Readings posted are those that you are expected to do in preparation for the class that occurs on that date. It will be assumed that you have read the assigned readings and are able to discuss them and build on them for the in-class activities.
Readings
None.
Readings
S. Dray. The importance of designing usable systems.
interactions 1995 2(1) 17-19.
D. Norman. The Psychopathology of Everyday Things. Chapter 1 of The Design of Everyday Things. 16pp.
T. Landauer. The Trouble With Computers : Usefulness, Usability, and Productivity. Prologue pp 3-8.
http://www.baddesigns.com/
Optional Extra:
"Talk of the Nation" on NPR, 2/1/02.
Story title: Everyday Design.
Guests: Donald Norman, Michael Graves, Henry Petroski
Description:
"Why is your car easier to operate than the average VCR? Did you buy your computer--or your toaster--because of the way it looks or the way it works? Join us in this hour for a look at the design of everyday things. From paper clips to toasters, to cars and computers....what makes something user friendly."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1137319
Readings
J. Nielsen. Usability Engineering. Chapter 1: Executive Summary. pp 1-21.
P. Fabris. You Think Tomaytoes, I Think Tomahtoes. CIO Web Business Magazine. April 1, 1999.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/ Various short relevant articles. Read those that look interesting to you. Pay particular attention to the ones in bold (those that have been most popular).
Optional: Card Sorting
Quick introduction to card sorting
Longer detailed description of card sorting
Card sorting case study at MIT
Assignment 1a due 9/19 (NB. if you have big problems getting volunteers email me)
Assignment 1b: choose your topic and your group by 9/21
Readings
Read selectively from this:
http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/
Browse through these and choose a couple to study more closely:
http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com
Guidelines for NEES Websites (three styles guides on usability layout and content) http://nees.orst.edu/NEESweb/
http://education.indiana.edu/ist/faculty/iuwebrep.html
http://www.uiuc.edu/usergroups/webdev.html
Additional resources about the mechanics of creating web pages
http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html
http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/imaster/resources/webdesign.html
Readings
Essays by Scott Berkun on web design, interaction, usability experience, architecture etc.
These are excellent little essays that really get to the heart of trying to do good design and why it is hard. Particularly relevant:
Scott Berkun. #22 - The list of ten (now fourteen) reasons ease of use doesn't happen on engineering projects
Scott Berkun. #8 - Why good design from bad?
Scott Berkun. #11 - Why great technologies don't make great designs
Scott Berkun. #12 - Art of UI prototyping
Scott Berkun. #13 - Flow in web design
Scott Berkun. #14 - Critical thinking in web and interface design
Scott Berkun. #15 - Critical thinking in web/interface design part 2: idea generation
Scott Berkun. #16 - Critical thinking in design part 3: project management
Scott Berkun. #17 - The myth of optimal web design
Readings
Landauer Chapter 5
Nielsen Chapter 3
Thimbleby, H. (2001) The Computer Science of Everyday Things.
Proceedings of the 2nd Australasian Conference on User Interfaces, 3-12.
Assignment 1b due 10/10
Readings
Landauer Chapter 6
C. Lewis & J. Rieman Task-Centered User Interface Design: A Practical Introduction. Forward & Chapter 1
Cooper, A. "Designing for Pleasure" Chapter 9 from The Inmates are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore Sanity (1999).
Assignment 1c due 10/17
Readings
Lewis & Rieman Chapters 2-3
Nielsen Chapter 4
Readings
Nielsen Chapter 5
M. Levi & F. Conrad. A Heuristic Evaluation of a World Wide Web Prototype. interactions 1996 3(4) 51-61.
Wharton et al. The cognitive walkthrough method: a practitioner's guide.
In: Usability Inspection Methods. J. Nielsen, R.L. Mack (Eds), (1994) John Wiley & Sons pp 105-125
Lewis & Rieman 4 (omitting 4.2)
Assignment 2a due 10/31
Readings
Nielsen Chapter 6
Lewis & Rieman Chapter 5
Landauer Chapter 10
The Usability Toolkit. Usability Special Interest Group.
Readings
B. Tognazzini. "User Testing on the cheap." Chapter 14 of Tog on Interface
Landauer Chapter 11
Assignment 2b due 11/9
Readings
Nielsen 7
Lewis & Rieman Chapter 7
M.B. Butler "Getting To Know Your Users: usability roundtables at Lotus Development" interactions 1996 3(1) 23-30.
Assignment 2c First version due 11/14
Readings
C. Milligan & M. Murdock. "Testing with kids & teens at IOMEGA"
interactions 1996 3(5) 51-57
Explore the following. Be ready to report on what you read:
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/usability/library-usability.html
http://www.jkup.net/terms.html
http://macfadden.mit.edu:9500/webgroup/usability.html
Readings
Explore the following and choose some that appeal to your interests to read in depth.
Be ready to discuss them in class, giving a brief summary and what you found interesting/useful/provocative/wrong
http://bailando.sims.berkeley.edu/flamenco.html
http://feathers.dlib.vt.edu/CitiViz/index.html
McQuaid, H.M., Goel, A. & McManus, M. (2003). When You Can’t Talk To Customers: Using Storyboards and Narratives to Elicit Empathy for Users. Proceedings of the Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces Conference, Pittsburgh, PA. 120-125 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/782896.782926
http://www.maya.com/web/what/clients/what_client_clp_dyninfo.mtml
Maya's physical library usability design review PDF of slides,
Same slides, smaller, but with notes
http://www.hcibib.org
http://www.open-video.org/
http://www.usability.gov
http://www.usabilitynews.com
http://www.usabilityviews.com
http://degraaff.org/hci/
Assignment 2c Final Version due 12/14
Assignment 3 due 12/15