TBD, likely in the last lecture. see below for samples

see also SFU Academic Calendar dates

The ID Process

id

This course follows the Interaction Design (ID) process closely. Projects roughly correlate with the different ID stages. We have colour-coded the stages to make clear which weeks and projects reflect which stages of the ID process. We will use this colour coding scheme consistently throughout the course, e.g. as with the navigation bar to the right. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of the ID process chart.

 

Learning Goals & Desired Outcomes

see course syllabus

Course Textbooks

  • “Visual thinking for Design” (2008) by Colin Ware; Morgan Kaufmann, ISBN: 0123708966 (also available online through SFU library here)
  • “A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field or in the making” (2012) by Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler; New Riders Press, ISBN 0321815386 (also available online through SFU library and online here or here)
  • “Designing for Interaction: Creating Innovative Applications and Devices” (2009) by Dan Saffer; New Riders Press, ISBN 0321643399 (also available online through SFU library &online here or here)

(regular reading assignments will be from these books, so please get a copy in the first week of class. Note that online access to books tends to be unreliable and limited, so I strongly recommend acquiring a paper copy of the required textbooks)

Other useful books

  • “Rocket surgery made easy: the do-it-yourself guide to finding and fixing usability problems” (2010) by Steve Krug. New Riders, ISBN: 9780321702821 (also available online through SFU library here)
  • 100 Things every designer needs to know about people (2011) by Susan Weinschenk
  • Understanding Psychology (2013 (2007 or later edition is also fine to use)) ( by Charles G. Morris & Albert A. Maisto. ISBN 0205845967
  • “The Design of Everyday Things” (2002) by D. Norman; Harper Collins; ISBN 0465067107 (also available online through SFU library here)
  • "Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability"(2005) by Steve Krug,New Riders Press. (also available online through SFU library here)

(some reading assignments may be from these books. No need to buy them if you are willing to either read them online or in the library - a limited number will be available in the library course shelf)

 

Sample final project videos from previous course offerings

Many previous course project videos are available here or diretly on youtube or vimeo. Below are some sample videos:

(SFU Enrollment System; thanks: team 402, Fall 2012)

IAT 201 - SFU ENROLLMENT SYSTEM from Bruce Lui on Vimeo.

 

(Treadmill Redesign; thanks: team 403, Fall 2012)

Treadmil, Flexdeck Shock Absorption System (Life Fitness 95Ti) Redesign from Adam Lin on Vimeo.

 

(Cineplex Self-Ticketing Machine ReDesign; thanks: team 205, Spring 2012):

 

(Sony Reader; thanks: team 102, Spring 2012):

IAT 201 Final Video (Sony Reader) from aaron|lalau on Vimeo.

 

(Minitab redesign; thanks: team 205, Fall 2011):

[IAT201] Miniclip Redesign from Kim on Vimeo.

 

Roland digital sampler re-design: (thanks: team 803, Spring 2011):

 

 

iTunes re-design: Thanks: Team 605, Spring 2011:

Final project video- 201- iTunes redesign from AlexandraFurman on Vimeo.

 

here's an older project video (before we started including the final user study results). Thanks: team thunderpunch, fall 2009!)

IAT201 Snap.Colour.Pop! Video Prototype from Nathan Singh on Vimeo.

 

Intro

Introduction & Big Picture

Week 1: 4-9. Sept.

Topics & Learning Goals

What, why, so what? Understand course procedures and "big picture"

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

  • Understand weekly JiTT/Warmup exercises: Why do they support effective learning? What's required?
  • Understand course structure and teaching/learning activities
  • Explain relevance of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) / Interaction Design (ID) --> why care about/learn ID
  • Why care about learning/ memory/ cognition/ perception? Why understand humans/users?
  • Understand big picture of HCI/ID: What is involved in the process of user-centred ID?

Workshop

Prepared by: Terry

  • Getting to know each other (look for possible team mates)
  • Team design activity
  • Discussion of design phases and processes
  • Q&A

Readings for this week (due before lecture)

  • IAT 201 Course Syllabus
  • Morris & Maisto Understanding Psychology, pp. xix-xxii learning methods and “how to be an A student” (4 pages) [available: sakai/resources/readings - if you're having problems with seeing .pdf's on sakai, try right-click "save link as" or a different browser (I test with firefox)]
  • UngerChandler Ch1: The Tao of UXD (8 pages)
  • (optional: interesting article by SIAT alumni Ryan Bettson why why User Experience Designers should know how to code: http://uxmag.com/technology/concept-to-code )

Due This Week

  1. Familiarize yourself with the course management system
  2. We expect all to have read & understood the IAT 201 Course Syllabus and Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism tutorial - We expect all students to be aware of this and behave accordingly!
  3. Acquire required textbooks and check out library and course reserve shelf

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID0

ID/UXD intro

Week 2: 10-16. Sept.

Topics & Learning Goals

What is ID/UXD? Why care? What makes ID/UXD (in)effective?

