Designing Interactive Systems

Course information:

Lecture slides, exercises and other downloadable material will be available in the L²P learning rooms

• Aachen
• Bonn

Allocation:

Field of study:

• Informatik (D)/Hauptstudium/Praktische Informatik
• Media Informatics (M.Sc.)/Multimedia-Benutzung und -Wirkung/in Aachen
• Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)/Areas of Specialization/Media Computing and Interactive Systems

Number SWS: V4 + Ü2 OR V4 + Ü1 (see below)
ECTS Credits: 8 OR 6 (see below)
This lecture will be held in English.

Content:

This class introduces students to the field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and user interface design. Topics covered include:

• fundamental characteristics of human cognition, such as reaction time, rules of perception, and memory performance,
• models of interaction between people and their environment, such as affordances, mappings, and constraints,
• a brief history of interactive technologies,
• iterative design, user interface prototyping techniques,
• user studies and evaluation methods.

The class will be accompanied by a lab in which students conduct experiments and design a series of user interface prototypes to apply the concepts learned.
A little more than the last half of the lab lectures will be used for a larger coherent project. This project is optional, but students who do not take part in the final project will get only 6 instead of 8 ECTS credits for the course.

After the class, students will know how user interfaces have developed over the past decades, and what constants of human performance need to be considered when designing user interfaces. They will be able to apply a series of prototyping and evaluation methods to design usable, appropriate user interfaces in a user-centered fashion.

Lecturers:

• Jan Borchers
• Gero Herkenrath
• Leonhard Lichtschlag
• Sarah Mennicken

Times:

Aachen:

Mon 13:15h - 14:45h	Room 2U13	lab
Wed 09:00h - 12:00h	Room 2010	lecture

Bonn:

Tue 14:00h - 17:00h	Main Lecture Hall, B-IT Center Bonn	lecture
Thu 15:15h - 16:45h	Main lecture Hall, B-IT Center Bonn	lab

Registration

Please, register for this course until Oct 31st.
Otherwise you will not have access to the lecture materials or to our computer lab.

Literature:

• Donald Norman, The Design Of Everyday Things, ISBN 0465067107
• Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory D. Abowd, Russell Beale, Human-Computer Interaction , ISBN 0130461091
• Ben Schneiderman, Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, ISBN 0321197860

It is highly recommended to buy the book of Norman since you have to read it for class. From the Dix et. al. and Schneiderman books you just have to read some chapters. You can find these books in the library.

Examinations

Please note the date of the midterm exam and final exam (TBA soon). In the event that you cannot make it on those dates, it is your responsibility to notify us in advance, or you will receive a 5.0 grade.

Grading policy

If you wish to take the course for credit, you must complete all assignments, lab exercises and exams. You will pass (and receive a schein) upon successful completion of the course with a grade. The grade will be calculated as follows:

• For the 6 Credit version of the course (without project work):
  • 20% - lab exercises, assignments
  • 35% - midterm exam
  • 45% - final exam
• For the 8 Credit version of the course (with project work):
  • 40% - lab exercises, assignments, project
  • 25% - midterm exam
  • 35% - final exam

Note that you must achieve a cumulative score above 4.0 and pass the final exam to pass the course.

For assignments that are handed in after the due date we will deduct one grading step per 24 hours. Assignments that are handed in after they have been discussed in the lab session will not be graded and automatically receive a 5.0 grade.

Code of Conduct

At the media computing group we have no tolerance for cheating and plagiarism. In short, this means that choosing to hand in any exam, assignment, or seminar paper that violates the terms of the Declaration of Compliance results in failing the course and may result in further consequences (Bachelor- / Masterordnung: §10 (4), DPO97: §8 (4)).

Please bring a signed copy of the Declaration of Compliance to the first lecture or lab session!

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Past Offerings:

• Course information WS 0809
• Course information WS 0708
• Course information WS 0607
• Course information WS 0506
• Course information WS 0405
• Course information WS 0304

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