General Information


Instructor
Dr. Franz J. Kurfess, Cal Poly Computer Science Department (http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~fkurfess/)
Office Hours
My office hours are tentatively scheduled for Tue/Thu 2:10-3:00 pm, and Wed 2:10-5:00 pm. My office is in building 14, room 218. You can also check my Zimbra calendar.
Class Times
  • Lecture: Tue/Thu 3:10 pm - 4:30 pm in 14-257
  • Lab: Tue/Thu 4:40 pm - 6:00 pm in 14-257
Course Description
The Cal Poly Catalog 2015-17 describes the course as follows:
Application of the theories of human-computer interaction to the task of user-centered design. Survey of techniques for studying and involving users in different aspects of the design process, and demonstration of where and when applicable. Combining of theoretical understanding with practical experience to design solutions to problems facing interactive systems designers. 3 lectures, 1 laboratory.
Prerequisites: Corequisite: CSC/CPE 484 (this means that the two can be taken during the same quarter; they don't have to be.
From CPE/CSC 484, students should be familiar with the following topics:
  • Reviews of Interface Designs
  • Data Collection and Analysis Techniques
  • Interaction Design Methodologies:
  • Interaction Styles
  • Input/Output Techniques
  • Principles and Methods of User-Centered Design
  • Usability Testing Methods
If necessary, these topics can be reviewed by looking at the lecture notes of the CSC 484 course.
Students should be familiar with basic Web design and programming. Experience in the usage of the following Web design tools and technologies is advantageous:
  • Design tools such as Frontpage, Dreamweaver, Balsamiq, Xcode Interface Builder.
  • Advanced markup languages based on XML.
  • Web scripting and programming methods such as Javascript, HTML5, CSS, CGI, PHP, ASP, JSP.
Goals and Objectives
Through this course, students are expected to:
  • understand and analyze the fundamental concepts and strategies of human-computer interaction
  • learn how to communicate and critique interaction aspects of a variety of software applications
  • apply this knowledge, understanding and analysis to a particular problem domain
  • learn how to evaluate the results of the project activities, with an emphasis on interaction aspects
Class Theme
The emphasis in this course will be on interaction aspects for computer-based systems that do not rely on the traditional arrangement of screen, keyboard, and mouse or trackpad. We will investigate devices that rely on user interaction through touch, gestures, voice, or other methods. In addition, we will explore the constraints imposed by device size (as in mobile devices), purpose (entertainment and gaming devices), environment (hands-free operation, background noise), and other limiting factors.
Overview of Topics
This is an outline of the topics that will be discussed in class, subject to some modifications in content and sequence.
  • Introduction
    • Review of fundamental themes in User-Centered Design (UCD) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
    • Components of UCD and HCI
  • Cognitive Foundations
    • Core Components in Humans for Interaction with Computers
    • Human Capabilities and Limitations
    • Perception
    • Representation
    • Attention
    • Memory
  • Input-Output Devices and Methods
    • Sensors and Actuators suitable for Interaction Purposes
  • Interaction Space
    • Physical Interaction Space
    • Conceptual Interaction Space
  • Interaction Styles and Paradigms
    • Interaction based on “Desktop” Metaphor
    • Alternative Interaction Styles
  • Interaction with Mobile Devices
    • Device Constraints
    • Environmental and Task Constraints
  • Speech-Based Interaction
    • Spoken Commands
    • Spoken Natural Language
  • Natural User Interfaces
    • Immersive Interaction
    • Virtual Environments
Course Materials
On the course Web page at http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~fkurfess:
  • syllabus
  • schedule
  • project information
  • lecture notes will be available through a Dropbox directory (link through Piazza) - Keynote (original), PowerPoint, PDF; you can also find the original slides from the “Interaction Design” text book (see below) at http://www.id-book.com/slides_index.php
On PolyLearn:
  • grades
Project Repository (see “Project Teams”)
  • project documents
    • individual student and project materials
Textbooks
This course uses the same textbook as in CSC 484. It will serve more as a reference than a textbook; especially for material on the HCI Nugget presentations, other sources will be needed.

    Course Work


    The main work in this class consists of three assignments, a research activity on current trends in HCI, and a team project. It is possible and strongly recommended to coordinate work across these tasks.
    Assignments
    Most of the work in the assignments will be done in teams, although some assignments may have individual components.
    Research Activity
    Since this course is an advanced course on Human-Computer Interaction, students are expected to investigate a topic related to important principles and recent work in the field. Traditionally, the results of such research work are delivered in the form of presentations and research paper. In this class, we will examine alternative approaches to present the outcomes of the research conducted as class work. This can be in the form of an entry to Wikipedia or a similar Web site, a series of blog entries, a video, a podcast, or of course a traditional paper. The activity can be conducted individually, in small groups, or by the same team that works on the project. It is subject to the following expectations:
    • Deliverable: There must be a concrete outcome to the research activity, such as the examples identified above.
    • Educational Value: The outcome should be beneficial for others, both within this class as well as outside of the class.
    • High-Quality Presentation: The deliverable must be comparable in the quality of the presentation to a publication in conference proceedings or a journal. In particular, it must be carefully edited and proof-read, and should follow standard practices for other presentation formats such as video or sound recordings.
    • Public Availability: The result should be made available to the public through a suitable venue. Youtube, Wikipedia, popular blogging and podcasting platforms are acceptable.
    Design Project
    Some projects this quarter will be done in collaboration with collaborators from within Cal Poly, and from outside organizations. Students will have several project topics to choose from, and may also propose their own topics. Strong preference is given to projects involving external collaborators. These collaborators should be either end users of products targeted in the project, or have a strong familiarity with the characteristics of such end users.
    Class Presentations and Participation
    This class will rely on interactive classroom activities, such as participation in group discussions, presentation of ideas and results (from textbook, class or assignments), leading discussions on selected readings, providing written summary materials (as web files via Blackboard), etc. This is especially important for the research activity, where you may explore topics that your instructor is not too familiar with.
    Success in this class depends on regular attendance, preparation of assigned readings and homework exercises, as well as a level of professionalism in the class presentations. Peer evaluations may be included as part of the grade.
    Policy on Late Work and Extensions
    Much of the graded work in this class depends strongly on presentations and documentation material. Once a team or individual has committed to a date for the presentation, extensions or changes in the dates will only be permitted for documented medical or documented emergency reasons.
    Grading Policy
    I will use the following allocation of scores for the calculation of the grades.
    • Assignments: 30%
    • Research Activity: 20%
    • Project: 40%
    • Class Participation: 10%
    I reserve the right, however, to change the formula used. The project and most of the assignments will be done in teams. My evaluation will consider the performance of the team as a whole unless there is a clear disparity in the contribution of the individual team members. Should this be the case, I may ask for additional documentation like work sheets, email messages, or draft copies of documentation to evaluate individual contributions.
    For the team grades, feedback through peer evaluations will also be considered (although I will not use it directly in the calculation of the score).