Module Identifier CS22310  
Module Title USER CENTRED DESIGN AND HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Dr Mark B Ratcliffe  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr Mark J Neal  
Co-Requisite CS22120 or CI22120  
Course delivery Lecture   22 lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials   Up to 12 x 1hr  
Assessment Semester Exam   2 Hours   100%  
  Supplementary Exam   Will take the same form, under the terms of the Department's policy.    
Further details http://www.aber.ac.uk/compsci/ModuleInfo/CS22310  

Learning outcomes

This module will enable the student to incorporate principles of user centred design into the development of applications built on modern windowing systems.

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Aims

This course deals with the issue of how systems should be built in order to make them understandable by, and accessible to, users. Principles of good interface design are introduced and applied to the issue of human computer interaction. The course also considers methods and tools for achieving good computer interface design.

Content

1. Fundamental principles of good design - 4 Lectures
Functionality. Usability. Socio-technical system interaction. Task and dialogue levels.

2. Models for Human Computer Interaction - 4 Lectures
Mental models. Taskflow models. Dialogue interaction models.

3. Methods for Human Computer Interaction - 5 Lectures
Requirements specification. User interface design. Evaluation techniques. Support tools for methods.

4. Guidelines for screen interfaces - 3 Lectures
HCI characteristics, human performance issues, use of colour.

5. Implementation level issues - 3 Lectures
Types of interface device. Types of interaction. Representation of colour within windowing systems.

6. Case studies - 3 Lectures
Examples of system development which bring out the different issues covered in the course.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Ben Shneiderman. (1998) Designing the User Interface. 3rd Ed.. Addison Wesley ISBN 0201694972
** Consult For Futher Information
Jenny Preece (ed). (1992) A Guide to Usability: Human Factors in Computing. Addison-Wesley ISBN 0-201-62768-X
William M. Newman and Michael G. Lamming. (1995) Interactive System Design. Addison Wesley ISBN 0-201-63162-8
Donald A. Norman. (1988) The Psychology of Everyday Things. Harper Collins ISBN 0465067093