CS 4753 -- Human Factors in Software Development

Winter 1998 -- TTH 9:30-11
Skiles 140


Instructor
Scott McCrickard
mccricks@cc.gatech.edu
226C College of Computing
Office Hours: TTH 11-12 or by appointment

Teaching Assistant
May Cheng
mayc@cc.gatech.edu
Office Hours: Time and location by appointment

Texts
Ben Shneiderman, Designing the User Interface, Addison-Wesley.
Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, Currency Doubleday.

Course Description
From the course catalog: Prerequisites - CS1411 or CS1502, PSY3304. Examines human factors in the software design and application process from initial requirements to testing and implementation, with emphasis on designing the user interface. Also listed as PSY 4753.

Topics we will cover include design guidelines, interface builders, direct manipulation, interaction devices, design processes, usability testing, documentation, information visualization, and hypermedia.

Resources
Short announcements will be posted to the newsgroup. The newsgroup is also the best place for you to post questions or comments that may be of general interest to the class. You should check for new news in this group almost daily, especially as exams and assignment due dates approach.

A full syllabus will be maintained on the class Web page. Information about lectures, assignments, and exams will be added to the class Web page throughout the quarter. An outline of each lecture will be linked to the Course Topics section of the page. Assignments and exam review materials will be linked to the Assignment and Exam Due Dates section.

Newsgroup: git.cc.class.4753
Web page: http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs4753_98_winter/


Course Topics

Jan 6 Intro and History DTUI Ch 1
Jan 8 Design Guidelines DTUI Ch 2, DOET Ch 2
Jan 13 Human Limitations and Error DTUI Ch 10, DOET Ch 5
Jan 15 UI Builders DTUI Ch 5
Jan 20 Tcl/Tk
Jan 22 Direct Manipulation DTUI Ch 6
Jan 27 Menus DTUI Ch 7
Jan 29 Natural Language DTUI Ch 8
Feb 3 Interaction Devices DTUI Ch 9
Feb 5 Midterm
Feb 10 Intro to Design and Usability DTUI Ch 3, 4, DOET Ch 6, 7
Feb 12 Design Processes DTUI Ch 3
Feb 17 Hypermedia DTUI Ch 15
Feb 19 Hypermedia and the Web Jakob Nielsen's Web site
Feb 24 Usability Testing DTUI Ch 4
Feb 26 Documentation DTUI Ch 12
Mar 3 Information Visualization DTUI Ch 16
Mar 5 No class - work on your project!
Mar 10 Project Presentations
Mar 12 Project Presentations

Assignment and Exam Due Dates

Jan 20 Homework 1
Jan 30 Homework 2
Feb 5 Midterm
Feb 13 Project Part 1
Feb 27 Project Part 2
Mar 6 Final Project Writeup
Mar 10,12 Project Presentations
Mar 18 Final Exam 8am in Skiles 140

Evaluation Summary

Project 40%
Homeworks 10%
Midterm 15%
Final 25%
Participation 10%

Contact Information:

Scott McCrickard
mccricks@cc.gatech.edu
226C College of Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0280