User Interface Design

1. General Information and Course Contents

With the pervasive use of interactive systems, including computers, smart devices, software and information systems, networks and infrastructure, and related products and services, in modern society or the "connected-world" by the massive and diverse user population for work, leisure, societal, and other functions/purposes, usability ("how easy to use it? or, how easy to interact with it?") has taken on increased importance for both the consumers and producers of such systems, making it one of the primary quality attributes and a critical factor that determines the success or failure of the products, systems, or services.

User interface design (UID), which is interpreted as also encompassing evaluation and improvement activities, plays a key role in achieving our goal of good (universal) usability for these diverse population of users. Another term commonly used nowadays for UID in this sense is UI/UX (user interface/user experience). Broadly speaking, UID or UI/UX are the subjects of study in the inter-disciplinary field of HCI (human-computer interaction, also called CHI, computer-human interaction, although we prefer the former to emphasize the human-centered or user-centered perspective). In this course, we will cover related activities and techniques, including:

• Basics: Basic concepts related to (universal) usability, UID, UI/UX, HCI/CHI, and the scientific and cognitive foundations, including relevant theories, models, and methodologies from diverse fields of studies not only limited to computer science. Foundations for designing user-centered systems will be covered, including those characteristics involving anthropometric, behavior, cognition, and social aspects (or layers) in the ABCS framework. An integrated framework will be introduced to provide not only guidelines for designing UI and making design decisions, but also to evaluate and improve UI/UX through usability studies and controlled experimentation.
• Design: Easy-to-use (often graphical, but could be other "easy-to-use" or "appropriate-for-needs" types of) UI for desktops, web, mobile devices, etc., through direct manipulation, immersive environments, fluid navigation, expressive (human and command) languages, and other forms/styles of interaction, communications, and collaboration.
• Evaluation: Assessment of usability by quantitative and qualitative methods, not only to be applied on the finished products or services, but also the working prototypes and other artifacts, with a focus on improving usability and UX in a quantifiable way. A systematic measurement framework and related metrics will be introduced, including classification and analysis of usability problems, based on some recent research at SMU. Most of the design strategies and issues will be presented and discussed in connection with how they will affect usability/UX and how this effect can be evaluated, quantified, and improved. In fact, most of the "design principles" can be directly utilized as the evaluation rules or to derive quantitative usability metrics.
• Process and improvement: Other activities in the software process with a focus on usability will also be covered, including continuous improvement of usability, information solicitation and data gathering through ethnographic observations and in-field/in-lab measurement, analysis and modeling, result interpretation and followup actions, as well as automated tool support for these activities. Some recent inter-disciplinary research at SMU applying software engineering methods to improve usability/UX will be covered too.

Workload and Grading

Textbook and Other Information

• Required: Ben Shneiderman, Catherine Plaisant, Maxine S. Cohen, Steven M. Jacobs and Niklas Elmqvist, "Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 6th Edition" Addison-Wesley, 2017
  ISBN-13: 978-0-13-438038-4; ISBN-10: 0-13-438038-X
• Highly recommended, particularly for PhD students: Frank E. Ritter, Gordon D. Baxter, and Elizabeth F. Churchill, "Foundations for Designing User-Centered Systems: What System Designers Need to Know about People". Springer, 2014.
  ISBN: 978-1-4471-5133-3
• Recommended, particularly for software engineering students: Mary Beth Rosson and John M. Carroll, "Usability Engineering: Scenario-Based Development of Human-Computer Interaction" Academic Press, 2002.
  ISBN 1-55860-712-9, 978-1-5586-0712-5
• The first two books are available at SMU bookstore, and all three are also available from the publishers, or your favorite online booksellers.
• List of topics and tentative schedule

Notices and relevant SMU policies:

• Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited by the SMU Student Honor Code.
• If you need to make alternative arrangements for turning-in material or taking exams, you must contact the instructor ahead of time, unless it is truly an emergency. (Otherwise you'll receive 0 for the specific item.)
• Relevant SMU policies regarding disability accommodations, religious observance, excused absences for university extracurricular activities, etc., and how to access the services and accommodations available (linked here too). .