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

  • Understand & implement how to learn effectively and be an A-student
  • Explain, evaluate, and discuss what constitutes good/bad ID
  • Understand relation course structure <--> ID process/lifecycle
  • Understand/Explain key concepts: User experience, usability, utility, usablity heuristics. Examples?
  • Explain how design guidelines [e.g., Visibility, Feedback, Constraints, Consistency, Affordances, Mapping, Simplicity/Elegance] contribute to effective ID
  • Perform heuristic evaluation. How? Why? When? (dis)advantages?
  • Team project topics: What & how to choose?

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • User experience, usability, utility, usablity heuristics (Explain? Compare & Contrast? Examples?)
  • Explain design guidelines/heuristics [e.g., Visibility, Feedback, Constraints, Consistency, Affordances, Mapping, Simplicity/Elegance] and how they contribute to effective ID
  • Design approaches: e.g., User-Centered Design (UCD) vs. Genius (aka Rapid Expert) Design: compare & contrast, pros & cons
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Lecture

  • Analysis of good/bad design examples? Why (not) effectice?

 

Workshop

Prepared by: Jim

  • Finalize teams (5-6 people/team (min: 4))
  • Explain/discuss team contracts
  • Heuristics slam (please come prepared)
  • Brainstorm team project ideas. Schedule follow-up meeting to further discuss & decide on team project and post it on sakai to stake your claim.
Criteria for project selection:
    • You should be re-designing and improving an existing ID device (computationally-based) that you have easy access to and ideally can bring to WS for showing/ testing/ discussing (no crappy interfaces! take a great one and improve it further!
    • a device you’d like to iteratively improve through applying the course materials
    • Suggestion: If you pick an open source or non-for-profit project you might have a higher chance of actually contributing and going beyond "merely a course project" (you might get extra points if you actually get in contact with the company/organization!)
    • the goal is to improve the ID/UxD of interface, not merely adding lots of features or using different technology (e.g., adding keyboard, touchscreen... is not feasible here)
    • you need to bring it to the workshops and run user study on it (ID1) & compare your 2 different re-designs in ID4
    • No duplicate proposal please! (Ideas are on a first come first serve basis so whatever team puts it in first stakes their claim - please use the sakai wiki page "Final Project Teams" to declare your team members and project after the workshops on Friday of week 3)
    • in a nutshell: Needs to be re-design, unique, specific, doable, make sense, & be approved by TA &instructors
    • Once your team agrees:
      • Check/discuss with TA, e.g., at end of week 2 workshops or week 3 lecture, get approval
      • add to sakai wiki (see instructions above)
    • be prepared to giveshort informal team sales pitch presentation in week 3 workshop on
      • what is the interface
      • why you'd like to evaluate and improve it as a team project
      • what is the goal of the redesign (i.e., how could you tell you were successful?)

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Saffer Ch2: The 4 approaches to ID (16 pages) [incl. user-centered, activity-centered, system, and "genius" design] (available through SFU library course shelf & online here or here; feel free to skim over "systems design")

in case you haven't read it for week 1 already:

  • IAT 201 Course Syllabus
  • Morris & Maisto Understanding Psychology, pp. xix-xxii learning methods and “how to be an A student” (4 pages) [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • UngerChandler Ch1: The Tao of UXD (8 pages)

Learn about heuristic analysis and analysis of user experience and usability goals to prepare for week 2 workshop; suggested readings:

  • UngerChandler Ch. 5, subsection on "Understanding the current state" & "heuristic analysis" (pp 86-89 in 2012 edition, which correponds to pp. 70-73 in 2009 edition) (4 pages)
  • SharpPreeceRogers (2007) Interaction design. Ch. 1, "What is interaction design" read pp 15-33 (18 pages, section 1.4-1.6) or some other resource that covers these topics [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • [OPTIONAL: Saffer Ch1: What is interaction design (29pages) [incl. What, Why, and History of ID] (available through SFU library course shelf &online here or here)]

Due This Week

Acquire required textbooks and check out library and course reserve shelf

Do readings and JiTT assignments

  • readings are listed in the week they are due (!)
  • JiTTs are on sakai under JiTT side tab, released some time (up to 2 days typically) after lecture

Week 2 WS prep.:

  • Prepare and bring notes/ a "cheat sheet" (1-2 pages of notes recommended) that you can effectively use in the workshop to do a simple heuristic evaluation (we suggest using Norman's heuristics, as described in the SharpPreeceRogers readings), analysis of user experience and usability goals (see readings); this will be used in team heuristics slam activity (and useful for exam preparation).
  • bring at least one laptop/team with internet connection to class
  • Read and load the .rtf template (available from the sakai assignment “week 2 Team Workshop Activity - Heuristics Slam”) onto your laptop and familiarize yourself with it so you’re ready to use it
  • In the workshop, always take a seat with your team

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID0

ID lifecycle models & Hypothesis testing

Week 3:17.-23. Sept.

