Teaching

This course explores the history, goals, principles, and emerging areas of human-computer interaction. Topics include theories of interaction, user-centered design, visual communication, prototyping, and interface evaluation. Through a semester-long team project, students apply these methods to design, implement, and evaluate an interactive interface, progressing from needfinding and low-fidelity prototypes to usability studies and final presentations.

Learning objectives:

• Understand the theories and principles of effective interface design and evaluation.
• Critically evaluate existing interfaces using HCI methods and techniques.
• Design, prototype, and evaluate a new interface through an iterative, user-centered process.
• Explore emerging HCI trends and applications through peer-reviewed research.

This course offers instruction in developing cutting-edge interactive technologies, exploring the underlying engineering principles, and tracing their evolution over time. Students work in a studio format, dedicating extended periods to building both software and hardware prototypes. Topics include interactive technologies such as multi-touch, augmented reality, haptics, wearables, and shape-changing interfaces. Through a group project, students create their own interactive hardware/software prototypes and present them in a live demo at the end of the term.

Learning objective:

• Understand the principles behind interactive technologies such as multi-touch, augmented reality, haptics, wearables, and shape-changing interfaces.

• Analyze the evolution and future trends of interactive technologies.

• Collaborate effectively in teams to design and develop both hardware and software interactive prototypes.

• Apply an iterative design process to prototype, test, and improve technologies.