CS 6362: Interactive Systems

Spring, 2009
Instructor: Richard H. Fowler
Office: Engr 3.2104
Phones: 381-3453 (office), 381-2320 (department)
Email: [email protected] (which is often the best way to get in touch)
Office hours: 2:30-4:30 W, 9:30pm-10:30pm W and any time you want to talk

Course description
The title of this course, “Interactive Systems”, was chosen to indicate a course of study that
spans a range of topics in the theory, design, implementation, and evaluation of computing and
information systems. Class meetings are typically split between presentation of the more
theoretical elements of interactive systems, focusing on the text and readings, and the
implementation of programs using the MS Windows api, as presented in the book by Petzold,
and web site design. One of the lessons of the course is that, as computer scientists, most of us
are quite comfortable in developing the skills necessary to effectively implement user interfaces.
However, the set of skills required to design and evaluate effective user interfaces are likely to
be new to many computer scientists. The course provides both an introduction the broad range of
topics used in design, including cognitive ergonomics and theory, usability testing, and the social
context of computer use, as well as advanced implementation techniques for interactive systems.

Student System Critique

The range of topics covered in the first two thirds of the course will provide a background for
more advanced work. During the final weeks of the semester, each student will present a critique
of the user interface to an existing system. In past semesters, most students have chosen to
critique web sites or well known commercial application programs. During the course of the
semester a number of criteria for effective interfaces and web sites will be studied, and these
applied to particular systems and sites. On the 12th week students will announce to the class the
system or site to be critiqued and the particular design aspects of on which the critique will
focus.

Lecture and Readings Materials

The Powerpoint lecture presentations and course readings beyond the testwill be available for
each class at www.cs.utpa.edu/~rfowler/csci6362. Having them printed should ease the burden
of taking notes in class.

Attendance, etc.

Students are expected to attend classes, contribute to discussions, complete all assignments, and
take all exams. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor and make arrangements
prior to the scheduled time, if an exam is not taken. Failure to do so will result in a zero for the
exam.
Students with Disabilities

If you have a documented disability which will make it difficult for you to carry out class work
and/or if you need special accommodations/assistance due to a disability, please contact the
Office of Services for Persons with Disabilities (OSPD), Shunior Hall, Room 1.101
immediately. Appropriate arrangements/accommodations can be arranged. Verification of
disability and processing of special services required, such as notetakers, extended test time,
separate accommodations for testing, will be determined by OSPD. Please do not assume
adjustments/accommodations are impossible. Please consult with the Associate Director, OSPD.

Programming assignments

Programming assignments are due at 5:00 p.m. on the due date and will not be accepted late.

Grading
The grade will be based on:
Exam - midterm 25%
Exam - final 25%
Homework 25%
Critique 25%

Letter grades are assigned as:

A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89%
C = 70% - 79%
D = 60% - 69%
F = < 60%

Texts

Required:

Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction by Ben
Shneiderman, 4th edition (2004), Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 0-321-197860.

Recommended:

Yale Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites, 2nd edition by Lynch, P. J. &
Horton, S., 2002, Yale University Press. ISBN-10: 0300096828. Note: Available online
at http://www.webstyleguide.com/index.html?/index.html
3rd edition forthcoming 1/15/2009, ISBN-10: 0300137370.

Prioritizing Web Usability by Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger, 2006, Pearson, ISBN:
9780321350312.

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Programming Windows, The Definitive Guide to the Win32 API by Charles Petzold, 5th edition,
Book&Cd Rom edition (1998), Microsoft Press. ISBN: 157231995X.

Selected readings (supplied to student) taken from:

Interaction Design by Preece, J., Rogers, Y., & Sharp, H., 2002, Wiley. ISBN: 0471492787

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 3rd edition by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter
Morville, 2006, O’Reilly Media. ISBN: 0596527349

Human-Computer Interaction, 3rd edition, by Alan Dix, Janet E. Finlay, Gregory D. Abowd, and
Russell Beale, 2003, Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0130461091

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity by Nielsen, J., 1999, New Riders
Publishing. ISBN: 156205810X

Web Usability: A User-centered Design Approach by Jonathan Lazar, 2006, Addison Wesley.
ISBN: 9780321321350

3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice by Bowman, D., Kruijff, E., LaViola, J. J., and
Poupyrev, I., 2005, Addison Wesley. ISBN: 0201758679

Learning Objectives

• Describe the event-driven software architecture typically used in interactive systems. Explain
why this type of architecture, versus others, is appropriate for user interfaces. Discuss the
differences in control flow in event-driven architectures and other software architectures.

• Identify the components of a specific windowing system, e.g. X Windows, Microsoft

Windows, in the context of the more general event-driven architecture.

• Define and discuss usability. Why is it important, economically, organizationally, culturally?

• List 3 projects in which usability testing either increased effectiveness, or the lack of was
detrimental.

• Define and discuss requirements analysis, indicating stages.

• Define “universal usability” and benefits from striving for it in system design.

• Discuss the role of guidelines in interface design and how they differ from principles and
theories.
• Determining users’ skill levels is a useful principle for interface design. Explain what is
meant by the principle and provide two examples of its application.

• Discuss the (potential) role of agentsin interfaces. Comment on issues of “automation vs.
human control” that arise with the use agents in computer systems.

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• Write a Microsoft Windows program that provides each of the functionalities common to user
interfaces.

• Give the pros and cons of participatory design for user interfaces.

• Describe “direct manipulation” interfaces and their advantages.

• Describe “teleoperation” and the difficulties associated with it.

• Discuss virtual reality, as described by Sheiderman and in class.

• Describe the relation between virtual reality and immersion.

• Discuss the classes of menus presented in Shneiderman.

• Discuss content organization in menu.

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 Schedule

Text Chapter Programming Text

Week Lecture Topics Programming Topics
(Schneiderman) and Other

1, 1/14 Interactive Systems: Introduction 1 Event-driven Software 1

and History Architectures (EDAs):
Intro.
2, 1/21 Interactive Systems: Theory, 1, 2 EDAs: Programming 1, 2
Principles, and Guidelines Preece, 1
3, 4
3, 1/28 Design Process and Evaluation Windows 3
Details/esoterica, EDA
Control Flow Detail

4, 2/4 Human Information Processing Dix 3 2-d Graphics Objects, 4, 5, 6

and Cognition Mouse Events, Hit Testing

5, 2/11 Interaction Styles and 6 Menus 10

Direct Manipulation Hutchins paper

6, 2/18 Menus, Forms, Dialog Boxes; 7, 8 GDI Raster Operations, 4, 7

Command and Natural Language System Timers

7, 2/25 Interaction Devices, Response 9, 10, 11 Child/Parent Windows, 8, 11

Times, and Presentation Styles Dialog boxes

8, 3/4 Midterm Exam

Spring Break

9, 3/18 Hypertext History & Implication Bush paper Web Information Rosenfeld &
Web Design 1: Intro Nielsen, 1-3 Architecture Morville chaps.

10, 3/25 Web Site Design Lynch and Web Site Design Lynch and Horton,
Horton, 1 2, 3
11, 4/1 Web Page Design Lynch and Design Evaluation
Horton, 4, 7
12, 4/8 Virtual Environments 6 3D Interfaces Bowman, 1-3

13, 4/15 Student Critiques 1-4 Student Critiques 5-8

14, 4/22 Student Critiques 9-12 Student Critiques 13-16

15, 4/29 Student Critiques 17-20 Student Critiques 21-24

5/4 FinalExam