Topics & Learning Goals

What are components of ID/UXD process? What to do when and why and how? Why care about goals, questions, & hypotheses? How do you know your design "works"/what to improve and how?

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

  • How did interfaces/HCI came about? What changed over time? Why?

  • Understand procedures & components of user-centered, effective ID

  • Explain different “Lifecycle models” --> understand framework & big picture of ID process

  • SWOT analysis: Strength & Weaknesses; Opportunities & Threats
  • Competitors & Inspirations Analysis

  • How to handle rapid & flexible demands?

  • Motivation for ID1

  • Ethics in research and ID: What to do/provide to satisfy the ethical standards? Dangers of not following ethical standards?

  • intro to user studies, hypothesis testing,...

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Lifecycle models: sketch & label/explain one of them
  • Procedures & components of user-centered, effective ID
  • Why hypothesis-testing in ID/UXD? How? Example?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Workshop

Prepared by: Terry

  • Feedback on Week 2 heuristics slam
  • Last chance to join/change teams
    • decide on weekly team meeting time
    • revise & sign team contract; upload to sakai
  • Project idea team sales pitch presentations
  • Get feedback on team project idea, revise as needed, finalize, and get approval by TA

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Don't Test Users, Test Hypotheses [short but important!]

  • UngerChandler Ch2: The Project Ecosystem (read first 3 pages, and "choose your hats" subsection (pp. 30-34 in 2012 edition, which correponds to pp 21-25 in 2009 edition). The rest is optional) (7p)
  • UngerChandler Ch4: Project Objectives and Approach (10p) [incl. SWOT analysis, lifecycle models, waterfall & agile approach]
  • Smith-Atakan Ch4: The user-centered design process (11p) [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • Norman Ch7: User-centered design (13p) [incl. design guidelines, 7 principles for ID; the first half of the chapter (incl. "design for error") is more important, the rest is optional] (available through SFU library course shelf & online)

Due This Week

Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises (readings are listed in the week they are due)

Week 2 WS follow-up activity:

Finalize heuristics slam report (formative feedback), submit to sakai assignment "week 2 Team Workshop Activity - Heuristics Slam

Lecture prep:

Bring your notes on touchpad vs. keyboard text input - we'll continue in class

Week 3 WS prep:

Form teams - ideally 5-6 people. No less than 4 and no more than 6 people/team.

Discuss, revise, & finalize team contract. Bring paper copy to week 3 WS, sign it, then scan/photograph and submit as .pdf/.jpg to sakai.

Team Project Selection: Discuss team project ideas, and add your team choice to sakai / wiki / "Final Project Teams" to declare your team members and project after the workshops on Friday of week 3t to stake your claim. Get approval by TA’s in Week 2 or 3 WS

Bring your team project interface to the WS (if feasible - else picture thereof)

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID1

Needs & requirements ("Define")

Week 4: 24.-30. Sept..

Topics & Learning Goals

How to devise testable project goals, questions, and hypotheses? SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunitie, threats? Understand users?

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

  • Describe & defend project goals and provide clear problem statement --> goal & main idea (what problem/task are you trying to solve? With what users?)
  • Design & discuss data gathering approaches & develop effective data gathering program (Lecture activity)
  • Design & run interview, questionnaire, observation?
  • Develop personas, scenarios and “(essential) use case”
  • Perform (hierarchical) task analysis
  • WS Objective: to learn about your potential users and how they will interact with your product
  • understand goal & requirements of ID1 report & evaluation scheme

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • heuristics, project requirements/requirements specification, project goals, usability goals, user experience goals, user problems, design hypotheses, conceptual models: What are they? when used? Why/how? How different? Examples?
    • e.g.,: difference between usability goals & user experience goals? 3 examples each?
  • Functional vs. non-functional requirements? What's the difference? Examples?
  • Heuristic evaluation: What? Why? How used? Drawbacks? Ability to perform one properly.
  • Personas: What? Why? How used?
  • “don’t test users, test hypotheses”: What are "design hypotheses"? How can hypothesis-testing be used in interaction design? Examples? Why might it make sense (benefits)?
  • Why spend time & effort on ID1 “define” phase?
  • Why spend time & effort on user research?
  • Data gathering approaches: Explain; when to use what? why? how?
  • Potential biases in user recruitment? Why care? How to avoid?
  • Ethics in conducting experiments with humans
    • As an experimenter, what do you need to do/provide to satisfy ethical standards (as, e.g., laid out by SFU or APA)
    • What are potential dangers of not following these ethical guidelines
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Lecture

  • [TBD] Show & discuss user study video from “Rocket surgery made easy: the do-it-yourself guide to finding and fixing usability problems” (2010) by Steve Krug

 

