Delivery Type	Delivery length / details
Lecture	20 Hours.
Seminars / Tutorials

Assessment Type	Assessment length / details	Proportion
Semester Exam	1.5 Hours	50%
Semester Assessment	User Centred Design of Computer System. Approx 25 hours	50%
Supplementary Exam	Will take the same form, under the terms of the Department's policy.

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:

design and implement effective user interfaces, making appropriate use of development techniques.
apply task and user modelling techniques to the design and evaluation of an interactive system.
appreciate the limitations of human capacities, and identify how they affect design choices.
evaluate ethical situations and make professional judgements on them.

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 - 3 Lectures

Functionality. Usability. Socio-technical system interaction. Task and dialogue levels.

2. Models for Human Computer Interaction - 3 Lectures

Mental models. Taskflow models. Dialogue interaction models. Interface metaphors.

3. Methods for Human Computer Interaction - 4 Lectures

Requirements specification. User interface design. Evaluation techniques. Standards for HCI and requirements.

4. Guidelines for screen interfaces - 4 Lectures

HCI characteristics, human cognitive abilities, attention, short-term memory, use of colour. Web acessibility issues.

5. Ethical issues - 3 Lectures

Difficult ethical issues. Examples from the Internet. Evaluating ethical issues and developing decision skills for difficult situations.

6. Current and future developments - 2 Lectures

Changing issues in user interface design, and new research developments.

Skills Type	Skills details
Application of Number	No.
Communication	Written skills will be needed to complete examination and coursework.
Improving own Learning and Performance	See 2 above .
Information Technology	The whole module concerns this area.
Personal Development and Career planning	Module looks at quite `new¿ areas of computing ¿ may lead to new options in career choice
Problem solving	This is inherent to the topic.
Research skills	The students will need to search for and use relevant technical information while completing practical work.
Subject Specific Skills	Yes. See module title and content.
Team work	No.

Course Delivery

Assessment

Learning Outcomes

Aims

Content

Module Skills

Reading List

Notes