BCS 228: The Human Machine Interface

BCS 228 The Human Machine Interface

Spring Semester 1998

Mondays and Wednesdays 6:15 - 7:30 PM

Instructors:  Keith S. Karn              Marc J. Krolczyk
              283 Meliora Hall           283 Meliora Hall
              427-1561                   427-1879
              keith_karn@mc.xerox.com    marc_krolczyk@mc.xerox.com


Office Hours:   Mondays 7:30 - 8:30pm and by appointment.


Texts:          The Design of Everyday Things
                Donald A. Norman
                1990.  New York, Doubleday.

                Human Performance Engineering (3rd edition)
                Robert W. Bailey
                1996 Prentice-Hall Inc.


Meetings:       Mondays and Wednesdays 6:15 - 7:30 PM
                Meliora 269

About the Course:

The basic theme of this course is human-centered design. We will explore human capabilities and limitations (emphasizing mental factors such as perception, cognition, and motor control) that must be considered in order to design human-machine systems which are safe, comfortable, efficient and fun to use. We will strive to apply our knowledge of these human factors to product design thus bridging the gap between theory and practice. Team projects will be used to experience an iterative design process which includes analysis of user needs and product goals, conceptual design, prototyping, usability testing, and refining the design.

Course Requirements and Grading:

The course requirements include reading, class discussion, exercises, and hands-on project work. Grades will be determined based on the following scheme.

        Class participation                8%
        Design Project                    50
        Exercises                         14
        Midterm Exam                      14
        Final Exam                        14
        _______________________________________
        Total                            100%

Course Requirements in More Detail:

Class Participation (8% of final grade). The course is intended to involve significant interaction between all participants focused on the discussion of the readings, class exercises and the design project. Please come prepared to discuss your opinions, ideas, questions, and examples from your experiences which relate to the topic of the day. Readings from the text books are outlined in the schedule. Additional readings will be required.

Design Project (50% of final grade). The design project will involve collaborative learning and problem solving in small teams which the instructors will assign. This will be an in-depth design project including:

benchmarking analysis of currently available competitive products
establishing user profiles and requirements and defining product goals
project planning
task analysis
conceptual design
physical design and prototyping
usability testing
re-designing based on test results
documenting the design and the rationale for design decisions
presentation

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 course grade.

        Bench marking & user requirements analysis         8%
        Conceptual design document (design notebook)      13
        Usability test                                    13
        Design (presentation)                             16
        ______________________________________________________
        Total design project contribution to grade        50%

Exercises (14% of final grade). Hands-on exercises (both in class and outside class) will illustrate lecture and reading material and often relate to the design project. Exercises may include:

        - teamwork role-playing                - user profiles
        - task analysis                        - project planning
        - brainstorming / idea-generation      - context exercise
        - icon design                          - paper prototyping

Exams (each of two exams contribute 14% of final grade). There will be one midterm exam and a final exam. These may be a combination of short answer, multiple choice, and essay questions.

Schedule

Date Day   Topic                           Facilitator   Reading Due

1/14  Wed.  Introduction and Overview              Keith           Bailey Ch. 1

1/19  Mon.  The Design of Everyday Things          Keith/Marc      Norman Ch. 1-4
            (Usability Evaluation Speed Exercise)                  

1/21  Wed.  The Design of Everyday Things          Marc/Keith      Norman Ch. 5-7
            (Map-related Web Sites Exercise)                       Norman Article            
                                                                   
1/26  Mon.  Teamwork in Interaction Design         Keith/Marc      Handout
            (Teamwork Exercise)                    (Guest?) 
	 
1/28  Wed.  Usability Assessment: Benchmarking     Marc            Dec. '96 
                                                                   Motor Trend Article
                                                                   P. Green Article

2/2   Mon.  Benchmarking Exercise                  Keith           TBD

2/4   Wed.  Benchmarking Exercise                  Marc            TBD

2/9   Mon.  Human Characteristics: Sensing         Keith           Bailey Ch. 2&3

2/11  Wed.  Human Characteristics: Cognitive       Keith           Bailey Ch. 4
            Processing                                             Set Phasers 
                                                                   on Stun.  Ch. TBD

2/16  Mon.  Human Characteristics: Memory          Keith           Bailey Ch. 5

2/18  Wed.  The Big Picture: Iterative Design      Keith/Marc      Bailey Ch. 7
            (Project Planning Exercise - Outside)

2/23  Mon.  Conceptual Design: User Profile /      Keith           Bailey Ch. 9
            Requirements Analysis
            (User Profile Exercise - outside)

2/25  Wed.  Conceptual Design: Cognitive Task      Keith           Bailey Ch. 11
            Analysis
            (Task Analysis Exercise)

3/2   Mon.  Conceptual Design: Brainstorming       Marc            TBD
            (Brainstorming Exercise)

3/4   Wed.  MIDTERM EXAM                           Keith

Spring Break

3/16  Mon.  Physical Design: Low Fidelity          Guest:           Bailey Ch. 10
            Prototyping                            Prof. Rzebkowski   (TBD)
            (Paper Prototyping Exercise)                      
            	 	 
3/18  Wed.  Physical Design: Visual Design         Marc             Bailey Ch. 12
            (Icon & Context Exercises)	

3/23  Mon.  Physical Design: High Fidelity         Marc             TBD
            Prototyping

3/25  Wed.  Physical Design: Design Guidelines &   Marc/Keith       Bailey Ch. 13
            Standards                                               Microsoft and 
            (Global Design Exercise)                                Apple User 
                                                                    Interface Design 
                                                                    Guidelines
            
3/30  Mon.  Current Issues in Design:                               S. Levy Insanely
            Revolution vs. Evolution                                Great.  Ch 3

4/1   Wed.  Usability Assessment                                    Bailey Ch. 8
            (Field trip - Kodak Usability Lab)                      S. Caplan,	 
                                                                    Usability in 
                                                                    Practice. Ch. 2 

4/6   Mon.  Usability Test Planning                Keith            TBD
            (Test Planning Exercise)

4/8   Wed.  Environmental Factors                  Keith            Bailey Ch. 17

4/13  Mon.  Usability Test: Pilot                  Marc             TBD

4/15  Wed.  Human Characteristics:                 Guest:           TBD
            Movement and Physiology                Prof. Hickey

4/20  Mon.  Human Characteristics:                 Guest:           TBD
            Working Postures                       Prof. Davis
            (Possible Field trip)

4/22  Wed.  Training / Instructions /              Guest:           Bailey Ch. 14 & 15
            Help Systems                           Prof. Simchik    TBD

4/27  Mon.  Design Presentations                   Keith/Marc	 

4/29  Wed.  Design Presentations                   Marc/Keith	 

TBD         Final Exam                             Keith
           (Date determined by registrar)

Last modifed: 12/16/97