HCI 454 Interaction Design and Information Architecture
Summary
Drawing upon design principles illustrated by design patterns, this course will cover the creation of structural
(information architecture) and interaction designs for digital interfaces using site maps, user flows, wireframes,
and other methods. A focus of the course is how to optimize designs for specific activities and devices.
Goals
The goals of the course are to enable students to:
- Create appropriately biased structural and interaction designs for user interfaces.
- Understand and apply common design principles.
- Select appropriate design patterns and user controls.
- Document structural and interaction design using methods such as site maps and wireframes.
Assignments
The assignments provide an opportunity use the principles, patterns, and methods in lectures and the readings in actual designs.
The assignments reflect the different types of deliverables involved in designing the information architecture and interaction of a system.
All assignments can be done individually or in teams of two. Both members of teams receive the same grade.
Assignment 1 - Organization Schemes
The purpose of Assignment 1 is to learn how to identify an optimal organization scheme for a system.
In this assignment, you will be a participant in a card sort and create an organization scheme based on the class results.
Assignment 2 - Biased Design
The purpose of Assignment 2 is to learn how to bias the interface of the same system* towards different user groups.
In this assignment, you will create two sets wireframes for the same system that will be described in class: One set will be biased
towards users that use the system once or twice a year; the second set will be biased towards users that use the system 20-30 times a day.
Assignment 3 - IA Design
The purpose of Assignment 3 is to learn how to design the information architecture for a system. In this in assignment,
you will describe system of your own choosing and design the information architecture for the desk-top version of your system.
Assignment 4 - Responsive Design
The purpose of Assignment 4 is to learn how to create a responsive design for different devices.
In this assignment, you will create two sets of wireframes
for your selected system - one for a desktop and one for a mobile phone.
Assignment 5 - Presentation
The purpose of Assignment 5 is to learn how to present an overview of a design. In this assignment, you will present your
system to the class, highlighting the design thinking used.
Texts
All texts are available online as
Safari Books
through the DePaul Library.
Required Texts
CS
Spencer, D. (2009). Card sorting: Designing usable categories. New York: Rosenfeld Media. ISBN-13: 978-1-933820-02-6
CD
Brown, D. M. (2010). Communicating design: Developing web site documentation for design and planning. (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders. ISBN-13: 978-0-321-71246-2
MI
Saffer, D. (2013). Microinteractions: Designing with details. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media. ISBN-13: 978-1-4919-4592-6
UP
Lidwell, W., Holden, K. & Butler, J. (2010). Universal principles of design. Beverly, MA: Rockport. ISBN-13: 978-1-592-53587-3
Optional Texts
DI
Tidwell, J. (2010). Designing interfaces. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media. ISBN-13: 978-1-4493-7970-4
DMI
Hoober, S., & Berkman, E. (2011). Designing mobile interfaces. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly Media. ISBN-13: 978-1-4493-9463-9
Grading
Tentative Schedule
Wk |
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
Due |
1 |
Jan 3 |
Overview |
Optional
DI: Chapter 1 - Users
CS: Chapter 1 - About Card Sorting |
Assignment 1A: Participate in card sort |
2 |
Jan 10 |
Card Sorting |
Required
CS: Chapters 4 - 11 |
- |
3 |
Jan 17 |
Layout |
Required
UP: Layout Principles*