Workshop

Prepared by: Jim

  • Feedback on activity from WS3
  • Discussion on research ethics; how to ethically get consent; IAT 201 informed consent
  • prepare for small user study to gather needs and requirements.
    • Talk-aloud user testing + subsequent interview/questionnaire might be easiest; for a great introduction to simple user testing, see e.g., “Rocket surgery made easy: the do-it-yourself guide to finding and fixing usability problems” (2010) by Steve Krug. (also available online through SFU library here). It contains checklist and scripts you can easily modify to suit your needs.
  • run and analyze it before submitting draft of ID1 report
  • Activity on design hypothesis
  • Activity on personas, scenarios, tasks, and goals

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Morris & Maisto (MM)_Ch1, pp. 26-35 (10p): The science of psychology, incl. research methods in psychology & research ethics. [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • IAT201 informed consent form - make sure to use it appropriately for ALL user testing [available: sakai/resources/]
  • UngerChandler_Ch6: User Research, first 10 pages (pp. 101-110 in 2012 edition, which correponds to pp. 85-94 in 2009 edition) (10/26p) [incl. user groups & research approaches]
  • Saffer_Ch4: Design Research (30p) (available through SFU library course shelf & online here or here)
  • Saffer_Ch5, pp. 106-111 on Personas (5pages) (available through SFU library course shelf & online here or here)
  • [optional - its' a useful checklist before running userstudy] Gomoll (1992) Some Techniques for Observing Users (3p) [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • [optional] UC_Ch5: Business Requirements (15p)
  • [optional] UC_Ch6: User Research pp. 95ff for details on different apporaches
  • [optional, if you'd like to learn more about personas] UC_Ch7: Personas (11p, only skim "advanced personas" section)

Due This Week

Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises

Week 4 WS prep (team-based):

  • Bring short first draft of project goals, task, scenario, and one persona
  • Contemplate and draft ideas for user study for ID1 ("Define" stage)
  • Bring project interface (if feasible, else pictures of it)

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID1/2

Research Methods; (Re)Design

Week 5: 1.-7. Oct.

Topics & Learning Goals

How to develop alternative design and check if they meet the needs/requirements?

  • Research Methods cont'd
  • Conceptual modeling
  • Understand, contrast, and discuss different ID theories, models, & frameworks and their differences. 
  • Generating design alternatives: Models, metaphors, & paradigms
  • Paradigms & interface metaphor

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Research methods (e.g.: contextual inquiry, user interview, surveys, journal/diary study, usability testing): Describe? How to use them? Advantages vs. drawbacks?
  • Scenarios, sketches & models, storyboards, task flows/task analysis, wireframes: What are they? When/why/how used?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Workshop

Prepared by: Terry

  • ID1 team presentations (graded) & written feedback
  • Team time to incorporate feedback into ID1 report & get feedback from TA

Lecture: short first Midterm exam

(probably 1 -2 questions, worth 2.5 points total, in lecture; Material includes readings up to this week! See "key concepts" for what could be on the exam)

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Saffer_Ch6: Ideation and Design Principles (14p) [incl. brainstorming, creating design principles] (available through SFU library course shelf & online here or here)
  • Saffer_Ch7: Refinement (42p) [incl. constraints, affordances, models, perceptual "laws", frameworks, design tools] (available through SFU library course shelf & online here or here)
  • [Optional: UC_Ch9: Transition from Defining to Designing (21p) [incl. ideation, visualization, story boarding, balance between business/user/development advocates, prioritization]

Due This Week

  • Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises
  • Week 4 WS follow-up activity: Finish design of user study, run it, analyze it, and incorporate into ID1 report/presentation:
  • Week 5 WS prep: Prepare ID1 presentation & draft report and submit to sakai "Assignment: ID1 Part 1: Team Presentation"). Bring laptop to WS. Presentation will run from submitted .pdf.
  • Week 5 WS follow-up activity: Incorporate ID1 presentation feedback into ID1 report and submit (see sakai " Assignment: ID1 Part 2: Team Report" for details)

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID2/3

Develop: Prototyping & Implementation

Week 6: 8.-14. Oct.

Topics & Learning Goals

Building interactive prototypes that can be communicated and assessed

  • Understand & develop conceptual model, justify choices
  • Describe prototyping activities & produce simple prototype
  • Discuss & used different ID prototyping approaches/tool

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Affinity Diagramming (aka KJ technique): Main idea & purpose? Rough procedure?
  • Why prototyping in ID/UxD? How can prototypes be used effectively? For what purposes?
  • Different prototyping approaches (e.g., vertical vs. horizontal) & fidelities (low vs. high): What/When/Why? How assessed? Pros/cons?
  • Why rapid prototyping?
  • Advantages/disadvantages of low vs. high fidelity prototyping?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Workshop

Prepared by: Jim

  • Prioritization of requirements (cf. Unger&Chandler, Chapter 9 & Fig. 9.3)

  • Brainstorming: Affinity Diagramming/KJ Activity

  • Start devising two different conceptual designs (sketches from lecture activity can help here)
  • Action Plan - who does what when and how is it communicated (cf. Unger&Chandler, last pages of chapter 9

