INF 385P – Introduction to UsabilitySyllabusUnique Number: 26220Semester: Spring, 2006Professor: Randolph G. Bias(w) 471-7046(c) 657-3924(h) [email protected]: SZB 562BBOffice Hours: Tuesdays, 1:00 – 2:00And by appointment.Class Time: Thursdays, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.Classroom: SZB 546TA: Kelly [email protected]: Norman, Donald A. (1990). The design of everyday things. NewYork: Doubleday.Mayhew, D. J. (1999). The usability engineering lifecycle. SanFrancisco: Morgan Kaufmann.Three readings Carroll, J. M. (1997). Human-computer interaction:on reserve in the Psychology as a science of design. Annual Review of Psychology,48,iSchool IT lab: 61-83.Markman, A. B., & Gentner, D. (2001). Thinking. AnnualReview of Psychology, 52, 223-247.Olson, G. M., & Olson, J. S. (2003). Human-computerinteraction: Psychological aspects of the human use of computing.Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 491-516.Other readings will be added along the way.Synopsis:The rapid expansion of the Internet and e-commerce has brought software usabilityengineering into prominence. As more and more information exists in electronic form(and sometimes ONLY in electronic form), the storage and retrieval of information isincreasingly a human-computer interface (HCI) design problem. As computing oozesinto every nook of citizenry, it’s increasingly important for software developers NOT todepend on their own intuitions as to what product designs are likely to be seen as usable.The way web and other user interface designers and developers address this intentionallyis by pursuing a course of “user-centered design” (UCD). UCD involves employing acollection of usability engineering methods across the life-cycle of a software product.The class will cover three major areas:1 – the perceptual psychological, cognitive psychological, and other scientificunderpinnings of usability (i.e., the emerging “usability science”),2 – the usability engineering methods used in the pursuit of UCD, and3 – the justification for the application of usability engineering in a software developmentproject.The course will entail three major instructional techniques:1 – lecture on the scientific underpinnings and the methods of usability engineering,2 – site visits to and from local companies that have usability labs, to see and heardemonstrations of methods as applied to real-world software design problems, and3 – individual usability engineering projects, to be carried out by each student, with theresults to be shared with the class.Objectives:The student successfully completing this class will:• understand and be able to explain the rudimentary aspects of how human beingstake in and process information,• know what the methods of usability engineering are and have experience withsome of them,• understand and be able to explain why software developers should NOT dependon their own intuitions for what is a usable design,• be able to make the arguments for cost-justifying a user-centered design approach,• have had exposure to a variety of usability labs,• know how to carry out a usability evaluation and write a usability test plan andreport.Grades:Your grade will be based on three things:1. your general contribution in class (30%),2. a “white paper” on some topic in the area of science applied to the design ofhuman-computer interfaces (30%), and3. a final project (work in pairs) entailing the usability engineering of a web siteor traditional software user interface (40%).Late Assignments:Your grade will be docked one grade per day late, for your written assignment.Etc.:• If you have a question, please ask. I will be very receptive to emails at any time,and phone calls before 10:00 p.m.• Attendance matters. When you aren’t here, you deprive your classmates of yourshared wisdom.• Any student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive) whorequires academic accommodations should contact the Services for Studentswith Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259(voice) or 471-4641 (TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing) as soonas possible to request an official letter outlining authorizedaccommodations.Schedule (note, the site visits are tentative as of now – 1/18/2006):WeekDateTopicsDue at the beginning ofclass11/19- Introduction: What is usabilityengineering?- The context of usability.- Course logistics, and syllabus review.21/26- Norman book- Mental models- Read Norman book.- Read Markman andGentner article.- One example each ofgood and bad design (NOTa web site)32/2- The science and practice of usability- Perception and cognition- Read the Carroll articleand the Olson and Olsonarticle.- One example each ofgood and bad web sitedesign42/9- Kate McLagan, How to make apresentation; advocating for your usabilitydata- Read Chapters 1 - 6 in theMayhew book.52/16Lab visit: IX Lab- Hosts: Bias, Hans Huang, Sam Burns- Methods: End-user testing- Read Chapters 7 – 17 ofthe Mayhew book.62/23Gordon Montgomery, independentconsultant – How to think like a user73/2RB visiting Microsoft today.Lab visit: BMC Software- Host: Scott Isensee, Eugenie Bertus- Method: Prototyping.- Method: Bridge Methodology.- White paper on a topic inthe science of usability.83/9Panel discussion of local usabilityprofessionals- Jack Alford, IBM- Tanya Payne, Vignette- Gale Wilson, FutureWei- John Morkes, Expero93/23Web resources day- Test plan for project.103/30Christian Barnard, AT&T114/6Workshop – We’ll help each other withour usability evaluations. Run as testsubjects. Review test plans. Review testreports. Whatever.124/13Cost-justifying usability- Read Chapters 18 – 21 ofMayhew book.134/20Oral presentations of projects- Written projects144/27Oral presentations of projects155/4Oral presentations of projectsWhite Papers – Some thoughtsHere are some definitions I found:From http://www.investorwords.com/cgi-bin/getword.cgi?5856white paper: An educational report made available to the public that expounds on aparticular industry issue.Here’s a thorough one from:http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci213361,00.html“A white paper is an article that states an organization's position or philosophy about asocial, political, or other subject, or a not-too-detailed technical explanation of anarchitecture, framework, or product technology. Typically, a white paper explains