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2022　Prototyping UX

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Academic unit or major
Undergraduate major in Industrial Engineering and Economics
Instructor(s)
Seaborn Katie 
Class Format
Lecture / Exercise    (Face-to-face)
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon7-8(W9-508)  Thr7-8(W9-508)  
Group
-
Course number
IEE.C306
Credits
2
Academic year
2022
Offered quarter
3Q
Syllabus updated
2022/4/20
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
English
Access Index

Course description and aims

This hands-on, skill-building course will introduce engineering students to the practice of prototyping user experiences (UX) with computer-based technologies. Through in-class activities and project work, students will learn guidelines for best practice and develop applied skills in prototyping for human-computer interaction (HCI) with modern technologies and toolkits. Key topics include the maker and open source movements, prototyping for user research, vocabularies of interaction, international standards and design patterns, Internet of things (IoT) and web programming, maker kits, basic applied skills in prototyping tangibles, voice interfaces, wearables, and graphic user interfaces (GUIs), and more. The main objective is to enable students to design, develop, and test their own prototypes for their research thesis and class work. Students will be able to transfer this applied knowledge and skill base into future work in academia and technical industries.

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Describe key concepts in prototyping for UX and the domains in which prototyping is historically and presently carried out.
2. Make design and development decisions based on knowledge of human factors, international standards, and industry-level guidelines.
3. Demonstrate an ability to craft a variety of basic prototypes using a range of modern technologies, toolkits, and development environments.
4. Communicate the reasons behind design decisions and justify these with respect to user findings and/or guidelines of practice.
5. Extend the knowledge and skills developed in this course to future thesis work, coursework, research, industry, and beyond.

Course taught by instructors with work experience

✔ Applicable How instructors' work experience benefits the course
Instructor worked in industry and as a contractor.

Keywords

Design practice, prototyping, user experience (UX), user-centered design, human-computer interaction, interaction design, practical skills, programming

Competencies that will be developed

✔ Specialist skills Intercultural skills Communication skills Critical thinking skills ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

The first class each week will introduce a new topic, incorporating interactive activities (e.g., demos, brainstorming), individual reflection, and group discussion. Students may be given a tutorial or homework assignment in preparation for the second class. The second class will be dedicated to hands-on exercises and project work. Attendance will be taken within the first 5 minutes of every class.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Foundations Explain key concepts at a high level. Explain the history of prototyping, including the maker and open source movements.
Class 2 Interaction Fundamentals Explain the basics of interaction design and how interfaces can be designed to harness or support human senses and abilities.
Class 3 Standards and Guidelines Explain why we use these, where do they come from, and the most common ones.
Class 4 Hands-on with Graphical User Interfaces Demonstrate ability to use a modern web tool to create a basic interface.
Class 5 Interaction on the Web Explain modern approaches, paradigms, and tools for web-based interaction.
Class 6 Hands-on with Web Interaction Demonstrate ability to create basic interactions using modern web tools.
Class 7 Prototypes for Research Explain the role of prototyping in user research, especially to answer research questions about people.
Class 8 Hands-on with Voice Interaction Demonstrate ability to use text-to-speech (TTS) libraries and tools.
Class 9 Interaction Beyond the GUI Explain the basics of developing tangible and physical computers, wearables, mixed and augmented reality, and virtual reality.
Class 10 Maker Kit 1: Sensors and Actuators Learn the basics of electronics, a maker kit like Arduino, and basic input/output.
Class 11 Maker Kit 2: Interfaces and Interactions Demonstrate ability to create a simple user interface and/or display.
Class 12 Towards an Internet of Things (IoT) Demonstrate ability to combine web skills with maker skills to create IoT prototypes.
Class 13 Studio Refine a previous in-class project or work on the final project.
Class 14 Presentations Present and discuss the final project with classmates.

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

n/a

Reference books, course materials, etc.

n/a

Assessment criteria and methods

The main graded components will be the in-class assignments (40%), a team assignment (31%), a final individual project (30%), and attendance (14%). Assignments are typically due at 23:59. Late assignments will be penalized by 25%.

Related courses

  • IEE.C203 ： Engineering Psychology
  • IEE.A207 ： Computer Programming (Industrial Engineering and Economics)

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

IEE.C304: Ergonomics

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