Term Project

Human-Computer Interaction Seminar

INLS 357, Fall 2004

Choose one of the two term project options. You are encouraged to work in teams of 2-4 individuals. Individual projects must be justified to the instructor. For both options, a final, written report that documents the study or the design is required.

Option 1. Design and conduct a usability study for an existing system

1. Select a system and write a description that includes system goals, user population, features, and a context for the system (e.g., competing systems, any previous studies, major revisions).

2. Conduct an expert critique and make redesign recommendations, including sketches or prototypes for new interface features. This critique should be submitted well before midsemester.

3. Either conduct a comparative analysis with another existing interface OR conduct a usability study with appropriate subjects. You may wish to use the IDL but be sure to schedule in advance. In all cases, appropriate Institutional Review Board procedures must be followed. See http://research.unc.edu/services/human_sub.html for instructions and forms. See User Study Notes for an outline/checklist (http://www.ils.unc.edu/~march/courses/357_f04/User_Study_Notes.html).

Option 2. Design and prototype an interface for a system of your choice.

1. Define a specific application. The interface should be guided by a well-defined task set and a clearly specified user population.

2. Produce a set of design specifications (the different versions of the design specifications will be turned in as part of the design) and use them to mock up the prototype using paper screen displays or electronic prototyping tools.

3. Based on feedback from peers and potential users (discount usability), revise the design specifications and create a functional prototype of the interface with a tool such as Visual Basic, Java/JavaScript/PHP/HTML, Tkl/Tk, etc.

Timeline for Project

1. A statement of project/topic and team composition is due September 8 (third week) (verbal and written outline)

2. A design outline/plan of operation/extended outline is due October 13 (eighth week) verbal

3. Intermediate products should be turned in on arrangement with instructor. Expert critique (Option 1) and design specifications (Option 2) before midsemester.

3. Final product/paper is due December 1.