CSS 478
Usability and User-Centered Design
Human information processing, principles of human-computer interaction, and usability methods built into the design lifecycle: surveys, task analysis, heuristic evaluation and experimental testing.
Weeks click a week to open it; the current week opens by itself
🧠Week 1week of Mar 29 Usability and user-centered design · The human as information processorSurveyteams and partners set (Fri Apr 2)
Week 1 · AUsability and user-centered designISO 9241-11 (effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction), the UCD lifecycle, UX in agile teams. The course system and the projectslides and handouts comingWeek 1 · BThe human as information processorperception, attention, working and long-term memory, the Model Human Processorslides and handouts coming
Surveyteams and partners set (Fri Apr 2)
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: introductory and process chaptersUsability and User-Centered Designcourse text · comingRogers, Sharp & Preece: cognitive aspectsThe Human as Information Processorcourse text · comingMiller (1956)
🧠Week 2week of Apr 5 Predictive models · A first experimentP0 (Sun Apr 11)
Week 2 · APredictive modelsFitts' law, Hick–Hyman law, KLM and GOMSslides and handouts comingWeek 2 · BA first experimenthypothesis, independent and dependent variables, within-subjects design, regression. Lab 1 (Fitts' lawslides and handouts coming
P0 (Sun Apr 11)
ReadingPredictive Modelscourse text · comingCard, Moran & Newell (1980)Controlled Experiments §1course text · comingFitts (1954)
🗣️Week 3week of Apr 12 Surveys and questionnaires · Interviews and contextual inquiryLab 1
Week 3 · ASurveys and questionnairesquestion types, scales, wording bias, sampling, response rates, standard instrumentsslides and handouts comingWeek 3 · BInterviews and contextual inquiryaffinity diagrammingslides and handouts coming
Lab 1
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: data gatheringSurveys and Questionnairescourse text · comingKrosnick (1999)Interviews and Contextual Inquirycourse text · comingBeyer & Holtzblatt (1995)
🗣️Week 4week of Apr 19 Task analysis · From findings to requirementsH1 scenarios to partner (Wed Apr 21)P1 (Sun Apr 25)
Week 4 · ATask analysisHTA, GOMS decomposition, task flows; personas and scenarios. Lab 2 (HTA and KLMslides and handouts comingWeek 4 · BFrom findings to requirementsusability scenarios in six-part form; what engineers need to build for usability (undo, cancel, progressslides and handouts coming
H1 scenarios to partner (Wed Apr 21)P1 (Sun Apr 25)
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: discovering requirementsTask Analysiscourse text · comingQuality-Attribute Scenarios (usability sections)course text · comingUsability-Supporting Architecturecourse text · comingBass, John & Kates (2001)
✏️Week 5week of Apr 26 Design principles · MidtermLab 2
Week 5 · ADesign principlesgulfs of execution and evaluation, signifiers, mapping, feedback, constraints; slips and mistakes; visual hierarchy, Gestalt, information architectureslides and handouts comingWeek 5 · BMidtermWeeks 1–4, 75 min
Lab 2
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: conceptualizing interactionDesign Principlescourse text · coming
✏️Week 6week of May 3 Prototyping · AccessibilityH2 prototype to partner (Wed May 5)P2 (Sun May 9)
Week 6 · APrototypingfidelity, sketching, paper and Wizard of Oz, interactive prototypes; design critiqueslides and handouts comingWeek 6 · BAccessibilityWCAG 2.2 principles and AA criteria, assistive technology, inclusive designslides and handouts coming
H2 prototype to partner (Wed May 5)P2 (Sun May 9)
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: design and prototypingPrototyping and Design Critiquecourse text · comingAccessibilitycourse text · coming
🔍Week 7week of May 10 Inspection methods · Lab 3H3 partner increment arrives (Sun May 16)
Week 7 · AInspection methodsheuristic evaluation, severity ratings, aggregating evaluators; cognitive walkthroughslides and handouts comingWeek 7 · BLab 3heuristic evaluation), then class aggregation: how many evaluators find how many problemsslides and handouts coming
H3 partner increment arrives (Sun May 16)
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: inspectionsInspection Methodscourse text · comingNielsen & Molich (1990)
🔍Week 8week of May 17 Usability testing · Pilot tests in classLab 3P3, findings to partner (Sun May 23)
Week 8 · AUsability testingthink-aloud, task design, success, time, errors, SUS; how many usersslides and handouts comingWeek 8 · BPilot tests in classteams run 5-user tests of the partner's increment during the weekslides and handouts coming
Lab 3P3, findings to partner (Sun May 23)
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: evaluation studiesUsability Testingcourse text · comingNielsen & Landauer (1993)Brooke (1996)Faulkner (2003)
🔍Week 9week of May 24 Controlled experiments · Online experiments
Week 9 · AControlled experimentsbetween- and within-subjects designs, counterbalancing, confidence intervals, t-tests, effect sizes, validity threatsslides and handouts comingWeek 9 · BOnline experimentsA/B tests, telemetry, sample size, peeking, ethics. Lab 4 (experiment analysisslides and handouts coming
ReadingControlled Experimentscourse text · comingMacKenzie (2024), experiment chapters, optionalKohavi, Henne & Sommerfield (2007)
📦Week 10week of May 31 Reporting findings that engineers act on · P4 presentationsLab 4P4 report (Sun Jun 6)
Week 10 · AReporting findings that engineers act onusability in agile delivery; design systems (no class if Monday: Memorial Dayslides and handouts comingWeek 10 · BP4 presentationscourse wrap-up
Lab 4P4 report (Sun Jun 6)
ReadingRogers, Sharp & Preece: interaction design in practice
🎓Finalsweek of Jun 7 Final examFinal exam
Finals weekFinal examdate and time per UW finals schedule
Final exam