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • UngerChandler_Ch9: Transition from Defining to Designing (21p) [incl. ideation, visualization, story boarding, balance between business/user/development advocates, prioritization] Please read carefully, as the JiTT and next WS activity will be closely related to it.
  • UngerChandler chapter on Task Flows (read first 2 pages and section on task flows ff..: that is: read pp. 219-221 & pp. 231-236 in 2012 edition, which correponds to p. 165-166 & 178-184 in 2009 edition) (8 pages total)
  • UngerChandler chapter on Prototyping (read pp. 259-263 & 276-278 in 2012 edition, which correponds to pp. 204-208 & 217-219 in 2009 edition) (8p)
  • Saffer_Ch8: Prototyping, Testing, and Development (24p) (available through SFU library course shelf & online here or here) [please ignore the sloppy coverage of heuristic evaluation]
  • look through some previous iat201 video projects here or diretly on youtube or vimeo (or just search for "iat 201") for inspiration (but never plagiarize)
  • [optional: UC_Ch11: Wireframes and Annotations (20p)]

Due This Week

  • Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises
  • Week 6 WS prep:
    • Bring your re-design brainstorming ideas and your JiTT Q1&2 answers on paper/laptop
    • Bring your sketches from the lecture activity to the workshop
    • Bring lots of small pieces of paper to jot down ideas
    • Bring your ID1 report (on paper/laptop)
    • Bring camera to record affinity diagram

Preparation for Next Week

 

Perc

Sensation, perception & recognition

Week 7: 15.-21. Oct.

Topics & Learning Goals

Learn & understand about human perception, cognition, learning, and memory and how they are fundamental for effective ID/UXD.

  • How do we obtain and process information about the world?
  • Understand visual thinking/queries, and how this knowledge can make us better designers
  • Apply this knowledge and understanding to ID examples and design, to analyze ID situations and critically evaluate them in oral and written discussions.
  • Eventually, use these skills to hypothesize about more effective ID designs and design and create a simple ID prototype as the final course team project outcome.

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

source: http://xkcd.com/1080/

 

  • Vision: How do we see? How do we see color? Tricromat vs. opponent process theory? Implications for ID/UxD?
  • Fovea, rods, cones: What are they? Implications?
  • What is sensation vs. perception?
  • Weber's Law: Explain, example, apply.
  • How is our perceptual experience organized? Gestalt principles: Name & explain, examples, apply
  • Perceptual constancies: What is it? What is kept constant? Why/where relevant?
  • Apparent visual motion: What is it? Examples? Where/why relevant for ID/UxD?
  • Distributed cognition: What is it? Implications for ID/UxD? [go beyond Ware book for clear definitions]
  • What are top-down vs. bottom up-processes in visual perception? When/how used?
  • Visual working memory: Capacity? Implications for ID?
  • Visual queries: What are they? How used? Why care? How to design for effective visual queries?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS
  • Other topics that are not exam-relevant
    • Distance/depth cues: Identify and explain different cues. Where/how applied in new media?
    • Hearing: How do we hear? Similarities & differences between hearing & vision...?

Workshop

Prepared by: Terry

Conceptual Design & Rapid Paper Prototyping

  • Discuss and finalize conceptual design A & B
  • Overview on rapid prototyping approaches & video prototyping
  • Rapid (paper) protoyping of conceptual designs A & B
    • Perform cognitive walkthrough to quickly evaluate and revise your prototypes

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Ware (2008) Visual Thinking for Design: Ch1: Visual Queries (23p)
  • MorrisMaisto pp. 10-11 science of Psychology; [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • MorrisMaisto Ch3: sensation and perception (44p) [available: sakai/resources/readings]

Due This Week

  • Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises
  • Week 6 WS follow-up activity:
    • Refine prioritization worksheet
    • Continue developing conceptual designs A&B. Check the ID2-3 report template for details on what's required.
    • Work on inspiration/competior's analysis
    • Integrate these parts into ID2-3 report (sections II 1-4)
  • Week 7 WS prep:
    • Come prepared with two (2) conceptual designs. Check the ID2-3 report template for details on what's required.
    • Bring prototyping materials: paper, sticky notes, scissors, tape, glue, string, markers, pencils, etc.
    • Bring a [paper/digital] copy of ID1 and ID2 draft
    • Bring camera to record prototypes

Preparation for Next Week

 

Cogn

Visual Thinking

Week 8: 22.-28. Oct

Topics & Learning Goals

Design for perception & human – world interaction

  • cont'd from last week
  • How do human & environment relate and interact?
  • What role does sensation/perception, attention, memory, cognition etc. play?
  • Activity: applying visual thinking & Gestalt principles to your team project
  • Understanding Action-perception cycles and how to apply/use them in ID
    • Action-perception cycle
    • Norman’s 7 Stages of action/perception
    • Gulf of evaluation/execution

