CS374: Intro to Human-Computer Interaction (Spring 2024)
Designing useful and usable user interfaces is much more than designing fancy and
beautiful things. This course introduces fundamental principles, techniques, and
methods for designing, prototyping, and evaluating user interfaces. Through this course,
you’ll master the skills to design useful and usable interfaces that are carefully catered
to users’ needs.
Prerequisites: There are no formal prerequisites for this class, and non-CS majors are
welcome to enroll, but students may benefit from having taken some introductory
computer science classes.
Major topics include:
● Usability: Learnability, Efficiency, Safety
● User-Centered Design Process
● Rapid Prototyping, Iterative Design
● Needfinding, Contextual Inquiry, Storyboards
● Affordance, Metaphors, Conceptual Models
● User Interface Software Architecture
● Input and Output
● Visual Information Design
● Layout, Color, Typography
● Usability Testing & Heuristic Evaluation
● Experimental Design & Analysis
Schedule:
Week Date Class / Studio Pre-class Material Assignment Due
1 2/27 Introduction & Course Info none Course Sign-Up
(Tues)
1 2/29 Design Thinking none
(Thur) Workshop
2 3/5 Needfinding reading
(Tues)
2 3/7 Ideation reading
(Thur)
3 3/12 Prototyping reading (Prototyping
(Tues) 1/2)
3 3/14 Usability Testing & reading 1 (UT) | HW1: UI Hall of Fame
(Thur) Heuristic Evaluation reading 2 (HE) and Shame
4 3/19 [Studio] Mini Project reading (Prototyping Mini Project Individual
(Tues) 2/2 + User-Centered Reflections (Due:
Design) 3/20)
4 3/21 Learnability 1 reading
(Thur)
5 3/26 Learnability 2 reading DP0: Team Formation
(Tues)
5 3/28 Efficiency reading
(Thur)
6 4/2 Safety reading
(Tues)
6 4/4 [Studio] DP1: Needfinding none DP1 Write-up
(Thurs)
7 4/9 Human Abilities reading
(Tues)
7 4/11 [Studio] DP2: Ideation none DP2 Write-up
(Thurs)
8 4/16 No class (Midterms week) none
(Tues)
8 4/18 No class (Midterms week) none
(Thur)
9 4/23 Figma / Web Tutorial none
(Tues)
9 4/25 UI Software Architecture + reading 1 | reading 2
(Thurs) Output
10 4/30 [Studio] DP3: Prototyping none DP3 Write-up
(Tues) Round 1
10 5/2 Input reading HW 2 Announcement
(Thurs) (TBD)
11 5/7 Visual Design & Layout reading
(Tues)
11 5/9 [Studio] DP4: Prototyping none DP4 Write-up
(Thurs) Round 2 + Heuristic
Evaluation
12 5/14 NO CLASS none
(Tues)
12 5/16 NO CLASS HW 2 Due (TBD)
(Thurs)
13 5/21 Accessibility & reading 1 / reading 2 HW 3 Announcement
(Tues) Internationalization (TBD)
13 5/23 Social Computing video 1 / video 2
(Thurs)
14 5/28 [Studio] DP5: Prototyping none DP5 Write-up
(Tues) Round 3 + Usability
Testing
14 5/30 HCI Research & Career none HW 3 Due (TBD)
(Thurs) Paths
15 6/4 [Studio] DP6: Project none
(Tues) Showcase & Course Wrap-
up
15 6/6 No class (National none DP6 Write-up
(Thurs) Holiday, Memorial day)
16 6/11 No class (Finals week) none
(Tues)
16 6/13 No class (Finals week) none
(Thurs)
Grading:
● Design Project: 50%
● Mini Project: 10%
● Assignments: 20%
● Nano quizzes: 10%
● Class & Studio participation: 10%
