Welcome to course A.6 Design and Usability of Interactive Systems

The course will be given in English during the spring term, 2009.

There will be several formal group assignments based on the book used as course literature, and an individual written examination during the final class session. There will also be some informal activities in groups during the course.

Course outline

The course provides knowledge of methods and techniques used when designing human-computer interactive systems, as well as practical experience on how this knowledge can be applied in real situations. More specifically, the course focuses on human-computer interaction and the usability aspects of systems and devices (information artefacts). The course discusses the relation between design and usability evaluation, wherevarious kinds of test are conducted in order to discover usability problems. These problems are then translated into design implications for redesign of the system. Specific issues raised during the course are the nature of the relation between interaction design and usability as well as the application of the usability concept to interactive experiences.

The course is divided into three parts: (1) overall understanding of the design process of interactive systems, (2) deeper understanding of human-computer interaction and how to consider user's requirements, and finally (3) analysis of usability aspects of interactive systems and how, by conducting tests, the system can be improved to meet the requirements of present and future users.

Course Literature: Preece, Jennifer, Rogers, Yvonne & Sharp Helen (2007), Interaction Design, published by John Wiley.

The course leader is Ulla-Maija Pesola. If you have any questions about the course contact Ulla-Maija: umpesola@informatik.umu.se. Phone: 090 786 93 80.