CS 3724 (Carroll), Spring 2003: Course Calendar

The classes alternate between traditional lecture and group-based class activities. The lectures are based on the chapters in Usability Engineering but often introduce other material that you will also be responsible for in exams. In most cases the class activities will lead to class participation credit. The UE chapters are required reading, as is familiarity with the online case studies.

Tuesday Thursday Readings
1/14: Course Overview 1/16: Lecture: SBD Introduction
Group project overview
Preferences for class presentation slots are due before class today (send email to Beth Yost)
UE, Ch. 1
1/21: Lecture: Requirements Analysis 1/23: Requirements Analysis
Homework 1:due at start of class
Andrew Luck & Shannon Kern present homework solutions
Video: "Requirements interview" (DIS 2002)
In-Class Activity 1: Requirements Change
UE, Ch. 2
1/28: Lecture: Activity Design

Before lecture, Seung Kim & Harish Hoon present examples of requirements tradeoffs

1/30: Conceptual metaphor
Homework 2: due at start of class 
Todd Thurheimer & Khang Le present homework solutions
Video: "Lifestreams" (CHI 96)
In-Class Activity 2: Metaphor brainstorming
UE, Ch. 3
2/4: Lecture: Information Design

Before lecture, Christopher Cain & Robert LaPrelle present examples of activity tradeoffs

Group Project Requirements Analysis Doc due today

2/6: Visual perception and Web page design
Homework 3: due at start of class
Justin Gawrilow & Peter Disessa present homework solutions
Video: "Browsing graphs using fisheye view" (CHI 93)
In-Class Activity 3: discuss Web page examples as a class (nothing to hand in)
UE, Ch. 4
2/11: Lecture: Information Design

Before lecture, Richard Kim & Michael Link present examples of information design tradeoffs

2/13: Information visualization
Homework 4: due at start of class
Video: "Hyperbolic Browser" (CHI 96)
In-Class Activity 4:Project groups meet to discuss visualizations; one student from each group reports back to the whole  class
UE, Ch. 4
2/18: Lecture: Interaction Design

Video: "FilmFinder" (CHI 94)

2/20: Interaction design
Homework 5: due at start of class 
Matt Wonkovich & Matthew Silverthorn present homework solutions
Video: "Digital Ink" (CHI 98)
In-Class Activity 5: Project groups work on their user interface designs (nothing to hand in)
UE, Ch. 5
2/25: Lecture: Interaction Design

Before lecture, Will Humphries & Jeffery Kuhn present examples of interaction design tradeoffs

2/27:   Mid-term Exam UE, Ch. 5
3/4: SPRING BREAK 3/6: SPRING BREAK (none)
3/11: Lecture: Prototyping

(Note that Mid-term Exam make-up is at 8 am on 3/10 by prior arrangement only)

Video: "Prototyping" (DIS 2002); "Suede" (CHI 2001)

3/13: User Interface design
Homework 6: due at start of class 
David Spencer & Graham Smith present homework solutions
In-Class Activity 6:group redesign based on homeworks
present redesigns
UE, Ch. 1-5
3/18: Lecture: Usability Evaluation 

Before lecture, Nipun Jawaurar & Gregory Brammer present examples of prototyping tradeoffs

3/20: 
Homework 7: due at start of class 
John LaGuardia and TBA present homework solutions
Videos: "Knowledge Navigator" (CHI 92);"Digital Scale" (CHI 97)
In-Class Activity 7:  Project groups work on prototyping plans for their project; one student from each group reports back to the whole  class
UE, Ch. 6
3/25: Mid-term exam discussed

Video: "Toolglass and magic lenses" (CHI 94)

Group Project UI Design doc is due today

3/27: Usability evaluation
Homework 8: due at start of class
Video: "Walkthrough Evaluation of Electronic Post-Its" (DIS 2002)  
In-Class Activity 8:  project groups draft a preliminary evaluation plan
UE, Ch. 7
4/1: Lecture: Usability Evaluation
Before lecture, Eric Tressler & Justin Wienckowski present examples of evaluation tradeoffs
4/3: Model-based evaluation
Homework 9: due at start of class
Brendan Macdonald & TBA present homework solutions
In-Class Activity 9:  use the digital watch models to drive an evaluation exercise (bring digital watches to class)
UE, Ch. 7
4/8: Lecture: Emerging Paradigms (guest lecturer: Beth Yost)

Video: "GUI w/ tablets, 2 hands, transparency" (CHI 97)
 

4/10: Novel interaction techniques
Video: "mediaBlocks" (CHI 99)
In-Class Activity 10:  Elaborating MOOsburg.
One student from each group reports back to the whole  class
UE, Ch. 9
4/15: Lecture: Documentation design
Before lecture, Stephen Cooper & TBA present examples of emerging paradigms tradeoffs
4/17: Documentation design
Homework 10: due at start of class
Jon Gasser & TBA present homework solutions
Video: "QOC in action" (CHI 93)
In-Class Activity 11:  Project groups work on documentation design for their group project; one student from each group reports back to the whole  class
UE, Ch. 8
4/22: Project Presentations 1

Group 1:  Michael Bennett, Mark Lawson
Group 2:  Jeremy Bradford, Ian Hunter
Group 3: Chris Bateman, Justin Belcher
Group 4: Brendan Robeson, Ryan Schlesinger
Group 5: Geory Kaufmann, Vinh Tran
Group 10: Andrew Biletich, Kevin Ferguson 
Group 7: David Fritz, Michael Johnson

4/24: Project Presentations 2

Group 8: Daniel Turner, Melanie Roberts
Group 9: John Tan, John Archie
Group 6: Michael Fulton, Scott Kim
Group 11: Allen Kerr, Ross Andrews
Group 12: Elisha Langhals, Matt McHugh
Group 13: Craig Mackie, Jonathan Durr

Group Project Usability Evaluation doc is due today

(None)
4/29: Discuss "usability in practice," careers in usability engineering, take questions about final exam, complete Course evaluation forms 5/1: Reading Day UE, Ch. 10
Friday 5/2 (Finals week) 10:05-12:05: Final Exam  UE, Ch. 6-10

© Copyright 2003 by John M. Carroll (based on design by Mary Beth Rosson)
Last Updated: January 2003