This course provides students with a sound introduction to the discipline of HCI and examines the issues of human factors, user experience (UX), the design and test of computer application interfaces. It focuses on the context of designing and using of computer interfaces and covers methodologies for obtaining and interpreting human behaviour as it applies to the design of user interfaces. Students will develop skills in observing and working with users in interdisciplinary groups, identifying constraints and trade-offs on designs within the context of use, and using models of work and other activity as guides to interface design.

The primary objective of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive foundation in HCI, combining theoretical principles with practical, design- and research-oriented methods. By the conclusion of the course, students will be able to analyse, design, prototype, and evaluate interactive systems that respond to human needs, cognitive capabilities, and contextual constraints.

Specifically, students will be able to:
1. Develop a systematic understanding of HCI foundations, including usability, accessibility, affordances, feedback, mental models, cognitive load, interaction styles, and inclusive design principles.
2. Apply human-centred design processes to identify user needs, analyse contexts of use, formulate design requirements, and make evidence-based design decisions using personas, scenarios, user journeys, task analysis, and participatory methods.
3. Design and prototype interactive systems through iterative sketching, wireframing, and low or high-fidelity prototyping, with attention to visual hierarchy, information architecture, navigation, feedback, and interaction flow.
4. Conduct expert evaluations of interfaces using established HCI methods, including heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthroughs, and guideline-based accessibility assessment.
5. Plan and conduct empirical usability studies by defining research questions, selecting participants, designing tasks and study protocols, collecting user data, and applying formative or summative evaluation methods.
6. Analyse and interpret user-study findings using appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques, transforming observations, usability measures, and behavioural data into actionable design insights.
7. Address ethical, social, and inclusive design considerations in interactive-system development, including privacy, informed consent, accessibility, bias, responsible data collection, and the needs of diverse user groups.
8. Explore emerging interaction paradigms, including multimodal interaction, vision-based interfaces, wearables, extended reality (XR/AR/VR), and ubiquitous computing environments.
9. Communicate HCI work professionally through structured design rationales, evidence-based presentations, prototype demonstrations, and written reports that document methods, findings, limitations, and recommendations.

For CS 549 students, the course additionally aims to strengthen research-oriented HCI practice.
Graduate students will be expected to formulate literature-grounded research questions, justify
their methodological choices, conduct a more rigorous evaluation, and prepare a final report in an
academic-paper format.

No single textbook is required. Weekly readings, lecture slides, case studies, examples, and/or
applied materials will be provided through SUCourse.

Selected Reference Materials
• Baecker, R. M., Grudin, J., Buxton, W. A. S., & Greenberg, S. Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: Toward the Year 2000 (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann, 1995. ISBN-10: 1558602461.
• Brooks, F. P., Jr. The Design of Design: Essays from a Computer Scientist. Addison-Wesley Professional, 2010. ISBN-10: 0201362988.
• Cooper, A., & Reimann, R. About Face 2.0: The Essentials of Interaction Design (2nd ed.). Wiley, 2003. ISBN-10: 0764526413.
• Dix, A., Finlay, J., Abowd, G. D., & Beale, R. Human-Computer Interaction (3rd ed.). Pearson, 2003. ISBN-10: 9780130461094.
• Hackos, J. T., & Redish, J. C. User and Task Analysis for Interface Design (3rd ed.). Wiley, 1998. ISBN-13: 978-0470304907.
• Johnson, J. GUI Bloopers: Don’ts and Do’s for Software Developers and Web Designers. Morgan Kaufmann, 2000. ISBN-10: 1558605827.
• Newman, W. M., & Lamming, M. J. Interactive System Design. Addison-Wesley, 1995. ISBN 10: 0201631628.
• Nielsen, J. Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity. New Riders, 1999. ISBN-10: 156205810X.

To participate effectively in the course and complete all required assessments, students must have regular access to a personal computer with a stable internet connection and the software required for design, collaboration, documentation, and presentation activities.

Students are expected to:
- Participate actively in lectures, recitations, hands-on exercises, design critiques, discussions, and project-related activities.
- Access SUCourse regularly to review announcements, course materials, assessment instructions, rubrics, deadlines, and submission requirements.
- Use appropriate digital tools for interface design, prototyping, collaborative work, data collection, analysis, visualisation, and presentation. Depending on the relevant activity, these may include Figma, Miro, Google Forms, OBS Studio, Python, spreadsheet software, Tableau, Power BI, or equivalent alternatives.
- Use suitable tools to develop interactive prototypes, conduct usability evaluations, document design decisions, and communicate findings.
- Complete all individual and group-based project deliverables, presentations, and reports by the stated deadlines.
- Submit project work through the designated platform and in the required format, as communicated through SUCourse.
- Prepare and present project findings using clear visual materials, prototype demonstrations, and academically appropriate communication formats.
- Ensure that all written submissions follow academic English writing conventions and include appropriate citations and references where applicable.
- Maintain academic integrity and comply with the course policy governing the responsible use of generative AI and other digital tools.