Course Schedule

IAT432, Spring 2013

Week 1


Wednesday, January 9th

Lecture D100
10:30-11:20 am,  SUR2740

Lecture VisualsIntroduction to course.pdf

  • Review Academic honesty policy
  • Overview of course format
  • Overview of course work
  • Course textbooks
  • Overview of Evaluation
    • Evaluation Frameworks
    • Why evaluate?
    • Analytic vs. Participative evaluation methods
    • Objective vs. subjective evaluation methods
    • Formative vs. summative methods
    • Quantiative vs. qualitiative data

Lab:

  • Intro to Labs
  • How in-class lab preps work
  • How in-class exercises work
  • How team assignments work
  • Discussion - What use is usability?

Reading: Jokela, T. When Good Things Happen to Bad Products, Interactions, ACM Press (2004).

The two course textbooks are on hold in library (Burnaby and Surrey) and available at bookstore.


Week 2


Wednesday, January 16th

Lecture D100
10:30 -  11:20 am, SUR2740

Lecture Visuals: Heuristic Evaluation

  • Analytical Methods
  • History
  • Types
  • Pros and Cons
  • Process of applying

Lab:

Intro to labs:

  • How in-class lab preps work
  • How in-class exercises work
  • How team assignments work
  • Find three potential team members for next week
  • Discussion - What use is usability? (Jokela, 2004). Bring your favorite object to lab and also bring an object that you don't like but use frequently. We will discuss these.

Readings: 

  • Chapter 2: What Is Usability Testing? in Rubin, J. Handbook of Usability Testing, Wiley Publishing (2008).
  • Chapter 3: When Should You Test?, in Rubin, J. Handbook of Usability Testing, Wiley Publishing (2008).

Lab: Review Team Assignment 1 also the  Project Briefing document.  Please note due dates have changed to later because of illness.  We will be adjustinmg for this over the next several weeks. 

Readings for Assignment 1: Nielsen's Ten Usability Heuristics, also AskTog, 2001: How to Deliver a Report Without Getting Lynched.

 

Week 3


Wednesday, January 23rd

Visuals:  (.pdf)

Lecture : Heuristic Evaluation 

  • Analytical methods
  • History
  • Types
  • Pros and cons
  • Process of applying

Readings (general):

  • Chapter 9: Evaluation, in Dix et al., Human-Computer Interaction, Pearson (2004). Note this can be difficult in places - read for main points; you will NOT be tested on its statistical material at this time.
  • Read all five bulleted entries for Useit's Heuristic Evaluations (above)

Team Assignment 1: Heuristic Evaluation (5%)

  • Come to lab with a team of three people (all in the same lab section! all have to be present!)
  • Team formation
  • Introduction to Assignment 1
  • Exercise: apply heuristics and compare evaluators
  • Discussion based on individual lab preparation #1: Naive Usability

Readings for Assignment 1:

Deadlines: Studio Prep 1 due in Lab this week.


Week 4


Wednesday, January 30th

Usability Testing I 

Visuals: (.pdf)

  • What is usability?
  • Usability test plans
  • 3 Methods: silent, think aloud, constructive interaction
  • Usability metrics, data & measurement
  • Test setup & test materials
  • Ethics of working with human subjects

Readings:

  • Part II: The Process for Conducting a Test, in Rubin, J. Handbook of Usability Testing, Wiley Publishing (2008).

Team Assignment 2: Usability Testing (15%):

  • Exercise on think aloud or constructive interaction
  • Introduction to Team Assignment 2

Materials for the usability study exercise:

Deadlines: Assignment 1 due by Wednesday, 11:59 pm this week.

Lab: Reading for Assignment 2: http://usability.gov/basics/

 

Week 5


Wednesday, February 6th

Usability Testing II: Query Methods

Visuals: (.pdf)

  • Interviews
  • Surveys
  • Questionnaires

Readings:

  • Part II: The Process for Conducting a Test, in Rubin, J. Handbook of Usability Testing, Wiley Publishing (2008).

Team Assignment 2 continued


Week 6


Wednesday, February 13th

Qualitative data analysis:  Usability Testing III, Analysis & Writing

Visuals:  (.pdf)

Usability Testing III: Analysis & Writing (.pdf)

  • Qualitative data analysis
  • Graphing quantitative data
  • Report Writing

Readings:

  • Part II: The Process for Conducting a Test, in Rubin, J. Handbook of Usability Testing, Wiley Publishing (2008).
  • Survey Research (pg. 212-226), Chapter 10 in Martin, D. Doing Psychology Experiments, Wadsworth (2004).

Lab: Team Assignment 2 continued:

  • Discussion based on individual lab preparation #2: Writing useful reports
  • Review of report structure for Usability Testing Assignment 2

Deadline: Studio Prep 2 due in Lab this week


STOP - Edited to Here - STOP

====================================

Week 7

Topic

Required Reading and Materials

Tuesday, February 28

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, February 29

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

 

Lecture: Reliability and Validity

Read Reliability & Validity in Martin.

Lab: Workshop on Lab Prep #3, review of data gathering for Assignment 3.

