SWEN 444: Human Centered Requirements and Design

• Schedule

General Course Information:

SWEN444 Human Centered Requirements and Design

Term:

Fall 2021

Credit Hours:

3

Instructor Information:

Sophia Sandhu: (spsvse@ rit.edu)

Office Hours:

Sophia: Monday, Wednesday 1:00 PM- 2:00 PM, and by appointment;  email interest then Zoom meeting

Course Description:

This course introduces quantitative models and techniques of human-computer interface analysis, design and evaluation, which are relevant to the Software Engineering approach of software development. Contemporary Human Computer Interaction (HCI) techniques are surveyed, with a focus on when and where they are applicable in the software development process. Students will deliver usable software systems derived from an engineering approach to the application of scientific theory and modeling. Other topics may include: usability evaluation planning, methods of evaluation, data analysis, social and ethical impacts of usability, economic justification, prototyping and tools.

* Please spend some time reading this document, as it contains vital information about the texts, course policies and grading.

Sections:

• Sophia Section 01 MWF 3:35 PM - 4:25 PM,GOL 1550

Prerequisites:

4010- 262 (Engineering of Software Subsystems); 1016-351 (Probability & Statistics) or 1016-314

Course Topics:

The course will encompass a variety of concepts and topics, among them are the following:

• User Experience (UX) Requirements
• User and Task Modeling
• User Interface Design- Process and Principles
  
• Usability Evaluation, Reporting, and Analysis
  
• Design for Mobile Devices, the Web, and other Specialized Modalities
• Design for Universal Usability
• Internationalization and Localization

Course Objectives:

After this course, you will be able to:

• Model a proposed system using appropriate techniques that represent the human-computer interaction from various SE-HCI perspectives with an emphasis on the user experience (UX).
• Design a software system to maximize usability and utility, using appropriate design techniques.
• Prepare a usability test plan, including appropriate methodology, procedures, and statistical analysis techniques.
• Perform a usability evaluation and the subsequent data analysis with appropriate statistical techniques and tools.
• Describe the degree of usability of a project and the steps to address usability gaps in their project.
• Describe the potential social and ethical impacts regarding the usability of software systems.

Method of Instruction:

Course will combine lecture and in-class activities. Students will collaborate inside and outside of class in support of activities and project deliverables. Assignments will include selected readings, project write-ups, as well as activities focused in supporting the materials reviewed in class. Students will also author a short UX critique paper with a selected web or desktop application

Textbook(s):

Required: (Note: The 2nd edition is required; unfortunately it is not available at Skillsoft (Books 24x7)

• The UX Book by Rex Hartson and Pardha Pyla  2nd edition

Recommended:

• Universal Principles of Design by Lidwell, Holden & Butler

Attendance and Participation Policies:

Come to class. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to your teammates. Most sessions contain project team work that requires all team members to be present to gain full benefit.

You are allowed one unexcused absence (car trouble, etc.) with no consequences. After that the following scale applies for additional absences:

• One unexcused absence - 1% off final grade
• Two unexcused absences - 3% off final grade
• Three or more unexcused absences - 5% off final grade
• Three late arrivals will be considered as one absence.

Also, you will miss credit for activities that took place during classes that you were absent. If you need to be absent because of a job interview, illness, or other significant personal issue, please let me know so we can determine if it should be an excused absence.

Make up exams will only be granted for very good reasons (job interviews known in advance, documented sickness, family emergencies, etc.) Heavy workload in other (maybe to you more important) courses is typically not a very good reason.

Late Submissions: Late submissions may be accepted with a valid excuse within a week of the due date. There will be a penalty point reduction.

Conduct: Be professional. Since a key component in this course involves working with people including users, teammates, and classmates, and your instructor, it is expected that you will conduct yourself in a professional manner.

Class Behavior: It is expected that during class, you are participating in class, including adhering to the departmental policy about appropriate use of classroom/team room computers, personal laptops, and smartphones.

Participation Policy: Your participation is imperative for your success in this course. The participation portion of your overall grade focuses on attendance, completion and timely submission of in-class activities and assignments, your meaningful contribution to classroom discussions, and especially your individual contribution to the team project/activities.

Classroom discussions: Demonstrate critical thinking by asking challenging questions, reflecting on and articulating your personal opinions, and critiquing the ideas of others. Initiate class discussion by offering and explaining your ideas and opinions, and providing relevant examples and anecdotes.

Project: You will be organized into teams to develop a working evolutionary prototype with an emphasis on the user interface design. Usability testing will be conducted. A final presentation of the prototype will be required in class.  Read about project details in the Project page.

Project Participation Policy: The intent for the course project is to enable you to apply the concepts covered in class to a semester-long project. In order for you to get anything out of it you must participate in the creation of all project artifacts and the software development that is non-trivial. If it is found that you have not participated in a project deliverable/phase at all (e.g. no coding or no artifacts) then you will receive a 0 for that deliverable/phase.  If you only participate at a trivial/limited level, your project grade will incur a proportional deliverable score penalty. Individual participation will be monitored through the weekly project reporting mechanism, anecdotal peer reporting, and at least one formal team peer review survey. Team participation impacts your overall course participation score.

Individual Assignments: In addition to group work, there will be a set of individual assignments that will enable you to explore various concepts and techniques presented in class. Please read the instructions and note the due dates (and times) for each assignment.

Grading Breakdown:

A final course grade is a combination of your grades on exams, assignments, class activities, participation, and a team project.

Note: The individual project grades may be adjusted in either direction from the team grade based on the assessment of your contribution by the instructor and your colleagues on the team.

* Please be aware that the myCourses grade-book feature will be used to communicate “raw” grades to you, but is NOT used for calculating final grades.

Grade Calculation:

At the end of the course, your final grade is assigned in the following manner: