Topic outline

  • General

    This course introduces the foundations of scientific research in the area of human-computer interaction. Students carry out an end-to-end project in interaction with a real project customer. Project topics come from the Finnish ICT industry, the public sector, and research groups in the Helsinki area. The small group size of the course ensures intensive meetings with plenty of feedback, iteration, and a collaborative atmosphere. 

    The maximum number of students is limited to 20. In case there are more students wanting to join the course, selection will be based on study program and study success. 

    Workload and Format

    32 meeting hours + 8 assignments + 3 one-to-one meetings with the customer + independent research + final presentation. Note that the number of credits is adjusted based on actual load. (In 2018, the number of credits was set at 8.) Weekly meetings with lectures and exercises. Students work on their projects and present results in the meetings. Participation in weekly meetings is mandatory (maximum 3 absences).

    Example topics in 2018

    • Interaction as POMDP (Jussi Jokinen / Aalto)
    • Voice interaction for SENSE (Marko Saari / F-Secure)
    • Acono: Learnability (Yuxi Zhu / Elisa)
    • Culturally adapting Web UIs (Teemu Turunen / Futurice)
    • Foveated graphics for cloud gaming (Matti Siekkinen / Aalto)

    Learning objectives

    • Formulation of research problems 
    • User research methods
    • Representations of user research data
    • Design space analysis, task analysis
    • Sketching techniques
    • Model-based analysis of interface designs; optimization approaches
    • Research planning 
    • Research strategy
    • User testing; Experimental design; Statistical testing; Reporting empirical results
    • Data analysis and visualization methods for HCI data
    • Scientific reporting and presentations; pitching 

    Prerequisites

    Mandatory: ELEC-E7851 (or similar) or ELEC-D7010 (or similar)

    Recommended: A course on scientific writing

    Students of the University of Helsinki are welcome join the course but are asked to contact the teacher well in advance.