Fall 2024
INF 385P Usability
DESCRIPTION
This course will give students a foundational introduction to user experience (also known as UX, CX, HCI) and introduce some of the core UX research methods in use today, as well as applying these methods to a product to create a final presentation that can hopefully be used in their portfolio/job seeking adventures. Accordingly, the class will cover 5 major areas: 1. Have an in-depth understanding of some primary UX methods relevant to product development (e.g. Heuristic evaluation, Moderated User testing, UX Benchmarking). 2. Understand the principles of other important UX tools/methods (e.g. Information architecture tests (card-sorts), RITE testing, Competitive Analysis, Thematic coding of qualitative data, etc.). 3. Have a working understanding of the most frequently used UX methods at each point of the development lifecycle, with a specific focus on which methods are best suited to evaluative research. 4. Learn the scientific underpinnings of the various methodologies, including the specific advantages and disadvantages of each. 5. The “real world” application of these skills to industry-paced projects
COURSE NOTES
The class will cover 3 major areas: 1. The role of UX testing in the design & product development process, including which methods are best suited to specific types of questions and at specific points along the development cycle 2. The joint process of research planning, implementation, data analysis and synthesis, as well as the final reporting of findings to stakeholders 3. The “real world” application of these skills to industry-paced projects
PREREQUISITES
Graduate standing.
RESTRICTIONS
Restricted to graduate students in the School of Information through registration periods 1 and 2. Outside students will be permitted to join our waitlists beginning with registration period 3.