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Pop-out & visual distinctiveness: What can we easily see/find and why?
    • What is "pop-out"? Why are certain things easy to see/find and others aren't? Examples? Underlying neuro-physiological mechanisms? Role of primary visual cortex? How can you test for pop-out? How to design such that several things can be easily searchable at the same time?
  • How can Gestalt Principles (e.g., proximity, similarity, connectedness, continuity, symmetry, closure, common fate) be related to and explained by underlying mechanisms? (hint: think about how they might be related to pop-out, visual distinctiveness, binding, generalized countour extraction mechanisms, pattern perception, visual queries...)
  • Rods & cones: What they are, how distributed, what good for, implications for ID?
  • What implications do color opponent theory and the relative distribution, sensitivity, and frequency of the three cone types have on our perception and (interaction) design guidelines?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Workshop

Prepared by: Jim

  • Finalize storyboard for project video
  • Action plan for project video
  • Perception slam

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Ware (2008) Visual Thinking for Design: Ch2: What We can Easily See (20p)
  • Ware Ch3: Structuring 2-dim space (22p)
  • Ware Ch4: Color (22p)

Due This Week

  • Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises
  • Week 7 WS follow-up activity:
    • Re-iterate and finalize paper prototypes of designs A & B
  • Week 8 WS prep:
    • Prepare and bring storyboard for project video
    • Prepare action plan for ID2-3 project video
    • Bring your copy of the Colin Ware "Visual Thinking for Design" textbook and your notes
    • Be prepared to do a visual salience and pop-out analysis

Preparation for Next Week

 

Cogn

Designing for Human Capabilities; start Evaluation

Week 9: 29. Oct. - 4. Nov.

Topics & Learning Goals

How to ideate and design for human capabilities

  • Perception, Memory: How do we get things into our brain?
  • Ideation &mental imagery: How do we generate ideas and imagine new things, and why do we need a rapid production medium to be effective?
  • Why is scribbling essential to thinking & design?
  • Creative thinking/design loop
  • Designing to optimally support our perceptual/cognitive abilities
  • Attention: scarce researouce --> how to design for it & guide Attention?

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Depth/distance perception: How is depth perception different from sideways/up-down perception? Why? Implications for design?
  • The power of sketching & line drawings: Why powerful tool in design? Why are simple line sketches so effective and flexible in conveying meaning and allowing for different interpretations? Underlying neuro-pysiological mechanisms?
  • Creative design loop: imagination/imagery, rapid externalization (sketching), perception, interpretation and constructive critique (visual queries, visual/congnitive task analysis...), and iterative revision, refinement, extension, and consolidation: Explain basics, examples, implications, how/why useful, how to optimize it, skills necessary?
  • C. Ware recommends designing to support visual search, visual queries, and pattern-finding: Explain, elaborate, examples, implications, how to do that & why? Underlying physiological mechanisms? How can designers facilitate/optimize this?
  • What is meant by "recognition is easier than recall" in our context? Implications for ideation/prodotyping and ID?
  • C. Ware talks about the concept of "cognitive economics of design sketching". Explain? Implications for designing/sketching?
  • “Good design optimizes the visual thinking process” (p. 174): Elaborate & explain. examples, implications, how to do that & why? Underlying physiological mechanisms? How can designers facilitate/optimize visual thinking process?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS
  • optional:
    • Cognitive economics: What is it? How do cognitive economics (e.g., of sketching, recognition, recall, imagery...) affect the (interaction) design process? Implications and applications?

Workshop

Prepared by: Diliara (replacing Terry)

  • ID2-3 project video presentation (graded) and feedback
  • Show & discuss ID4 template; plan next steps for ID4
  • Plan evaluation study (evaluation methods, procedure, material, methods of analysis...)
  • Mini-presentation & feedback on evaluation plans: Volunteering teams get chance to present plans and get feedback from Instructors

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Read conclusion sections of Chapers 5 - 7 of Colin Ware "Visual Thinking for Design" (1p each)
  • Ware Ch8: Creative meta-seeing (18p)
  • Ware Ch9: The dance of meaning (18p)
  • [Optional: Ware Ch6: Visual objects, words, and meaning (22p)]

Due This Week

  • Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises
  • Continue learning for final exam and improving your learning script (suggestion: base it on the weekly "key concepts" list)
  • Week 8 WS follow-up activity:
    • revise video storyboard and include in ID2-3 report
    • Prepare ID2-3 project video
  • Week 9 WS/Lecturere prep:
    • Submit ID2-3 draft report (see sakai "Assignment: ID2-3 Part 1" for details)
    • Finalize and hand in your ID1-3 project video on a CD at the beginning of your Week 9 workshop. Label your CD with team name & members, project title, and semester (IAT 201, fall 2012). If your video was not submitted, you will receive an automatic fail

Preparation for Next Week

 

 

ID4

Evaluation

Week 10: 5. - 11. Nov.

Topics & Learning Goals

Learning to systematically evaluating what is being built throughout the process

  • Overview on evaluation methods and when in the ID process they make sense
  • Does it do the trick? How can you tell/prove?
  • Explain key evaluation concepts/paradigms/approaches, and chose appropriate method (e.g., qual/quant, observation, interview, quest...)
  • Being able to expalin and apply (Interaction) "Design as Hypothesis Testing"
  • Systematically desinging, conducting, analyzing, and writing up of a user study that combines quantitative and qualitative data gathering approaches.

