BCS 353 The Human Machine Interface
Spring Semester 1996
Instructor:
Keith S. Karn, Ph.D.
283 Meliora Hall
5-0082
E-mail: keith@cvs.rochester.edu
Phone: 436-6743
Office Hours: by appointment
Texts:
The Design of Everyday Things
Donald A. Norman
1990. New York, Doubleday.
Engineering Psychology and Human Performance (2nd edition)
Christopher D. Wickens
1992. New York, Harper Collins.
Meetings:
Thursdays 5:45pm - 8:35pm
Meliora 269
About the Course:
The basic theme of this course is human-centered design. We will explore
human capabilities and limitations that must be considered in order to design
human-machine systems which are safe, comfortable, efficient and fun to
use. The course will focus on mental factors (e.g., perception, cognition,
and motor control) rather than the physical factors, which also play an
important role. We will strive to apply our knowledge of these human factors
to product design thus bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Grading:
The course requirements include some reading and a focus on the application
of these readings to hands-on project work. Grades will be determined based
on the following scheme.
Class participation / written questions on readings 7%
Leading of class discussion 8
Design Project 45
Exercises 10
Midterm Exam 15
Final Exam 15
Course Requirements
PARTICIPATION / QUESTIONS / DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP
The course is intended to involve significant interaction between all participants
focused on the discussion of the readings. Please come prepared to discuss
your opinions, ideas, questions, and examples from your experience which
relate to the topic of the day. Readings from the text books are outlined
in the schedule. Additional required readings will be supplied via posting
to the course Web page. To encourage this interaction, I will ask each
of you to sign up to lead a discussion of one of the week's readings. In
addition, every student is asked to submit at least 2 questions from the
week's readings to the discussion leaders prior to each class.
USER INTERFACE DESIGN PROJECT
The design project will involve collaborative learning and problem solving
in small teams which I will assign. This will be an in-depth design project
including analysis of currently available competitive products, establishing
user requirements, performing trades-offs between design alternatives, and
documenting of your design and the rationale for your design decisions.
Finally you will build prototypes of your user interface and present at
least one to the class. Each group member will receive an individual grade
which is weighted by the individual's level of involvement in the project
(as determined by the other group members and the instructor). Here is
how the various pieces of the project will contribute toward your grade.
Bench marking & user requirements analysis 8%
Task analysis 10
Conceptual design document 15
Prototype / Presentation 12
__________________________________________________
Total project contribution to grade 45%
EXERCISES
Hands on exercises (both in class and for completion outside of class) will
provide illustration of lecture and reading material.
EXAMS
There will be one midterm and a final exam. They may be a combination of
short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions.
Schedule
Date Topic Reading
Jan.24 Introduction and Overview Wickens Ch. 1
31 The Design of Everyday Things Norman Ch. 1-4
Feb. 7 User-Centered Design Norman Ch. 5-7
14 Stress & Human Error Wickens Ch. 10
21 Attention, Perception, & Display Design Wickens Ch. 3
28 Spatial Cognition & Display Design Wickens Ch. 4
Mar. 6 [Midterm Exam]
" Learning & Memory Wickens Ch. 6
----- Spring Break -----
21 Communication & Graphic Design (guest) Wickens Ch. 5
28 Graphical user interface design (guest) TBD
Apr. 4 Decision Making Wickens Ch. 7
11 Selection of Action Wickens Ch. 8
18 Attention, Timesharing, Workload (guest)Wickens Ch. 9
25 Motor Control Wickens Ch. 11
May 2 Usability testing (field trip) TBD
13 Final Examination (7:15pm)
Last updated 1/23/96
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