Homework 5: Interaction Design

Due Thursday, February 20

Describe two issues in the interaction design of the garden.com case study. For each issue you choose to consider, (1) explain what the issue is, (2) analyze the design tradeoffs pertaining to the issue, and (3) describe how the tradeoffs were resolved, or not resolved, in the design work. Finally, (4) give you own assessment of how satisfactorily the garden.com designers addressed the issue and its tradeoffs in their design work.

Please keep in mind that the case study documentation, and the garden.com design itself, may not have adequately considered particular design issues. This homework exercise is intended to be open-ended; it's OK to be creative. Make the best use you can of the material  included in the case study documentation, and then use your imagination to go beyond that. Be clear in your analysis what information came from the garden.com case study and what information you developed.

What to turn in:

  • Your paper should consist of two major sections, corresponding to the two issues you select for analysis. Each section should have four subsections, corresponding to (1) through (4) as described above.

  • Format your paper in 12-point Times or Times New Roman font, single-spaced. Write no more than two pages (including any image file you embed in the document), printed duplex (that is, hand in a single sheet of paper). Your name and your student number (SS#) should appear in the first two lines at the top-right of the first page in bold; the heading "Homework 5: Interaction Design" should appear at the top-left of page 1 in bold. 

  • Extra Credit:

    After you have completed the homework assignment, you can earn extra credit by filling out the survey at http://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1045243784350

    © Copyright 2003 John M. Carroll
    Last Updated: January 2003