Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify key basic principles of human cognition and perception and apply them to the design of interactive systems. Explain the fundamentals of how human and interactive systems co-operate.
  • Deconstruct a design brief and user insights into user’s goals and scenarios of use. Carry out assessments, like Hierarchical Task Analysis to enable iterative design development.
  • Construct an interaction design prototype with a suitable fidelity level for the project objectives and the key scenarios. Critically assess, and apply, potential interaction design patterns.
  • Identify different evaluation methods (e.g., usability testing, experiments, field studies, heuristics), and explain their main advantages and disadvantages.
  • Carry out an assessment of a prototype, interaction design or complete system, by selecting between different evaluation methods.
  • Critically evaluate how to systematically assesses the overall experience of an interaction design, and design an evaluation accordingly.

Credits: 3

Schedule: 27.10.2020 - 13.11.2020

Teacher in charge (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022): Andres Lucero Vera

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Andres Lucero Vera

Contact information for the course (valid 07.10.2020-21.12.2112):

andres.lucero@aalto.fi

CEFR level (applies in this implementation):

Language of instruction and studies (valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022):

Teaching language: English

Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content
  • Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:

    The course will introduce the fundamentals of Interaction Design, for MA-level students. Theories, methodologies and pragmatic considerations on design for the interaction between humans and wide range of systems and services, from desktop computers to embedded and ubiquitous systems.

Assessment Methods and Criteria
  • Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:

    The student should show an in-depth practical understanding of interaction design.

    Assessment of learning takes place at the end of the course to establish student performance. A final grade is defined based on active participation during:

    • Lectures: minimum attendance of 80%
    • Flipped classroom: reading assignments before class where theory is introduced and discussed
    • Exercises: hands on in-class exercises

DETAILS

Study Material
  • Valid 01.08.2020-31.07.2022:

    The course materials first consist of slides prepared for each lecture, which are shared with students by the end of the corresponding day. Materials also consist of different artifacts created and used by the teacher in his (industrial) research work (e.g., consent forms, cultural probes, paper prototypes).

    In addition, reading materials consist of the ‘Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction’ book by Sharp, H., Preece, J., & Rogers, Y. (2019). In addition, further reading materials that are available to students online through the Aalto library are included at the end of each lecture in the slides.

SDG: Sustainable Development Goals

    4 Quality Education

    5 Gender Equality

    9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    10 Reduced Inequality

    12 Responsible Production and Consumption