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Steps involved in designing, planning, running, and analyzing/documenting user study (e.g., usability testing)
  • Analytical evaluation vs. usability testing: Description, examples, when used, what for, why, pros/cons...?
  • Research approaches: (e.g., naturalistic observation/field studies, case studies, surveys, correlational resarch, experimental research, "scientific method", Qualitative vs. quantitative research approaches; basic vs. applied; descriptive vs. explanatory; field vs. laboratory research): compare & contrast, what good for, where are limits, benefits vs. drawbacks, examples, when to use what approach and why?
  • For what situations/questions would you use what kind of research/evaluation approach? Why?
  • Bias in running experiments with human participants: Possible sources of bias? How to reduce bias? Why? What experimental approaches are more prone to bias and why?
  • Observer effect; single blind vs. double blind experimental design: Describe? Why important for ID/UxD user studies?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS

Workshop

Prepared by: Jim

  • Finalize evaluation goals, user testing plans & procedures
  • Pilot user testing in WS, provide and receive feedback.
  • Bring questions if you have already run participants/pilots

Lecture: short second Midterm exam

(probably 1 -2 questions, worth 2.5 points total, in lecture; Material includes readings up to this week! See "key concepts" for what could be on the exam)

 

Readings for this week (and the JiTT assignment)

  • Evans & Rooney (2008), Ch1: Introduction to research in Psychology (section "Approaches to Research" on pages 15-17. short but essential - make sure you undersand them! [available: sakai/resources/readings]
  • Don't Test Users, Test Hypotheses (please re-read)
  • UngerChandler_Ch13: (read pp. in 2012 edition, which correponds to pp. 4 in 2009 edition) Design testing with users (skip "concept exploration" section; 20p)
  • UngerChandler_Ch14: (read pp. in 2012 edition, which correponds to pp. 4 in 2009 edition) Transition: From Design to Development and Beyond (10p)
  • [optional: a great and concise introduction to what different research methods are all about: Evans & Rooney (2008), Ch1: Introduction to research in Psychology (26p) [ incl. scientific thinking/method, research approaches] [available: sakai/resources/readings]]

Due This Week

  • Do readings and JiTT/Warm-up exercises
  • Week 9 WS follow-up activity:
    • Incorporate feedback into ID2-3 report and submit (see sakai "Assignment: ID2-3 Part 2: Team Report" for details)
    • Refine evaluation study plan and gather/prepare material needed. Start user testing
  • Week 10 WS prep: Brainstorm ideas for ID4 evaluation study using the format and sections described in the ID4 report template and UC_Ch13: Design testing with users. Bring notes and UxDesign textbook to WS. Bring laptops. Bring your JiTT responses about quantitative vs. qualitative research approaches.
  • Bring your two redesigned prototypes for pilot testing in the WS. Bring user testing plans and materials. Be prepared to pilot user testing in WS after 20min prep time.

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID4

Evaluation & ID4 presentation

Week 11:12. - 18. Nov.

Topics & Learning Goals

  • Evaluation continued from previous week
  • Understand how do we sense, process, and store information
  • Attention in ID
  • Be able to evaluate & improve user testing plan
  • Know what to do with all the data you gathered
  • How to effectively present data?
  • Guidelines & Advice for final report
  • Final Exam Q&A; Respond to student issues & requests
  • Summary of most essential things; discuss ID1,2,3,4 as a whole
  • please fill out online anonymous course feedback survey. It's brief & should not take long, but we'll get your responses in time to improve the next offereing of IAT201. Thanks!!

Key Concepts (exam-relevant)

  • Why care about attention in ID? How can we "measure"/estimate attention in ID? What good for? How to design for attention?
  • Automatic vs. controlled processing: Explanation? Examples? Implications & relevance for ID? When to design for what process? Why?
  • Data presentation/visualization: How to design effective data presentations & visualizations? How not to lie with statistics/data plots?
  • See also questions/remarks in lecture/WS
  • See also chapter review questions in Morris & Maisto reading
  • [optional: Visual working memory: What it is, what used for, capacity & implications
  • How do we sense, process, and store information?
    • Sensory register, attention, Short term (aka working) memory, long term memory: What are they? Compare & contrast (e.g., purpose, strength/weaknesses, capacity, storage duration roughly, how/why forgotten?, why hard to retrieve)? How contributing to information processing?
  • Sensory register, attention, Short term (working) memory, long term memory: What are they? Compare & contrast (e.g., purpose, strength/weaknesses, capacity, storage duration roughly, how/why forgotten?, why hard to retrieve)? How contributing to information processing?]

