School of Information and Library Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

INLS 718, User Interface Design
Spring 2008

Schedule

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Introduction / Learning about Users, their Tasks, and the Context of those Tasks /
Developing a Design / Specifying the Design in a Prototype / Evaluating the Design

Syllabus / Schedule / Assignments / Blackboard site

Introduction

Session 1: January 9, Introduction

• Wadlow, M. G. (1994). Design as a way of life. SIGCHI Bulletin, 26(1): 7-8. [ACM Digital Library]
• Norman, D.A. (2006). Words matter. Talk about people -- Not customers, not consumers, not users. interactions, 13(5), 49, 63. [ACM Digital Library]
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece , Chapter 1, What is interaction design?
  • Section 1.2, Good and poor design, p2-8
  • Section 1.3, What is interaction design?, p8-15
  • Section 1.4, The user experience, p15-16
• More...

Session 2: January 14, The process of design

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece , Chapter 1, What is interaction design?\
  • Section 1.5, The process of interaction design, p17-19
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 9, The process of interaction design
  • Section 9.2, What is involved in interaction design?, p414-429
  • Section 9.4, Lifecycle models: Showing how the activities are related, p444-464
• Gulliksen, J., & Göransson, B. (2003). Key principles for user-centered systems design [poster]. http://www.it.uu.se/research/hci/acsd/KeyPrinciplesPoster-v.1.2en.pdf.
• More...

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 3, Understanding users
  • Section 3.2, What is cognition?, p94-116
  • Section 3.3.3, Information processing, p123-125
  • Section 3.3.4, External cognition, p125-129
  • Section 3.3.5, Distributed cognition, p129-131
• More...

January 21: Martin Luther King Jr., Day, holiday; No class

Session 4: January 23, Developing the user profile(s)

• Head, A. J. (2003). Personas: setting the stage for building usable information sites. Online, 27(4), 14-21. [UNC libraries]
• More...

• Sources of data on internet users

• Begin assignment 1: User analysis draft

Session 5: January 28, Understanding the user's task

• Wilson, T.D. (2006). A re-examination of information seeking behaviour in the context of activity theory. Information Research, 11(4), paper 260. http://informationr.net/ir/11-4/paper260.html
• Preece, Rogers, & Sharp, Chapter 2, Understanding and conceptualizing interaction
  • Section 2.2, Understanding the problem space, p46-50
  • Section 2.3 (except section 2.3.4), Conceptualizing the design space, p51-63
  • Section 2.4, Theories, models, and frameworks, p84-86
• Preece, Rogers, & Sharp, Chapter 3, Understanding users
  • Section 3.3.1, Mental models, p116-119
  • Section 3.3.2, Theory of action, p120-122
• Preece, Rogers,& Sharp, Chapter 10, Identifying needs and establishing requirements
  • Section 10.4, Data gathering for requirements, p489-500
  • Section 10.5, Data analysis, interpretation, and presentation, p500-504
• More...

Session 6: January 30, Documenting the task: essential use cases, scenarios

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 10, Identifying needs and establishing requirements
  • Section 10.6, Task description, p504-515
  • Section 10.7, Task analysis, p515-519
• Gruen, D., Rauch, T., Redpath, S., & Ruettinger, S. (2002). The use of stories in user experience design. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 14(3&4), 503-534. (Focus on the first two sections, pages 503-511; skim section 3.) [UNC libraries]
• Go, K., & Carroll, J.M. (2004). The blind men and the elephant: Views of scenario-based system design. interactions, 11(6), 44-53. (Focus on pages 45-50.) [ACM Digital Library]
• More...

Session 7: February 4, Documenting the task: The context of the task; Errors in performing the task

• Hackos, J. T., & Redish, J. C. (1998). User and Task Analysis for Interface Design. New York: John Wiley & Sons. [Electronic reserves]
  • Chapter 4, Thinking about the users' environment, 91-109
• Hollan, J., Hutchins, E., & Kirsh, D. (2000). Distributed cognition: toward a new foundation for human-computer interaction research. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 7(2), 174-196. (Read Sections 1 and 2 only.) [ACM Digital Library]
• Norman, D. A. (1983). Design rules based on analyses of human error. Communications of the ACM, 26(4), 254-258. [ACM Digital Library]
• Norman, D. A. (1999). Affordance, conventions, and design. interactions, 6(3): 38-43. [ACM Digital Library]

• Assignment 1 due: User analysis draft

Session 8: February 6, The user experience

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 5, Affective aspects, p182-212
• Blythe, M., & Hassenzahl, M. (2003). The semantics of fun: Differentiating enjoyable experiences. In Blythe, M., Overbeeke, K., Monk, A.F., & Wright, P.C. (eds.), Funology: From Usability to Enjoyment. Dordrecht, Kluwer Academic, p91-100. [Electronic reserves]
• More...

