Curricula 2015 – 2017
General description
The course gives an overview of the fields of human-technology interaction and interaction design. It cannot be taken by students who have done the courses Introduction to Interactive Technology and Introduction to User Interfaces. The recommended time for taking this course is in Period 1 at the beginning of studies.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course the student
- knows about important paradigms and milestones in the history of human-computer interaction
- understands the importance of user-centered design for the success of products
- understands basics of human perceptual, cognitive and motor functions, and their importance to interaction design
- recognizes basic controls and interaction styles in graphical user interfaces and is able to describe how they should be applied
- knows where to look for information about platform specific user experience design guidelines for graphical user interfaces
- can apply principles of good design in expert evaluation and find design errors in user interfaces.
Contents
The course covers basic introduction to user-centered design, the humans as technology users, and guidelines for good design. Modalities for input and output and various use contexts are discussed. The main emphasis is on graphical user interfaces. GUI controls and interaction techniques are presented with the help of platform style guides and design patterns. Donald Norman?s principles of good design and the Action cycle, and Jakob Nielsen?s Heuristic Evaluation are applied as expert evaluation tools.
The material to study for the exam is announced by the instructor and links to it are provided in Moodle. The learning environment contains links to video material and demos together with readings and assignments.
Teaching methods
The material is available in Moodle for self-study.
Modes of study
- Degree Programme Students
- Other Students
- Open University Students
- Doctoral Students
- Exchange Students
Note. This course cannot be taken by students who have done the courses Introduction to Interactive Technology (Johdatus vuorovaikutteiseen teknologiaan) and Introduction to User Interfaces (Käyttöliittymien perusteet).
Evaluation
Pass/fail.Study materials
Norman,D., Design of Everyday Things. Revised and expanded edition. Basic Books, New York. 2013.
Belongs to following study modules
2018–2019