Workshop

Prepared by: Diliara

  • ID4 team presentations (graded) & feedback
  • ID4 report reviewing using official grading rubric
  • Final Exam Q&A

 

Readings for this week (no JiTT to give you more time for your projects)

  • Morris & Maisto Ch6, pp. 199-200 (Section on "Attention incl. fig. 6-1) + page 207 ("Improving your memory") (2 pages total) [available: sakai/resources/readings], note that this includes learning techniques you could apply for the final exam
  • [optional Morris & Maisto Ch6, pp. 196-210: Memory [available: sakai/resources/readings], note that this includes learning techniques you could apply for the final exam]
  • [optional: Kosslyn & Rosenberg: Fundamentals of Psychology Appendix A on Statistics [available: sakai/resources/readings]

Due This Week

  • Do readings (they're exam-relevant) (we decided to cancel the JiTT/Warm-up exercises to give you more time for the project & learning for the final exam)
  • Week 10 WS follow-up activity: Continue gathering data for ID4
  • Week 11 WS prep: Collect all data, analyze, plot data, discuss, and prepare & submit ID4 team presentation (graded) and submit ID4 draft report (ungraded, but basis for chapter 4 of the final graded team report). See sakai "Assignment: ID4: Team Presentation" for details.

Preparation for Next Week

 

ID4

Finalize Project & Final Exam (in lecture)

Week 12:19. - 25. Nov.

Topics & Learning Goals

Do well in the final exam ;-)

Lecture: final written exam

  • Final written exam in lecture on Nov. 22nd. It will likely take most of the lecture. The exam covers all material up to that point, with a bit more emphasis on the readings for week 7-9 (e.g., Colin Ware etc.). Some questions will likely be similar to previous JiTTs or questions mentioned in the lecture, the format and question style is very similar to the previous bonus pop quizzes. Please also check the "Key Concepts" when preparing for the exam - they pretty much define what you should know. More details are discussed in the lectures as usual. Note that we value understanding a LOT more than rote learning.
  • Note: It's a closed book exam, with no cheat sheets etc. allowed. A Doctor's note is required for makeup exam (see syllabus rules; this makeup exam might be oral).

Workshop

Prepared by: Jim

  • probably peer-evaluation of ID4 chapter
  • Course evaluations in Workshop

Readings

  • no more readings to give you more time for the exam and project
  • please fill out online anonymous course feedback survey. It has only a few questions and should not take long, but we'll get your responses in time to improve the next offereing of IAT201. Thanks!!

Due This Week

  • please fill out online anonymous course feedback survey. It has only 2 questions and should not take long, but we'll get your responses in time to improve the next offereing of IAT201. Thanks!!
  • prepare for final exam. Use "key concepts" as list of possible research questions
  • On the sakai wiki, please pick a spot for your colloquium presentation (28 Nov) and finalize your talk title before 21 Nov
  • Week 12 WS prep:
    • no more JiTTs & readings! Instead, more time to prepare for exam & project.
    • bring a laptop with your reports, storyboard, video etc., and think about and write down specific questions you want answered
    • Bring 3 printouts of your latest version of your ID4 chapter

Preparation for Next Week

 

IDF

Final Video Showcase in last lecture, Nov. 29th

Week 13:26. Nov. - 3. Dec

 

 

 

Lecture: Final Project Video Showcase

Final mandatory project video showcase: during last lecture, on Thursday November 29th. in SUR 2600 (our lecture theatre),

This video showcase is the final graded team "presentation" (i.e., you show your video, followed by filling out the grading rubric), so please ensure that all team members can attend (no show -> 0 points) and are there on time. This is NOT optional.

  • max 5min video showing/team (strict limit)
  • please hand in your final project video and portfolio CD on the day of the showcase, between 9-10am. We'll be sitting in the Mezzanine close to the Blenz Cafe with the presentation laptop. Make sure your video is uploaded to the presentation laptop and tested (!!) before .... do NOT give us an auto-play dvd. Make sure it's properly labeled and contains all required material - else we won't accept it.
  • for details, see sakai / Assignment: Final project video & portfolio CD
  • 1min written feedback;
  • This event is open to the public - so feel free to invite friends & family.
  • afterwards: Course evaluations in Lecture

 

Workshop

Prepared by: Diliara

  • Course wrap up
  • Interaction Design Failures Field Trip & Facebook Game
  • What is next? (Q & A)

 

 

Due This Week

  • Week 12 WS follow-up activity: Incorporate ID4 feedback and submit written final project report (also included in final portfolio CD).
  • Week 13 prep: Bring between 9-10am on Thursday Nov 29th: final project portfolio CD that includes: revised final project video, all prior reports, and ID2-3 video on CD labeled with team name & members, project title, and semester (iat201, fall 2012). See sakai "Assignment: Final project video & portfolio CD" for all the files that should be on the CD and futher instructions.

Preparation for Next Week

 

 

IDF

Final Video Presentations

Week 14: 18.-24. April

Topics & Learning Goals

 

Final Presentations

 

Due This Week

Relax & enjoy the break!

Thanks for all the great projects and project videos!

Preparation for Next Week

Chill!