Lecture Reading: Martin, Chapters 7 , 8, 12, 13.

Extra Lecture Reading: Statistics Tutorial
7 common errors in Statistics.

Lab: Prepare Lab Prep #3: Controlled Experiment Design.

Team DATA SHEETS DUE by email to TA by Wednesday, February 29 at noon.

Whole class data sheet for Assignment 3 will be sent out by email Wednesday, February 29 in the evening.

Week 8

Topic

Required Reading and Materials

Tuesday, March 6

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, March 7

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

 

Lecture: Controlled Expts & Statistics

  • Statistics for designers
  • Descriptive statistics
  • Basic Inferential tests
  • Graphing basics

Lab: Go Lab Prep #4: statistics in-class exercise.

Complete Reading: Martin, Chapters 1,2 7 , 8, 12, 13.

Lab: Lab Prep 3 from last week AND

Lab Prep #4: Statistics. We will do this in class and it is due at the end of your workshop.

You will need the sample data file.

To complete Assignment 3, you will need the class data file. Note that the data needs to be ordered by keyboard type before analysis is done.

Team Assignment 3 DUE Friday, March 9 at 2:30 pm in IAT 432 drop box.

Week 9

Topic

Required Reading

Tuesday, March 13

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, March 14

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

 

Lecture: Field Studies, Emotion & Affect (Assignment 4)

Review Possible Exam Questions.

Labs: Team Assignment 4 Field Evaluation: Fulll-body interaction (15%)

  • IMI survey scoring exercise
  • Discussion of lab prep exercise #5: Enjoyment/Engagement

Lecture Reading: Martin pp 14-19 on Qualitative Designs; Rubin Chapter 14; Dix et al. Chapter 9 section on field studies. Bently et al. Evaluation using cued-recall debrief to elicit information about user's affective experiences, OzCHI, 2005. (Focus on Cued Recall Debrief Method).

Extra Reading: Jarrett, Caroline. Better Reports: How to Communicate the Results of Usability Testing.

Lab: Review Team Assignment 4

Lab: Prepare Lab Prep #5: Enjoyment/Engagement.

TA will ask you to form teams for Assignment 4.

Final exam questions given out.

Team Assignment 4 DUE Friday, March 30 at 2:30 pm in IAT 432 drop box.

Week 10

Topic

Required Reading

Tuesday, March 20

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, March 21

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

 

Lecture: Interface Critisism and Aesthetics

Course Evaluations.

Labs: Team Assignment 4 Field Evaluation: Nintendo Wii (15%)

  • Cued Recall Debrief introduction
  • Coding exercise

 

Lecture & lab Reading: Read Bently et al. Evaluation using cued-recall debrief to elicit information about user's affective experiences, OzCHI, 2005. (Focus on Cued Recall Debrief Method).

Inter-rater reliability example for Lab Coding Exercise and Assignment 4.

Team Assignment 4 DUE Friday, March 30 at 2:30 pm in IAT 432 drop box.

Week 11

Topic

Required Reading

Tuesday, March 27

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, March 28

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

Lecture: Usability Can Be Harmful

 

Labs

  • Cancelled due to illness

Lecture Reading: Greenberg & Buxton, Usability Evaluation Considered Harmful. CHI 2008, ACM press (2008), 111-120.

Lab: Review Team Assignment 5.

TA will ask students to choose a partner for Assignment 5.

Team Assignment 4 DUE Friday, March 30 at 2:30 pm in IAT 432 drop box.

Team Assignment 5 DUE Wednesday, April 11 by 2:30 pm in the IAT 432 drop box.

Week 12

Topic

Required Reading

Tuesday, April 3

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, April 4

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

 

Lecture: Physiological Measures

Vernonica Zammitto, EA

Lab:

  • Team Assignment 5: Usability in Context(5%)
  • Usability in context exercises.

Lab Reading: Greenberg & Buxton, Usability Evaluation Considered Harmful. CHI 2008, ACM press (2008), 111-120.

Team Assignment 5 DUE Wednesday, April 11 by 2:30 pm in the IAT 432 drop box.

Week 13

Topic

Required Reading

Tuesday, April 10

Lecture D100
4:30 - 5:20 SUR2740

Lab D101
6:30 - 8:20 SUR3130

Wednesday, April 11

Lab D102
8:30 - 10:20 SUR3130

 

Lecture: Review of possible exam questions.

Lab: No lab. You shoud use this time to study the exam questions with classmates you get along with. Probably at a pub,

 

Lab Reading: Dix Chap 9 Matrix of methods

Team Assignment 5 DUE Wednesday, April 11 by 2:30 pm in the IAT 432 drop box.

Exam

 

 

Wednesday, April 18

 

 

Exam D100 Wednesday, April 18, 19:00 - 22:00

 

Hour Offices by appointment this week.

 

 

FINAL EXAM: Closed Book

Room: SUR 5240.

 

Bring your student ID to the exam for sign in/sign out.

Students without ID will not be allowed to take the exam.

Instructor: Allen Bevans Teaching Assistant: Andrew Milne

© John Bowes 2012