Human-Computer Interaction

Recommended Prerequisites

Training equivalent to the Undergraduate degree that enables enrolment in the Masters program.

Teaching Methods

The methodology is seminar based, with a combination of theoretical presentation and discussion of models, methods and instruments with practical application exercises in delimited contexts and project activities in a studio environment. The student is required to execute assignments consisting on readings, critical analysis and synthesis in response to questions, and a group project where course techniques will be exercised, to develop communication and work organization capacities, with sessions of presentation & critique, for feedback.

Learning Outcomes

Through this course students will learn fundamental concepts to understand the interaction between humans and computational systems. Students will be expected to:

- understand the role of human factors on the interaction and interface;

- understand and apply prototyping techniques for research of on design proposals;

- develop competence for interaction design for interfaces for specific usage contexts, towards the optimization of the quality of interactive experience and based on contextual and participatory approaches;

- develop capacity to build innovative interfaces coherent and fit for purpose;

- develop competence to evaluate usability and other experience qualities with the use of techniques adequate to project context;

- develop the capacity to build innovative interfaces, coherent with purpose;

- learn how to perform and combine techniques in a systematic and empirical approach to interaction design;

- develop the capacity for autonomous learning in the field of HCI.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Brief history of HCI; Models of human performance, cognitive theory, activity theory, situated action.

2. User and task modeling; Personas; Scenario modeling and analysis;

3. Engineering interaction contexts through media design; Contextual Design;

4. Prototyping and its role in interaction design; Participatory Design Workshops; The concept of trajectories in experience design;

5. From usability to user experience: evaluation models and techniques; Observation and analysis techniques: cognitive design walkthrough, heuristic evaluation, formal lab testing, field testing, interviews and questionnaires;

6. Aesthetics of interaction and interface design;

7. Information visualization and sonification; Elements of visual and sound design;

8. Interface architectures and techniques: from language to GUI, TUI and NUI. Adapting to devices and use contexts: desk, mobile, embeded, etc.

Head Lecturer(s)

Licínio Gomes Roque

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Resolution Problems: 50.0%
Project: 50.0%

Bibliography

D. Norman (2002). The psychology of Everyday Things, Basic Books.

Beyer & Holtzblat (1997). Contextual Design, Morgan Kaufmann.

D. Benyon (2018). Designing Interactive Systems: A Comprehensive Guide to HCI, UX & Interaction Design.

Y. Rogers, H. Sharp, and J. Preece (2007). Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, Wiley.

B. Buxton (2007). Sketching the User Experience, Morgan Kaufmann.

Nilsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering, Morgan Kaufmann.

Selected Papers on Design and HCI Research Topics.