Optional
DI: Page Type Patterns**
DI: Page Layout Patterns**
DMI: Mobile Page Type Patterns'
DMI: Mobile Page Layout Patterns' |
Assignment 1B: Organization |
4 |
Jan 24 |
Organization |
Required
UP: Organization Principles*
CD: Chapter 2 - Diagram Basics
CD: Chapter 5 - Site Map
Optional
CS: Chapter 2 - Organizing |
- |
5 |
Jan 31 |
Navigation |
Required
CD: Chapter 7 - Wireframes
CD: Chapter 8 - Deliverable Basics
Optional
DI: Navigation patterns**
DMI: Mobile Navigation Patterns' |
Assignment 2: Biased Design |
6 |
Feb 7 |
Responsive |
Required
MI: Chapter 2 - Triggers
MI: Chapter 5 - Modes
UP: Interaction Principles*
Optional
DI: Interaction Patterns**
DMI: Mobile Interaction Patterns'
CD: Chapter 6 - Flowcharts
|
- |
7 |
Feb 14 |
Interaction |
Required
MI: Chapter 4 - Feedback
MI: Chapter 5 - Modes
UP: Feedback Principles*
Optional
DI: Feedback Patterns**
DI: Context Patterns**
DMI: Mobile Feedback Patterns'
DMI: Mobile Context Patterns' |
Assignment 3: IA Design |
8 |
Feb 21 |
Content |
Required
UP: Content Principles*
Optional
DI: Content Patterns**
DMI: Mobile Content Patterns' |
- |
9 |
Feb 28 |
Social Media |
Optional
DI: Chapter 9 - Social Media |
Assignment 4: Responsive Design |
10 |
Mar 7 |
Presentations |
- |
Assignment 5: Presentation |
* See Principles Table below
** See Patterns Table below
' See Mobile Patterns Table below
Assignment-Exam Weighting
Assignment 1 - Organization |
50 pts |
10% |
Assignment 2 - Biased Design |
100 pts |
20% |
Assignment 3 - IA Design |
100 pts |
20% |
Assignment 4 - Responsive Design |
200 pts |
40% |
Assignment 5 - Presentation |
50 pts |
10% |
Grading Scale
A | | 100-93 |
A- | | 92-90 |
B+ | | 89-87 |
B | | 86-83 |
B- | | 82-80 |
C+ | | 79-77 |
C | | 76-73 |
C- | | 72-70 |
D+ | | 69-67 |
D | | 66-60 |
F | | 59-0 |
Prerequisites
HCI 406
HCI 440 or HCI 441
Principle and Pattern Readings
b>Principles - From Universal Principles of Design (UP)
Type |
Principle |
Organization |
Consistency, Five Hat Racks, Hick's Law, Hierarchy, Scaling Fallacy |
Layout |
Advance Organizer, Alignment, Area Alignment, Chunking, Entry Point, Gutenberg Biagram, Horror Vacui, Layering, Ockham's Razor, Rule of Thirds, Signal-to-Noise Ratio |
Content |
Comparison, Desire Line, Exposure Effect, Orientation Sensitivity, Closure, Common Fate, Figure-Ground Relationship, Good Continuation, Law of Pragnaz, Proximity, Similarity, Uniform Connectedness |
Interaction |
Control, Expectation Effect, Factor of Safety, Flexibility-Usability Tradeoff, Forgiveness, Nudge, Recognition over Recall, Constraint, Fitts' Law, Highlighting, Mapping, Progressive Disclosure, Visibility |
Feedback |
Confirmation, Errors, Redundancy, Weakest Link |
Patterns - From Designing Interfaces (DI)
Type |
Chapter |
Patterns |
Navigation |
3 - Navigation |
Clear Entry Points, Pyramid, Escape Hatch, Fat Menus, Sitemap Footer, Sequence Map, Breadcrumbs, Annotated Scrollbar |
4 - Layout |
Module Tabs, Accordion |
5 - Lists |
One-Window Drilldown, Pagination, Jump to Item, Alphabet Scroller |
7 - Showing Data |
Overview Plus Detail |
Page Type |
2 - IA |
Picture Manager, Dashboard, Canvas Plus Palette, Wizard, Settings Editor |
3 - Navigation |
Menu Page |
Page Layout |
2 - IA |
Feature, Search, and Browse, Many Workspaces |
3 - Navigation |
Sign-in Tools |
4 - Layout |
Center Stage, Grid of Equals, Titled Sections, Diagonal Balance |
6 - Actions |
Button Groups, Action Panel, Prominent "Done" Button |
10 - Mobile |
Bottom Navigation |
Content |
2 - IA |
News Stream, Alternative Views, Multi-Level Help |
4 - Layout |
Collapsible Panels, Movable Panels |
5 - Lists |
List Inlay, Tree Table |
7 - Showing Data |
Datatips, Dynamic Queries, Data Brushing, Local Zooming, Sortable Table, Radial Table, Multi-Y Graph, Small Multiples, Treemap |
Interaction |
3 - Navigation |
Modal Panel, Deep-linked State |
4 - Layout |
