Instructor

 

Teaching Assistants

Office Hours:  Thurs, 16:30-17:20 Đ Kaiser 4049 in-person, online see Canvas for zoom link


Lectures:  Section 101: Thurs, 17:30-20:30, MCLD2018
    First class: Jan 9, 2025 ; in-person,
    Lectures will NOT be recorded
        NB: you may have other classes that schedule exams/activities in the evening that will conflict with our classes. They are not supposed to do this as it causes conflicts. However, they are required to provide accommodation so you can attend lectures. If this happens, please let me know and I can contact instructor to arrange other date for the activity so you don't miss class.

     NB: lecture notes require sign-in with your ECE credentials; if you don't have an ECE account, then one should have been created for you when you registered for this course. Refer to https://id.ece.ubc.ca/accounts/login to set password.
Tutorial:  Section T1A: Thurs, 20:30-21:30 MCLD2018 ; Tutorial slides will be available online.

Lab:  Section L1A: Tues 20:00-21:00; MCLD 2018 or location determined by your group (first lab starts after you have formed groups)

    (NOTE: labs are intended primarily for project development and to have at least one hour/week and a space for your group to have free time for meeting at least once weekly. If you want to meet at other times, please arrange with your group for everyone to be there.)

Piazza: we provide some support on piazza for discussions beyond Canvas; priority will be given to Canvas discussion groups though.
 The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TA, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. If you have any problems or feedback for the developers, email team@piazza.com.

Find our class signup link at: CPEN441 Piazza

Project groups expectations and safety: this course requires significant team effort, thus, you will be meeting regularly with your team. To help with coordinating safety and expectation around in-person and online accommodations, we will use a team charter document that you will fill out to make sure everyone on your team agrees to the protocols you will be using and the expectations of each team member. More information and document is found here.

Prerequisites

Lecture Schedule Link

Last day for withdraw without W: Jan 19, 2025

Last day for withdraw with W: Mar 7, 2025

Image of text book

Interaction Design: beyond human-computer interaction, Preece, Rogers & Sharpe (PRS), John Wiley & Sons, 6th edition, 2023

See also: http://www.id-book.com/ for additional material.

Available from UBC Bookstore. Also available from Chapters.Indigo.ca & Amazon.ca.

Reference Texts

á      image of Dix Textbook Human Computer Interaction, 3rd edition, Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory D. Abowd, Russell Beale, Prentice Hall; (Oct 1 2003), ISBN 0130461091

Acknowledgements


Web Page
 A web page will provide access to electronic copies of lecture notes, assignment material, marks, and other resource materials. The URL is http://courses.ece.ubc.ca/cpen441/.  Use your ECE login to access password protected areas.

We will use Canvas for handing in assignments and projects and discussions.

Discussion We will be using Canvas for discussion groups.


Midterm and Final There will be one midterm exam that will be a take home exam that requires you make one video/question for your answers and hand in on Canvas.
The final exam will follow the same style as the midterm: take home exam with video. It will cover material from lectures, tutorials and project. You must pass the final exam in order to pass the course.
 
Assignment There will be four assignments with sub-components during the term.  These assignments are the deliverables for the major project throughout the term.  Depending upon the stage of the project, it will be performed individually or in groups and handed in at different times over the term.
 
Assignments are handed in online normally using Canvas. Your low-fidelity prototypes must be made to be electronically communicated.

Notes: 1. There will be no makeup for the midterm. The final exam will absorb the midterm's component of the grade, should the midterm be missed due to a legitimate reason, i.e. illness.
2.   A student must pass the final exam in order to pass the course. If the grade on the final exam is less then 50%, the studentŐs final grade will be the same as the exam.
3.   To request that a deliverable be fully or partially re-graded:  the request must be submitted in writing (not via email and not verbally) and the full copy of the deliverable must be resubmitted together with the written request. We reserve the right to re-grade the entire deliverable.
4. Should the instructor (or TAs) be unable to attend class due to Covid-19 symptoms and/or quarantine, the class (tutorial) will be run online using the link found on Canvas. Every effort will be made to provide at least 24 hours notice.

 
Technical requirements: 1. Should the need arise, for online classes, we will be using Zoom.
2. For the midterm and final exam, you are required to make videos, thus, some video edit software, such as Adobe Premiere, iMovie, Camtasia (free for UBC students), is needed. I recommend you get familiar with at least one video editing environment.
3. Other prototyping software tools will be discussed in the appropriate class.


Safety concerns:
 If you are sick, it is important that you stay home Đ no matter what you think you may be sick with (e.g., cold, flu, other).

Team formation:
 You will be working in teams of 5 students (possibly 4). You need to discuss safety protocols and accommodations with your team members as well as skill makeup, contingencies and so forth.
 