Session 9: February 11, Task genres of special interest: searching, browsing, data entry

• Some interesting examples of searching/browsing interfaces (we'll examine during class)
• Focused/analytical searching
• Allen, B. L. (1996). Information Tasks: Toward a User-Centered Approach to Information Systems. San Diego: Academic Press. [Electronic reserves]
  • Chapter 5, Expressing information needs, p126-145 only
• Marchionini, G., & White, R. (2007). Find what you need, understand what you find. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 23(3), 205-238. [UNC libraries]
• More...
• Browsing
• Allen, B. L. (1996). Information Tasks: Toward a User-Centered Approach to Information Systems. San Diego: Academic Press. [Electronic reserves]
• Chapter 7, Information tasks: interacting with information systems, p188-200 only
• Marchionini, G. (1995). Information Seeking in Electronic Environments. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Chapter 6, Browsing strategies, p100-120 only [Electronic reserves]
• More...
• Data entry
  • Jarrett, C. (2000). Designing usable forms: The three-layer model of the form. http://www.formsthatwork.com/ftp/DesigningUsableForms.pdf. Available at http://www.formsthatwork.com/articlespapers/form.asp.
  • Mayhew, D. J. (1992). Principles and Guidelines in Software User Interface Design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ; Prentice Hall. [Electronic reserves]
    • Chapter 5: Dialog styles: Fill-in forms, 172-183 only
    • Chapter 6, Dialog styles: Question and answer, 216-222 only
  • More...

• Begin assignment 2: Task analysis draft

Session 10: February 13, The content/meaning associated with the task: information architecture

• Rosenfeld, L., & Morville, P. (2006). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. 3rd ed. Cambridge, MA: O'Reilly. [Available online via UNC libraries]
  • Chapter 5, Organization Systems
• Toms, E. G. (2002). Information interaction: providing a framework for information architecture. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(10), 855-862. [UNC libraries]
• Withrow, J. (2002). Do your links stink? Techniques for good web information scent. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 28(5), 7-9. [UNC libraries ]
• More...

Developing a Design

Session 11: February 18, From analysis to design requirements

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 10, Identifying needs and establishing requirements
  • Section 10.2, What, how, and why?, p474-476
  • Section 10.3, What are requirements?, p476-489
  • Section 10.5.1, Brainstorming for innovation, p503-504 (review)
• Lindgaard, G., et al. (2006). User needs analysis and requirements engineering: Theory and practice. Interacting with Computers, 18(1), 47-70. (Read section 2, pages 50-56 only) [UNC libraries]
• Rettig, M., & Goel, A. (2005). Designing for experience: Frameworks and project stories. (Presentation.) [http://www.marcrettig.com/uxweek/rettig&goel.uxWeek.8.25.05.pdf]
• More...

Session 12: February 20, Making design decisions

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 1, What is interaction design?
  • Section 1.5, The process of interaction design, p17-19 (review)
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 9, The process of interaction design
  • Section 9.3, Some practical issues, p430-444
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 11, Design, prototyping, and construction
  • Section 11.3, Conceptual design: Moving from requirements to first design, p540-551
• Hartson, H. R. (2003). Cognitive, physical, sensory, and functional affordances in interaction design. Behaviour & Information Technology, 22(5), 315-338. [UNC libraries]

• Some sources of guidelines

• Assignment 2 due: Task analysis draft

Session 13: February 25, Documenting design decisions

• MacLean, A.; Young, R. M.; Bellotti, V. M. E.; & Moran, T. P. (1991). Questions, options and criteria: Elements of design space analysis. Human-Computer Interaction, 6(3&4), 201-250. (Reprinted in Moran, T. P., & Carroll, J. M. (1996). Design Rationale: Concepts, Techniques, and Use. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 53-105. (Focus your reading on sections 1-2.) [UNC libraries]

• Begin assignment 3: Design decisions draft

Specifying the Design in a Prototype

Session 14: February 27, Prototyping; Review of progress on design projects

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 11, Design, prototyping and construction
  • Section 11.2, Prototyping and construction, p530-539
  • Section 11.4, Physical design: Getting concrete, p551-554
  • Section 11.5, Using scenarios in design, p554-558
  • Section 11.6, Using prototypes in design, p558-572

• Begin assignment 4: Prototype

Session 15: March 3, Documenting the design; Specific interaction styles

• Beyer, H., & Holtzblatt, K. (1998). Contextual Design: Defining Customer-Centered Systems. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann. [Electronic reserves]
  • Chapter 15, The user environment design, p317-345
• Constantine, L. L., & Lockwood, L. A. D. (1999). Software for Use: A Practical Guide to the Models and Methods of Usage-Centered Design. New York: ACM Press. [Electronic reserves]
  • The context navigation map, p135-141
• Yen, D. C., & Davis, W. S. (1999). State transition diagrams. In Davis, W. S., & Yen, D. C. (Eds.), The Information System Consultant's Handbook: Systems Analysis and Design. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 235-239. [Electronic reserves]
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 2, Understanding and conceptualizing interaction
  • Section 2.3.4, Interaction types, p64-83
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 6, Interfaces and interactions, p218-287