Right/Left Alignment, Responsible Disclosure, Responsive Enabling |
5 - Lists |
Two-Panel Selector, Thumbnail Grid, Carousel, Cascading Lists, New-Item Row |
6 - Actions |
Hover Tools, Command History, Macros |
7 - Showing Data |
Data Spotlight |
8 - Input |
Forgiving Format, Structured Format, Fill-in-the-Blanks, Input Hints, Input Prompt, Password Strength Meter, Auto-completion |
10 - Mobile |
Vertical Stack, Filmstrip, Touch Tools, Thumbnail-and-Text List, Infinite List, Generous Borders, Text Clear Button, Richly Connected Apps |
Feedback |
6 - Actions |
Preview, Progress Indicator, Cancelability, Multi-Level Undo |
10 - Mobile |
Loading Indicators |
Context |
4 - Layout |
Liquid Layout |
6 - Actions |
Smart Menu Items |
10 - Mobile |
Streamlined Branding |
Mobile Patterns - From Designing Mobile Interfaces (DI)
Type |
Chapter |
Patterns |
Navigation |
1 - Composition |
Scroll, Fixed Menu |
5 - Lateral Access |
Tabs, Peel Away, Pagination, Location Within |
6 - Drill Down |
Link, Stack of Items |
8 - Info Controls |
Location Jump, Search Within |
Page Type |
1 - Composition |
Home & Idle Screens, Lock Screen, Interstitial Screen |
3 - Control |
Sign On |
Page Layout |
1 - Composition |
Annunciator Row, Titles, Advertising |
11 - Input/selection |
Input Areas |
Content |
2 - Display |
Slideshow, Infinite Area |
4 - Reveal |
Returned Results, Window shade, Hierarchical List |
5 - Lateral Access |
Simulated 3D Effects |
6 - Drill Down |
Annotation |
7 - Labels |
Ordered Data, Tooltip |
8 - Info Controls |
Zoom & Scale, Sort & Filter |
12 - Audio |
Voice Read back |
Interaction |
1 - Composition |
Revealable Menu |
2 - Display< More/TD>
| Vertical List, Infinite List, Thumbnail List, Fisheye list, Carousel, Grid, Film Strip, Select List - Checkboxes |
4 - Reveal More |
Pop-up |
6 - Drill down |
Button, Indicator, Icon |
7 - Labels< More |
Reload, Synch, Stop |
9 - Text Input |
Keyboards & Keypads, Pen Input, Mode Switches, Autocomplete & Prediction |
10 - Interaction |
Directional Entry, Press-and-Hold, Focus & Cursors, Dialer, On-screen Gestures, Kinesthetic Gestures, Remote Gestures, Access keys, Other Hardware Keys |
11 - Input/Selection |
Directional Entry, Press-and-Hold, Focus & Cursors, Dialer, On-screen Gestures, Kinesthetic Gestures, Remote Gestures, Access keys, Other Hardware KeyForm Selections, Mechanical Style Controls, Clear Entry |
12 - Audio |
Voice Input |
13 - Screens |
Display Brightness Control |
Feedback |
1 - Composition |
Notifications |
3 - Controls |
Confirmation, Exit Guard, Cancel Protection |
7 - Labels |
Wait Indicator |
9 - Text Input |
Input Method Indicator |
13 - Screens |
LED |
12 - Audio |
Tones, Voice Notifications, Haptic Output |
Context |
3 - Control |
Timeout |
13 - Screens |
Orientation, Location |
Policies
Students are expected to attend every class or watch the lecture online.
Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Assignments must be submitted via D2L.
Assignments 1-4 may be turned in late without penalty. After receiving your grade, assignments 1-4 can be redone without penalty.
No assignments will be accepted after Mar 7.
All submitted work must be original work unless its source is clearly referenced. Failure to clearly attribute quotes or designs
from other people's work constitutes plagiarism. Violations will generally receive no credit for a given submission.
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course
content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The
evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely
separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation.
Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you
have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.
All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that
you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296