Grades: Hand in done on Canvas

Topic

% of Final Grade

Assignment 1 (individual)

5%

Project (Assignments 2-4, group)

40%

Peer

5%

Midterm Exam

15%

Final Exam

35%

 

Project Breakdown (percent of final grade)

Proposal (assignment 2a, b & c)

5

Pass 1 (assignment 3a, b, c & d)

12

Pass 2 report (assignment 4a, b)

10

Pass 2 demo (assignment 4c)

5

Project presentation (assignment 4d)

5

Overall project performance

3

TOTAL (of final grade)

40

 

Course Outline:

Section 1: Introduction: WhatŐs Involved in Human Computer Interaction

Section 2: The Process of HCI Design

- problem definition  

- concept generation  

- evaluation type 1: non-user analysis

Section 3: Understanding & Involving Users  

- user-centered  design  

- human performance  

- mental models  

- evalation type 2: observing users informally  

- modeling user activity

Section 4: Systematically Designing, Building and Evaluating Prototypes

- needs & requirements definition

- user interface design representations  

- interaction styles  

- prototyping

- evaluation type 3: informal prototype review  

- evaluation type 4: observing users formally  

- ethics in experimentation

Section 5: User Abilities as Foundation of Effective Design

Section 6: Designing Interfaces in the Future  

- designing for communcation  

- affect & expression in interfaces  

- metaphor in interfaces  

- advanced interfaces  

- history of HCI

 

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of the course students should know:

1. The role HCI plays in Engineering Design

2. The User-Centred Design process of HCI

3. How to incorporate users in the design process

         - models of human behaviour such as Keystroke and GOMS models

4. How to design and build prototypes appropriate for different design stages

- low and high-fidelity prototypes

- horizontal and vertical prototypes

5. How to evaluate different types of prototypes as well as products

         - Heuristic Evaluation

- Cognitive walkthrough

- Empirical testing techniques

6. Understanding of the future of HCI in Design


COVID-19 Notice for Remote Online Student

During this pandemic, the shift to hybrid and online learning has greatly altered teaching and studying at UBC, including changes to health and safety considerations. Keep in mind that some UBC courses might cover topics that are censored or considered illegal by non-Canadian governments. This may include, but is not limited to, human rights, representative government, defamation, obscenity, gender or sexuality, and historical or current geopolitical controversies. If you are a student living abroad, you will be subject to the laws of your local jurisdiction, and your local authorities might limit your access to course material or take punitive action against you. UBC is strongly committed to academic freedom, but has no control over foreign authorities (please visit http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,33,86,0 for an articulation of the values of the University conveyed in the Senate Statement on Academic Freedom). Thus, we recognize that students will have legitimate reason to exercise caution in studying certain subjects. If you have concerns regarding your personal situation, consider postponing taking a course with manifest risks, until you are back on campus or reach out to your academic advisor to find substitute courses. For further information and support, please visit: http://academic.ubc.ca/support-resources/freedom-expression


UBC POLICY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the UBC codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidents of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on an assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the PresidentŐs Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.

For more information, see: http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,286,0,0

Note on use of Artificial Intelligence: AI technologies have the potential to facilitate the learning experience and are an emerging addition to the set of design tools available to engineers. Thus, we will be looking at different uses of them in this class and encourage their appropriate. However, the usage of AI technologies in the completion of course work is treated like any other reference source, and as such, must be attributed AND students must submit the input to the AI engine that was used to create the content for assessment. Unattributed use of reference materials/AI/ML will be considered a form of plagiarism.  Instructors / TAs may require an oral evaluation to confirm the studentŐs knowledge of the course concepts. Grading will be based on the studentŐs demonstrated knowledge. (adapted from EECE 497 capstone statement).

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

UBC provides resources to support student learning and to maintain healthy lifestyles, while recognizing that challenges and crises can arise for students. There are resources in ECE and at UBC where students can find can help and support, including wellness, equity, inclusion, and indigineity, resources for survivors of sexual violence, and health. Some frequently used resources are as follows:

UBC values respect for the person and ideas of all members of the academic community. Harassment and discrimination are not tolerated nor is suppression of academic freedom. UBC provides appropriate accommodation for students with disabilities and for religious, spiritual and cultural observances. UBC values academic honesty and students are expected to acknowledge the ideas generated by others and to uphold the highest academic standards in all of their actions. Details of UBCŐs respectful environment policies, which all students, staff and faculty are expected to follow, can be found here: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/respectful-environment


ACADEMIC CONCESSION

The University is committed to supporting students in their academic pursuits. Students may request academic concession in circumstances that may adversely affect their attendance or performance in a course or program. Students who intend to, or who as a result of circumstance must, request academic concession must notify their instructor, dean, or director as specified in the link below.
https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,329,0,0

Students seeking academic concession due to absence from the final exam for any reason must apply to Engineering Academic Services (EAS) within 72 hours of the missed exam. This is a standard practice for all final examinations at UBC. For more information, see: https://academicservices.engineering.ubc.ca/exams-grades/academic-concession/


LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This course is held on the UBC Point Grey (Vancouver) campus, which sits on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the the Coast Salish Peoples, including xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Stz'uminus, and St—:lō First Nations. UBC is implementing its Indigenous Strategic Plan, taking a leading role in the advancement of Indigenous peoplesŐ human rights. To learn more about the Faculty of Applied ScienceŐs role in building upon the Indigenous Strategic Plan and committing to Truth and Reconciliation, please visit: https://apsc.ubc.ca/EDI.I