Seminar in Principles of Usability: Designing Software that people will want to use

1
Seminar in Principles of Usability Designing
Software that people will want to use

• Amir Rahat
• (Sorry its in English - my Intel habits)

2
Agenda

• What is Seminar on Usability
• What is a Seminar?
• What is a User Interface?
• What will you need to do in this Seminar, and how
  will it be graded?
• Schedule of Seminar meetings
• What you need to do this week
• Pick a paper, partner and date
• Introduction User Interface Design
• Or "Oh, just do what I want, you confounded
  machine!"

3
A Seminar is a guided reading of recent research
papers columns

• The Seminars paper list contains "classical"
  research papers, advice "columns" and SW product
  reviews, grouped in tasks
• Each week, a student (or two) presents one paper
  or task to the class (approximately 75 minutes),
  and it will be discussed in class (approximately
  15 minutes). I will be presenting in the first
  two weeks
• Presenter should explain the main points, with
  additional examples if needed
• At the end of the seminar, all participants
  should submit a short written report
• Discuss the usability (good bad) of 2-4
  Software products (programs, tools, games, web
  pages etc.) using the concepts and tools learnt
  in the seminar.
• The main goals of the Seminar
• Understand the state of the art in the
  development of usable Software
• Study useful development techniques and learn how
  to apply them
• Develop a "personal taste" about the advantages
  and disadvantages of the various approaches to
  Software design
• Practice self-learning, presentation and review
  skills

4
What is a User Interface

• The methods and devices that enable interaction
  between machines and the human beings who use
  them, communicating information from the machine
  to the user and back
• Examples computers (video screens, keyboards,
  and pointing devices), voice mail, automated
  phone systems, VCRs, automobiles, toasters, and
  any machine in general

5
What will you need to do in this Seminar?

• Read, understand, prepare and present one
  research paper or task
• Presentation should take about 75 minutes,
  followed by a 15 minutes discussion led by you
• Paper/task can be from my list, or a different
  paper approved by me
• Attend other presentations (no less than 8) and
  be on time
• Submit a short written report. Each report should
  select 2-4 Software products (programs, tools,
  games, web pages etc.) and discuss their
  usability (both positive and negative) using the
  concepts and tools learnt in the seminar.
• About 3-5 pages of Word document or equivalent
• Preferably sent electronically (will be posted in
  the seminar web page)
• Individual work
• Submit within 3 weeks after the last Seminar
  meeting (currently scheduled for January 6).
• Learn, teach and have fun

6
How will your work be graded?

• Grade Structure
• 65 for paper presentation
• 20 for class participation
• 100 Class participation requires at least two
  cases of notable contribution to the discussion
  in class, with deductions for more than 2
  absences and for being very late to class.
• 20 for homework
• 5 teacher's discretion
• Grades over 100 will be rounded to 100.
• Students will receive a short written review of
  their accomplishments, explaining how their
  grades were determined
• There will be no final exam, but there is a final
  report to be submitted
• Examples
• If you only attend your own presentation and it
  is perfect, you get 65
• If you do no homework, you cannot exceed 90
• If you get a balanced 90 on ALL your tasks, you
  can get a 100

7
Schedule of Seminar meetings
Note The presenter(s) in the first week get
extra grade for their presentation to account
for the short preparation time
8
What you need to do this week

• Pick a paper/task and date
• In special cases, a paper can be presented by two
  students
• You may pick a paper not in my list, subject to
  my approval
• Contact me (details in the handouts) to reserve
  the date paper
• First come, first serve!
• The first presenter (28/10) gets special
  consideration due to limited time to prepare
• If we have more people than weeks you can either
  ask to join another presenter (if they agree) or
  we can schedule extra sessions that will not be
  mandatory for other people
• Start working on your presentation!!!
• Notes
• It is OK to sit in any (or all) seminar meetings
  without registering or presenting and without
  official credit
• I will publish the schedule of papers, presenters
  dates as soon as possible