COM 1420 / IS 1420 Principles and Methods of Interactive Interface Design

Course Format
Course Coordinator
Textbooks and References

Prerequisites by Topic
Major Topics Covered in Course
Laboratory Projects

Course Description

Introduces principles of human-computer interface design and methodologies of implementation, evaluation, and research in human-computer interaction.  Topics include user psychology; dialog styles (menus, command languages, windows, icons, controls); screen layout and design; input devices (keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, voice); error handling and reporting; system response time; user documentation and help systems; and "intelligent" interfaces.  Discusses techniques for the implementation and usability testing of human-computer interfaces.

4 QH credit
Prerequisite: COM 1101 or MSC 1336.

Course Information

This course has been moved to the Information Sciences program.
The new course number os IS 1420.

Course is offered during the Fall quarter. IS majors are guaranteed a place in class.

• Fall 2000

Course Format

This was an elective course for  BS CS majors (while under the COM 1420 number) and is now a core course for BS IS majors.

Course Coordinators

Professor Carole Hafner
hafner@ccs.neu.edu

Textbooks and References

Fall 2000

• Designing the User Interface by Ben Shneiderman, Addison-Wesley.

 

References:
 

• Deborah J. Mayhew, Software User Interface Design, Prentice Hall, 1992.
• Alan Cooper, About Face: The Essential of User Interface Design, IDG Books, 1995.
• Jakob Nielsen, Usability Engineering, Academic Press, 1993.

 

The following articles appear in Chris Forsythe, Eric Grose and Julie Ratner, eds., Human Factors and Web Design, Lawrence Erlbaum, 1998:

Jose A. Borges, Israel Morales, and Nestor J. Rodriguez, Page Design Guidelines Developed through Usability Testing
Saul Greenberg, Collaborative Interfaces for the Web.

Course Goals

Prerequisites by Topic

C or C++ programming ability.

Major Topics Covered in the Course

• Introduction to HCI and usability engineering

Standard interaction metaphors and widgets
• High level theories and models

Design guidelines and heuristics
• Human cognition/The user profile
• Windowing strategies
• Modes of interaction

Display design
• Error avoidance and recovery
• Direct manipulation

Impact of response time on users
• Help and documentation
• Evaluating usability
• Computer-supported cooperative work

Visualization

Laboratory projects

Evaluate and compare two University Web sites (1 week)

Design and program a simple interactive application (in Visual Basic)

Design (on paper) a complex product suitable for use by computer novicesand the elderly.Design the user interface for major application and program a "story-board" prototype to illustrate its user interface.  Prepare   a complete plan for a usability evaluation of the interface.  Present this work to the class. (group project).