CSCI 422/522: User Interface Design

 
Course Information (Fall 2008):
Current Session:
Exercises Readings Very Tentative Schedule

Section Day Time Room Instructor Email
A: MWF
10:00
CTLM 231 Cyndi Rader crader@mines.edu
Course Goals: The purpose of this course is to:
  • Learn about principles and patterns of interaction design: the definition and design of the behaviors of artifacts, environments and systems.
  • Study design principles at three levels of organization: conceptual-level (what a product is), interaction-level (how a product should behave) and interface-level (the look and feel).
  • Learn a variety of tools and techniques that guide the design process, with particular focus on Goal-Directed Design.
  • Know what types of technology can be used to create user interfaces. Apply principles, patterns and design process to a large project.
Chapter
Notes:
Chapter Notes
Deliverables
Upcoming due dates (questions & other assignments):
  • Usability Study, November 21
  • Chapter 25 OR chapter 18 questions for extra credit by November 24

Presentation
Information

Presentation Requirements
Presentation Schedule

Project
Information

Project Requirements
List of Projects
Final Project Deliverables
Paper Reviews

Test Information: There will be one exam.
Required Textbooks: Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann and David Cronin, About Face 3, The Essentials of Interaction Design.
Other Interesting Links
Suggested by Keith Mitchell:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html

Suggested by Chris Allen:
These first two detail some of the beginner/intermediate/expert things we've been doing in class.

<http://blog.getpaint.net/2008/08/24/the-paintnet-install-experience-part-1-version-3xx/
<http://blog.getpaint.net/2008/08/25/the-paintnet-install-experience-part-2-version-40/

This last one talks about language, which someone brought up on the first day.

<http://blog.getpaint.net/2007/12/20/usability-yes-no-cancel-huh/

Example from Kenny Nygaard:
Helpful error message - NOT

Example from Ricky Walker:
The most useless error message ever?

Example from Matt Curtice:
What do you mean I can't right click??

Student Evaluation
Homework, exercises, participation
Project Exam II
40% 40% 20%


 
Collaboration Policy for Programming Projects in MCS Courses
The following policy exists for all CS courses in the MCS department. This policy is a minimum standard; your instructor may decide to augment this policy.
  1. If the project is an individual effort project, you are not allowed to give code you have developed to another student or use code provided by another student. If the project is a group project, you are only allowed to share code with your group members.
  2. You are encouraged to discuss programming projects with other students in the class, as long as the following rules are followed:
    1. You view another student's code only for the purpose of offering/receiving debugging assistance. Students can only give advice on what problems to look for; they cannot debug your code for you. All changes to your code must be made by you.
    2. Your discussion is subject to the empty hands policy, which means you leave the discussion without any record [electronic, mechanical or otherwise] of the discussion.
  3. Any material from any outside source such as books, projects, and in particular, from the Web, should be properly referenced and should only be used if specifically allowed for the assignment.
  4. If you are aware of students violating this policy, you are encouraged to inform the professor of the course. Violating this policy will be treated as an academic misconduct for all students involved. See the Student Handbook for details on academic dishonesty.