Session 16: March 5, Visual design principles; Midterm course evaluation

• Assignment 3 due: At least two design decision drafts

• Read from at least one of the following books:
  • Williams, R. (1994). The Non-Designer's Design Book. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press. [SILS Reserve - Z246 .W64 1994]
    • Chapters 1-6, Design principles, p13-71
  • Williams, R., & Tollett, J. (2000). The Non-Designer's Web Book. 2nd ed. Berkeley: Peachpit Press. [Electronic reserves]
  • Chapter 6, Basic design principles for non-designers, p105-124
  • Chapter 7, Designing the interface and navigation, p125-14
• Koshman, S. (2006). Visualization-based information retrieval on the Web. Library & Information Science Research, 28(2), 192-207. [UNC libraries]

March 8-16: Spring Break (no class)

Session 17: March 17, Prototype demos

• 9:30-10:05
  • Mike Brown, EPA Digital Asset Library
  • Eliah Hecht, Content management system for WebLogs, Inc.
  • Maarten Lippmann, Visualization of firewall protection, for sysadmins
  • Erin White, SILS internal homepage for students
• 10:10-10:45
  • Philip Fulcher, Online portfolio system
  • Andy Hull, Community GIS for community users
  • Cristobal Palmer & Sarah Kahn, Loi: system for managing radio playlists

Session 18: March 19, Prototype demos

• 9:30-10:05
  • Amol Bapat, Web application for business school
  • Kevin Eckhardt, Going to the Show: social aspects of movie-going in North Carolina during the silent film era
  • Travis Roscher, Get Out! Recreation Planner (GORP)
  • Megan Van Noord, Website describing ILS professional associations
• 10:10-10:45
  • Paul Causey, Online lesson plan sharing site for teachers
  • James Harroun, Information for students entering SILS
  • Brenn Hill, Sounds of Rock (a site to help musicians try out instruments/equipment)
  • Cory Lown, Website for the Town of Tyngsborough

Evaluating the Design

Session 19: March 24, Usability engineering in the real world
Guest speaker: Brian Utesch, ibm.com Global Web User Engineering, IBM Corporation

Session 20: March 26, Evaluation overview

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 12, Introducing evaluation, p586-621
• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 13, An evaluation framework, p626-642
• Mao, J.-Y., Vredenburg, K., Smith, P. W., & Carey, T. (2005). The state of user-centered design practice. Communications of the ACM, 48(3), 105-109. [ACM Digital Library]
• More...

Session 21: March 31, Usability inspection methods

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 15, Analytical evaluation, p686-716
• More...

Session 22: April 2, An exercise in usability inspection

• Assignments 1-4, final version, due: Prototype and complete documentation

• Begin assignment 5: Usability inspection (assignment of prototypes for evaluation)

ACM SIGCHI, April 5-10 (no class)

Session 23: April 14, Usability testing: study design and implementation

• Sharp, Rogers, & Preece, Chapter 14, Usability testing and field studies, p646-678
• Boren, M. T., & Ramey, J. (2000). Thinking aloud: Reconciling theory and practice. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 43(3), 261-278. [UNC libraries]
• More...

Session 24: April 16, Usability testing: study design and implementation, continued

• Complete the CITI Online Course for working with human subjects [first link at http://ohre.unc.edu/educ.php]
• Review "Application for IRB Approval of Human Subjects Research" [http://ohre.unc.edu/forms.php]
• More...

• Continue assignment 5: Designer's response to usability inspection
• Begin assignment 6: Usability test plan

Session 25: April 21, Usability testing: study design and implementation, continued; Usability studies: examples

• Burigat, S., Chittaro, L., & Gabrielli, S. (2008). Navigation techniques for small-screen devices: An evaluation on maps and Web pages. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 66(2), 78-97. [UNC libraries]
• Robins, D., & Holmes, J. (2008). Aesthetics and credibility in Web site design. Information Processing & Management, 44(1), 386-399. [UNC libraries]
• More..

Session 26: April 23, Usability studies: examples, continued; Communicating the results of a usability test; Review

• Tentative: Armbrüster, C., Sutter, C., & Ziefle, M. (2007). Notebook input devices put to the age test: The usability of trackpoint and touchpad for middle-aged adults. Ergonomics, 50(3), 426-445. [UNC libraries]
• Tentative: Chevalier, A., & Kicka, M. (2006). Web designers and Web users: Influence of the ergonomic quality of the Web site on the information search. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 64(10), 1031-1048. [UNC libraries]
• Dumas, J. S., Molich, R., & Jeffries, R. (2004). Describing usability problems: Are we sending the right message? interactions, 11(4), 24-29. [ACM Digital Library]
• Downey, Laura L. (2003). Usability engineers who do too much!!! [The Whiteboard]. interactions, 10(5), 12-17. [ACM Digital Library]
• More...

• Course evaluation

• Assignment 5 due: Usability inspection and designer's response

May 5, 8am: Assignment 6, Usability test plan due

Syllabus / Schedule (today) / Assignments / Blackboard site

© Barbara M. Wildemuth, 2008. All rights reserved.