EECS 330: Human-Computer Interaction

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EECS 330: Human-Computer Interaction

Course Description

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a rapidly expanding area of research and practice that has transformed the ways in which we interact with digital systems. This course introduces fundamental principles for designing and analyzing interactive systems. Topics include user-centered design, prototyping and evaluation techniques, accessibility, and graphical design fundamentals. The course also reviews emerging areas of HCI research. Students will work in teams to design and test a user interface using HTML5 and JavaScript.

Course Information

Prerequisites: 211 or equivalent

Website: https://canvas.northwestern.edu/courses/88803

Message Board: piazza.com/u.northwestern.edu/winter2019/eecs330

Location: Tech LR2

Time: Monday and Wednesdays, 1:00 - 1:50pm

Sections: Thursdays and Fridays

Team Project

The heart of this course is a quarter-long project. You will work in teams of four to design and test a novel user interface around the course theme, Behavior Change. User interface design is an iterative process; you will build and test successively higher-fidelity prototypes over the quarter. Students who are not registered for course credit may not participate in the project.

Individual Homework Assignments

You will also work on individual homework assignments throughout the quarter. The earlier assignments are designed to give you practice with HTML5, CSS, and Javascript. For the later assignments, you’ll gain some experience applying usability and design principles to critique existing interface designs. Please note that studio section attendance is required, and part of your individual grade will be determined by your participation in studio.

Grading

If you believe there was a grading error on one of your assignments:

1. Email Nell, Sarah, and your peer mentor with an explanation of the mistake.

2. Make an appointment if you want to discuss grades in person (no impromptu office visits).

3. If the request merits a regrade, either Nell or Sarah will regrade your entire submission, which could result in a lower final grade.

Late Policy

Assignments are due at the time indicated on Canvas.  Assignments turned in up to 24 hours late will be penalized 10%. Similarly, assignments turned in between 24 and 48 hours late will be penalized 20%. Assignments turned in more than 48 hours late will not be accepted under most circumstances. If you are having trouble with homework or assignments, please let us know! We’re here to help.

Studios

On Thursdays or Fridays you will be meeting in studio (section). The purpose of studio is for you and your group to get feedback on your group projects. You will also have an opportunity to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript at the beginning of the term.

Readings

We selected course readings to deepen and expand your understanding of HCI fundamentals beyond what we cover in lecture. Lectures will be devoted to hands-on activities that build on the assigned readings. Readings will be posted on the course website prior to lecture. All of the readings are available on Canvas, but we strongly encourage you to buy some of these books for your personal collection. Most are must-haves for interface design professionals.

Attendance

Attendance at lectures and studios is required. Peer mentors will record studio attendance; we will drop your lowest studio attendance grade (i.e. you get one free pass). In lecture we will have in-class quizzes covering topics related to the assigned readings, which will also be used to make attendance. We will drop your lowest three quiz grades (i.e. you get three free passes).

Collaboration Policy

You are expected to complete individual assignments individually. It is acceptable to get help online, from TAs, and from students. However, it is not acceptable to copy solutions directly from any source. In general: write your solutions entirely on your own; do not share written materials or code with anyone else; do not look at written material or code created by anyone else for assignments.

Academic Integrity at Northwestern

Students are expected to comply with University regulations regarding academic integrity. If you are in doubt, speak to the instructor or look at the University website. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to cheating on an exam or copying someone else’s code. Failure to maintain academic integrity on an assignment will result in a loss of credit for that assignment at a minimum. Other penalties may also apply.

Students with Disabilities

In compliance with Northwestern policy and equal access laws, the instructor is available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Request for academic accommodations need to be made during the first week of the quarter, except for unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to register with Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic accommodations. Read more at: http://www.northwestern.edu/accessiblenu/

Schedule

Topics and readings are subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and posted on the course web site. Readings will be made available through the course website.

Learning Objectives

The course content and assignments are organized around a few key learning objectives. These are the key ideas we really want you to take away from this class!

User-Centered Design

● Interface design is hard! Great interface design ideas often fail (dramatically).

● You are not the user. It takes work to see the world from the users’ point of view.

● You can’t just slap on an interface on at the end. Usability is best considered from the ground up.

● Understanding user needs is essential. Need finding and task analysis are good ways to make sure that you’re solving the right problems and that the most important and most frequent tasks are easy to accomplish.

● Low-fidelity prototyping can be a fast and inexpensive way to test design ideas and surface problems early.

● The best approaches to interface design involve frequent, iterative rounds of prototyping and testing with real users.

Design Principles

● Students will be able to apply basic principles of interface design and graphic design to critique existing interfaces and build new interfaces.

● Students will be familiar with principles of universal design and accessibility. They will demonstrate their use in their designs.

HTML, CSS, Javascript

● Students will understand the HTML5 DOM (Document Object Model) and will construct basic web pages and mobile apps.

● Students will understand basic ways in which cascading stylesheets (CSS) interacts with the DOM. They will be able to write simple CSS stylesheets to style a prototype user interface.

● Students will understand ways in which Javascript can be used to dynamically interact with the DOM. They will be able to write simple, client-side scripts to prototype user interface designs.

Human-Computer Interaction as a Field

● HCI is an entry point into many careers related to user experience and design.

● HCI is an active area of computer science research with many interest areas.