Course Number: IAT 201
Course Title: Usability in Interactive Environments
Credit Hours: 3 Vector: 2-0-1
Course Description
Explores the theoretical foundation, philosophy and practical application of techniques for analyzing how people interact with designed environments covered by the 4 IAT streams, including performance environments, human systems, new media, etc. A major goal is to determine how these environments should be designed to suit human capabilities. Students will engage in simple empirical usability studies in conjunction with active research projects within SIAT to gain experience in current usability practice.
Prerequisite: Students must have completed at least 24 credits, including TECH 100, TECH 101, CMPT 120, and CMPT 125 or equivalents.
Recommended: TECH 114.
Corequisite: None.
Special Instructions: None.
Course(s) to be dropped if this course is approved:
INTD 305-1, 306-1, and 307-1.
As one of the core requirements of the Interactive Arts and Technology program, this course provides IAT students with a common introduction to issues in usability as related to the four program streams. Thus, presentations and assignments will feature cases or problems foreshadowing those students will encounter in later IAT courses and in their professional careers.
Will this be a required or elective course in the curriculum; probable enrolment when offered?
Indicate Semester and Year this course would be first offered and planned frequency of offering thereafter.
This course will initially be offered in 2005-1 and annually thereafter.
Which of your present CFL faculty have the expertise to offer this course? Will the course be taught by sessional or limited term faculty?
Of our present faculty, the following limited term faculty have
the expertise to offer this course.
Tracey Leacock, Assistant Professor
Janet McCracken, Assistant Professor
Mike Dobson, Assistant Professor
John Nesbit, Associate Professor
It is expected that the course will not be taught by sessional
faculty.
Are there any proposed student fees associated with this course other than tuition fees?
No.
Is this course considered a `duplicate' of any current or prior course under the University's duplicate course policy? Specify, as appropriate.
Note: Senate has approved (S.93-11) that no new course should be approved by Senate until funding has been committed for necessary library materials. Each new course proposal must be accompanied by a library report and, if appropriate, confirmation that funding arrangements have been addressed.
Provide details on how existing instructional resources will be redistributed to accommodate this new course. For instance, will another course be eliminated or will the frequency of offering of other courses be reduced; are there changes in pedagogical style or class sizes that allow for this additional course offering.
In the proposed program for the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, this course is one of three lower division courses required for all IAT students. Three one-credit courses offered in the current program (Design for Interactive Communities INTD 305, 306, & 307) will be discontinued in the new program. Although the courses are not duplicates, the faculty currently involved with the DIC courses will be able to teach this course. It is expected that some library, classroom and other resources currently supporting INTD 305, 306, & 307 will be redistributed to IAT 201. There is a need for one third of a person-year to develop the new course materials.
Does the course require specialized space or equipment not readily available in the department or university, and if so, how will these resources be provided?
No.
Does this course require computing resources (e.g. hardware, software, network wiring, use of computer laboratory space) and if so, describe how they will be provided.
No new resources are required that are not anticipated by existing plans for increasing classroom and lab space at the Surrey Campus.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Understand basic concepts in usability
Select an environment and carry out a simple usability study to evaluate that environment
Use empirical data to inform usability design practice
This course explores the theoretical foundation, philosophy and practical application of techniques for analyzing how people interact with designed environments covered by the 4 IAT streams, including performance environments, human systems, new media, etc. A major goal is to determine how these environments should be designed to suit human capabilities. Students will engage in simple empirical usability studies in conjunction with active research projects within SIAT to gain experience in current usability practice.
Topics covered will include: History of usability engineering; theoretical foundations of formative and summative usability analysis; taxonomies of user products and environments; analyzing users and their needs; approaches to evaluation of usability; understanding users: cognitive aspects; understanding users: social aspects; user models and task models; metaphor and analogy in usability design; mental models.
Delivery Model: Presentational Cooperative (PC)
Activities consist of class-based discussion, tutorial sessions, a mid-term paper (30%), project proposal (30%), and a final written project report & presentation (40%).
Preece, J., Rogers, Y. & Sharp, H. (2002). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.; ISBN: 0471492787 (Approx $80 Cdn; has related web site.)
Norman, D. (2002). The Design of Everyday Things. Harper Collins ISBN 0465067107 (Approx $25 Cdn)
Shneiderman, B. (2002). Leonardo's Laptop. (already in SFU library system)
Dourish, P. (2001) Where the Action Is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction. MIT Press ISBN 0-262-04196-0 (Approx $55)
Terry Winograd (ed), (1996) Bringing Design to Software, Stanford University and Interval Research Corporation, ISBN: 0-201-85491-0. 310 pp. Addison-Wesley. 1996, (already in SFU library system)