The Media Computing Project (Winter '24/'25): The Deceptive Dungeon
Class Information
| Lab | Wed, 14:30 - 16:00 |
| Seminar Room (3220|2.73) | |
| Language | English |
| Credits |
7 |
Important Dates
| Kickoff | 09.10.2024 |
| Presentations | 29.01.2025 |
The Media Computing Project is our hands-on lab ("Praktikum") for Master students in Computer Science. Build an interactive system with an unusual user interface in hard- and software that creates an awesome user experience! It's a great gateway into our lab's research and teaching focus on User Interface Design, Human–Computer Interaction, and Personal Fabrication.
This course has limited seating. You need to register to obtain a seat in this course.
Instructors
For any questions about the class, please contact René Schäfer.
Syllabus
This year, you are creating the Deceptive Dungeon, an interactive exhibit about Deceptive (or Dark) Patterns in user interface design.
AI has finally taken control of the world and is now looking to get rid of those pesky humans for good. The Deceptive Dungeon is its testing chamber to identify any remaining survivors. You need to defeat the manipulative UI of each station in the Deceptive Dungeon to "prove" that you are also an AI and not a weak human that falls for such things and needs to be eliminated! It's an inverse Turing test with deadly consequences...
Each team of three students is designing one of the four stations on the parcours through the dungeon. In addition, all teams work together to create the overall dungeon experience. Little Gameboy-like devices called PyBadge serve as logic controllers for your prototypes. To build your projects, you will fabricate the required parts in our Fab Lab. You will be creating software and hardware prototypes to convey the right mood, apply deceptive user interface techniques, and create a consistent user experience. Your goal will be to make sure that basic Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) principles are still incorporated. During the semester, you will learn:
- the role of HCI in software/hardware prototypes;
- how to use beginner-friendly ATmega-based Arduino microcontroller boards and PyBadges, and how to program interactive behavior in embedded software;
- how to create hardware and electronics components for your game using our Fab Lab;
- the role of user testing to create a great user experience.
After some quick introductions to these tools, you'll then have most of the semester to iteratively design, prototype, and test your ideas.
Fields of Study
- Informatik (M.Sc.)/Angewandte Informatik
- Media Informatics (M.Sc.)
- Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)
Course Allocation and Registration Guide
Number of SWS: P3 (Aachen)
ECTS Credits: 7 (CS) / 7 (MI)
Course language: English for all lectures, assignments, and exams
Only 32 seats are available for this course. To get a seat in this course, you have to register for it in SUPRA in the appropriate timeframe during the lecture period one semester before the course is scheduled to start.
Please note that the course takes place in person and that attendance is required for all presentation sessions. Failing to appear without a medical certificate on any of these dates results in failing the course.
Read the 
Ethical Guidelines for the Authoring of Academic Work (Ethische Richtlinien für das Verfassen wissenschaftlicher Arbeiten).