Course Title: Human Computer Interaction

Course Code: SE-

Course Structure: Lectures: 3/ Labs: 0
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor: Dr. Ansar Siddique

Course Description:
This course is designed to develop understanding that how users can best interact with computers. It helps
how the computer interfaces need to be designed so that the users while interacting with the computer
based systems should be able to work with ease as well as perform operation in accordance to their needs.
This course will introduce human dimensions from psychological perspectives. Then it will take up
interface design details need to be understood from user’s aspect. Finally, the design issue learned will be
discussed in two major domains including web and mobile applications.
Course Objectives:
To attain the knowledge and skills required to develop highly usable software systems.

Course Outline:
1. Introduction to Human Computer Interaction, what is Interaction design? Understanding and
conceptualizing interaction, Understanding users, Design Psychology, Good vs. Poor design,
Usability and User experience goals
2. Design principles and rules (Norman, Nielsen and Schniderman’s principles, Golden rules,
Gestalt psychology, Fits law), Heuristic evaluation
3. The Process of Interaction Design, Users and their importance, User-centered approach,
Generating alternative designs, Life Cycle Models
4. Understanding Users, Human Information Processing Model, Cognition
5. Cognitive processes (Attention perception and recognition, Memory, Learning, Reading,
speaking, and listening, Problem solving, planning, reasoning, decision making)
6. Cognitive Frameworks, design implications of human information processing mechanism
7. Interaction paradigms, Mental Model Vs. Conceptual Model—Interface Metaphors
8. Understanding user centered design process
9. Framework for need analysis: People, Activities, Context of use, Technologies
10. Life Cycle Models: Simple Model, Star Model, Usability Engineering Life Cycle Model
(UELC), Compare/Contrast SE & UE processes
11. Understand how interfaces affect users: What is Affect/Affective Computing? Expressive
interface, Frustrating interfaces, Negative aspects, 12Anthropomorphism and interface
agents
 12. Emotional interaction: Emotion and the user experience, Models of the affective states,
Emotional design model, Pleasure Model, Technology framework, detecting emotions
and emotional technology, how to use the emotional data? Indirect emotion detection
13. User Experience Design: What is UXP? How do we elicit what the UXP should be? In-
depth qualitative interviews, Ethnographic methods
14. Modeling User: Persona & Goals, Affect and Persona: Designing User Experience,
accommodating human diversity
15. Web/Mobile Usability
16. Evaluation framework: Inspection, Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive walkthroughs,
Pluralistic walkthrough, Laboratory vs. Field studies, Usability testing

Text/Reference Books:
[1] Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction by Preece, Rogers, & Sharp; 2007.

[2] The Usability Engineering Lifecycle: A Practitioner's Handbook for User Interface Design by
Deborah J. Mayhew; 1999.

[3] Human Computer Interaction, 3rd Edition, Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory Abowd, Russell Beale
Prentice Ha ll, 2004. ISBN 0-13-046109-1.
[4] About Face 3: The Essential of Interaction Design by Cooper, Reimann, and Cronin.
[5] Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction”, Ben
Shneiderman, University of Maryland Catherine Plaisant, University of Maryland, Publisher: Addison-
Wesley 4th or Latest Edition.