Human Computer Interaction
CSC 428/2514F

Fall 1997-98
Professor Ron Baecker
Fall Term, 1997-98 (VERSION 1 - 5 September 1997)
The FINAL version of the course overview dated 1 December 1997 is available in .pdf format.

LECTURES: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-5:00 P.M., GB119
TUTORIALS: Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 P.M., GB220, RW 142
LECTURER: Ronald Baecker, Professor of Computer Science,
Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Management
SF4306E, 978-6983, rmb@dgp
Office hour: Wednesdays, 3:00-3:45 P.M., or by appointment
SPECIAL LECTURER: Dr. Ben Barkow, President
Behavourial Team
dr.ben@bteam.com
TEACH. ASS'Ts: Jade Rubick, jade@dgp
Joanna McGrenere, joanna@dgp
LAB SUPPORT: Neil Enns, ennsnr@dgp
CDF SUPPORT: admin@cdf
MetaCard: David Modjeska prepared a text file with instructions on how to get MetaCard running on the CDF machines, as well as pointers to some useful web sites. You can find it at: www.dgp.utoronto.ca/people/modjeska/Teaching/mc_usage.txt
CALENDAR: Click to download Course Calendar in .pdf format
NOTES: Click to download Lecture Notes 1, Notes 2,
Notes 3 and Flowsuperchart, Flowsubchart A, Flowsubchart B;
Notes 4, Notes 5, Notes 6, Notes 7,
Sound clip, Daisy sound clip (Stuff It archive), Notes 8, Notes 9, Notes 10, Notes 11, Notes 12, Notes 13, Notes 14, Notes 15, Notes 16, Notes 17, Notes 18, Notes 19, Notes 20, Notes 21, Notes 22, Notes 23 in .pdf format
READINGS: Assigned Readings
ADE: Assignments, Due Dates, Methods of Evaluations
Assignment 1 (Due October 2, 1997)
Assignment 2 (Due October 14 and 30, 1997)
Assignment 3 (Due November 13, 1997)
Assignment 4 (Due December 4, 1997)
Evaluations: Individual Participant Evaluation Forms


COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course presents basic concepts in the theory and practice of human-computer interaction, motivated by and rooted in the goal of designing effective interactive computer systems and their user interfaces.

Topics include interactive system design methodologies, understanding users and user needs, task analysis, interviews and questionnaires, the psychology of the user, modelling users and systems, user interface development tools and processes, interface evaluation, video analysis, experimental design, designing for a work context, and groupware and computer-supported cooperative work.

All students will work in 3 person teams on a variety of assignments exploring basic approaches and techniques used in human-computer interaction. No single-person teams are allowed.

This course is cross-listed at the 4th year undergraduate and 1st year graduate levels. The major difference between the undergraduate and the graduate courses is that graduate students are expected to contribute more to class discussion, to ask deeper questions, and to present more detailed analyses in their assignments. It is recommended that graduate students attempt to cluster together in their own project teams.

OBJECTIVES
1. To introduce the student to key issues in human-computer interaction.
2. To introduce the student to the literature of the field of human-computer interaction.
3. To stress the importance of human factors in the design of interactive computer systems.
4. To provide the future interface designer with concepts and strategies for making design decisions.
5. To give the student concrete experience in:
6. To prepare the student for real-world software and systems design, of which human-computer interaction and user interface design is an essential component.
7. To faciliate communication between soon-to-be computer scientists and human factors engineers on interactive computer system and user interface development projects.

TEXTS
Ronald Baecker (1997). CSC428F Lecture Notes. (Baecker) (To be posted to class WWW site).

William M. Newman & Michael G. Lamming (1995). Interactive System Design. Addison-Wesley. (NL)

Ronald Baecker, Jonathan Grudin, William Buxton, and Saul Greenberg (1995). Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: Towards the Year 2000. Morgan Kaufmann. (BGBG)

COURSE PHOTOGRAPHS
During the second week of class, pictures of students will be taken at the CSSU. It is strongly recommended that you do this.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE CLASS
News about changes in the class, the course notes, assignments, etc. will be posted on the ut.cdf.csc428h@cdf newsgroup. You are expected to stay in touch this way.

FACILITIES
Assignments 1 and 3 will be carried out on Sun worksations located in Rooms 201 and 203 of CDF. Assignment 4 will be carried out in the CSC428F Video Analysis Lab, EA107. Further details will be provided with the Assignments.

TEAM WORK
Students will team up in groups of three for their assignments (two with permission of their TA). The assignments are a considerable amount of work and require a team to exchange ideas, pool skills, carry out and observe human-computer interactions, and help manipulate equipment. Teams are also the standard fashion in which real-world user interface design is carried out.

You are expected to form a team for Assignment 1. You can keep this team for the remainder of the semester, or make changes before Assignment 2. You must keep the same team for Assignment 2, 3, and 4, because these assignments are linked together as part of a series.

A few rules about teams.

1. Students will need to find their own team members. A portion of the time in tutorials can be used to talk with other students and build a team. It is strongly recommended that you allocate time each week before or after a class to meet with your team members.

2. In extreme cases, students can break with a team (i.e., divorce), but the entire team must come to the teaching assistant together and give good reasons why they are breaking up, and must also propose which new teams they are joining (see 3 below). Otherwise a team will be considered in place from Assignment 2 through the end of the term.

3. In extreme cases, students can join new teams (i.e., remarry), but the new team must confirm to the teaching assistant that they are willing to accept the new member.

4. No single membered teams will be permitted. The assignments are simply too much work.

5. Note: You will sometimes have to work with other people in your life who you feel are not carrying their share of the load or doing the work at the level you desire. Your teaching assistant will be happy to help resolve problems if this occurs, and you are having trouble in dealing with team members or negotiating compromises.

Assignment 1 will be handed in and graded individually. Assignments 2, 3, and 4 will be graded as a team, with an individual participation measure to be described later in the term.

COURSE STAFF
Ronald Baecker is Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Management at the University of Toronto, and Director of the Knowledge Media Design Institute of the University. He is an active lecturer and consultant to industry on topics including human-computer interaction and user interface design, computer-supported cooperative work and learning, multimedia, and entrepreneurship in the software industry. He is the author or co-author of four books, Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: A Multidisciplinary Approach (with Bill Buxton), Human Factors and Typography for More Readable Programs (with Aaron Marcus), Readings in Groupware and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work: Facilitating Human-Human Collaboration, and Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: Toward the Year 2000 (with Jonathan Grudin, Bill Buxton, and Saul Greenberg), and the author of two published videotapes, Sorting Out Sorting and The Dynamic Image. He has a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from MIT.

Ben Barkow is adjunct course faculty and President of Behavioural Team, a company consulting in Applied Psychology. Since leaving Bell Labs in 1969, he has completed 475 projects and papers of which 120 are specific to computing interfaces. Computer projects include financial software, media and networks, military systems, transportation automation, training, smart devices, and voice/phone systems. He was in charge of mounting the compendium of human factors (MIL SPEC 1472) in HyperCard. Ben is the current Chair of ACMÕs ToRCHI and is registered as a Psychologist. His Ph.D. is from York University where initially he taught in Fine Arts.

Joanna McGrenere is a Ph.D. student in Computer Science specializing in human-computer interaction.

Jade Rubick is a M.Sc. student in Computer Science specializing in human-computer interaction.