Instructor: Tonya Browning

Fall Semester 2003

Wed. 6-9 PM, FAC 9

Last updated: 12.3.03

Note: This page updated weekly with the most recent syllabus changes. An archived version is available as well.

Date links [ 8.27 | 9.3 | 9.10 | 9.17 | 9.24 | 10.1 | 10.8| 10.15| 10.22 | 10.29 | 11.5| 11.12| 11.19 | 12.3]

Date	Content	Assignment
8.27   What constitutes a design practice?	Brief lecture Introductions Syllabus & policy statements Join class email list (tlc331-browning@lists.cwrl.utexas.edu) http://babbage2.cwrl.utexas.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl	Design of Everyday Things (Ch 1) Flusser handout Purchase books On-line readings “Christopher Alexander: An Introduction for Object-Oriented Designers”: http://gee.cs.oswego.edu/dl/ca/ca/ca.html UI assignment 1
9.03 Patterns of design, design best practices	Class items Design examples from the class Join the class web forum by following the directions below: Click on the register link Students MUST register with the following user name convention: firstname_lastname (i.e. bob_smith) -- all characters in lowercase When students register, they will receive an email from the system asking them to click on the link in the email. The link will send them to a confirmation page. If they do not select that link, they will not be confirmed and will not be able to use the system Discussion of the readings Software gone awry lecture In-class activity	Notes on the Synthesis of Form (preface and Ch 1) interactions handout On-line readings Common Ground: http://www.mit.edu/~jtidwell/common_ground.html (read the preface and intro) Tog's First Principles: http://www.asktog.com/basics/firstPrinciples.html UI assignment 2
9.10   What do Norman and Alexander think about design practices?	Discussion of readings Mid-term project discussion and assignment Assignment 3 BBC News IMDB Buy.com Salon PETA IRS Spend 5 minutes going through the site individually, then join your group. Answer these questions: What is the purpose of the site? How does the information display help or hurt the site goals? Assess content, search functions and visual layout. Use terminology from our reading. Map the levels within the site (depth of site). Deconstruct the underlying features: Does it use Flash, HTML, ASP, etc. Can you tell if the information is dynamic? Do you (as a user) care? How usable is the interface? With your group, print out one page from the site and mark it up on a visual level. Be sure to make a capture this information in a document, which you will give to me with everyone's name on it. What objects does the site use to represent links, buttons or additional functionality? Present your findings to the class. Turn in your example to me w/everyone's name on it.	Design of Everyday Things (Ch 2-3) Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Ch 2-4) On-line readings Read about use case or task scenarios (here's an even more detailed explanation) and user personas A real world example of a user persona creation, based on Alan Cooper's description UI assignment 3 Respond to the questions about the readings on the web forum by next Tuesday IM availability this week: Thursday from 10-11p and Tues 8-11p (I'm out of town this weekend)
9.17 User Personas and Task Scenarios	Set up new logins to machines (check out teacher folder) Net results: Students will no longer need to use our labs to access teacher folders. Students will be able to SFTP (using SSH Secure Shell, Transmit or Fugu) from anywhere into gibson.cwrl.utexas.edu using this new login and place documents/websites/folders into your teacher folders (they'll be restricted by the permissions you set). When using a PC and double clicking on "Teacher-Transfer Folders," the students will now see a folder named the same as their CWRL login. This folder is actually tied to their respective teacher folder making browsing for teacher folders much simpler. No IF numbers will be used in the CWRL. Students need not sign up for IF numbers to use our labs. Complete project presentations Log into Trillian and discuss readings Mid-term project assignments User Persona exercise	Design of Everyday Things (Ch 4-5) Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Ch 5-6) On-line readings Jakob Nielsen article on "Heuristic Evaluation" Tog article on Interfaces that Kill Respond to the questions about the readings on the web forum by next Wednesday IM availability this week: Sunday from 8-10p and Mon 8-10p
9.24 Use Cases and Task Scenarios	Place assignment in your student folder (lastname_assignment1) in the assignment_drop in the teacher folder. You can create your own folder inside if you like. Mid-term project updates Use cases and task scenarios Visio Practice	On-line readings Alan Cooper on user personas More Use Case samples: Intro to UML and UML for a video store Storyboarding sample (visual) and high level Storyboarding in film IM availability this week: Sunday from 8-10p and Tues 9-10p
10.1 Telling stories: Storyboarding and Design	Guest presenter from traq wireless Discussion of readings Use cases and task scenarios Visio exercise Create your first use case	Design of Everyday Things (Ch 6) Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Ch 7) On-line reading Usability 101 IM availability: Tues 8-10p
10.8 Content driving form	Guest presenter David Schlosser Discussion of readings Visio exercise Group work time	Design of Everyday Things (Ch 7) Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Ch 8) On-line reading Universal Usability Guide by Ben Schneiderman Using Visio [hints from MS]   IM availability: Sun 9-10, Tues 8-9p
10.15 Mid-term work	Visio exercise Group work time	Work on your mid-term projects Respond to the questions about the readings on the web forum by next Wednesday IM availability: Sun 8-10, Tues 8-9p
10.22 Project Presentations	Mid-term project presentations Final project discussion	We will focus on discussion next week, so catch up if you're behind on the reading. Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Ch 9) On-line reading about Patterns General description of patterns from Brad Appleton (the link was from the Pattern Home Page) Welie's collected design patterns (this is the general URL, be sure to read the samples below) Using Grid layout in software design Basic web home page pattern IM availability: Tues 8-10p
10.29 Patterns of Design	Discussion of Readings Final Project assignment If you have not re-subscribed to the list you need to send an email message to the following address: join-tlc331-browning@lists.cwrl.utexas.edu Discussion Group Pattern exercise Using the list from Welie’s site, select 3 websites and at least 1 application on your computer that matches a particular pattern. List the pattern and take a screenshot of your example. Explain your findings to the class. Next, your group must add one *meaningful* comment to one of the patterns (we will discuss the breadcrumb example)	On-line reading From Eric Gould's MonkeyMEDIA site. Go to the site and select the reference link. Read "Five Styles of Interaction." A comprehensive paper summing up much of our reading in patterns entitled Interaction Patterns in User Interfaces. Read Notes on a Pattern Language for Interactive Usability. Assignments Complete the survey for your group by SATURDAY, Nov. 1 (remember, this is running off one of our home systems, so it may be a bit slow) Send a description of your project proposal to the class mailing list by Tuesday, Nov 4. IM availability: Sun 8-10p, Tues 8-9p
11.5 Interaction	Discussion of Readings Interaction Exercise Consider your final project selection Choose at least one of the interaction styles listed by Gould. Identify the particular elements from your initial design or redesign for your final project. Storyboard an example. Describe your example to the class.	Reading Handout from Tonya on cognition and interface design Assignments Post the goals of the UI redesign or creation for your final project to the class forum by next class Note, the CWRL site may be down this weekend IM availability: Sun 8-10p, Tues 8-9p
11.12 Distributed Cognition	Discussion of Readings We will have a guest speaker next week, please make an effort to be on time.	Reading Check out the winners of the ID Design Review; be sure to look at maharam, yin yu tang and hahnsmith design Assignments Work on your final project Note, the CWRL site may be down this weekend, I will send you email if that is the case. IM availability: Sun 8-10p, Tues 8-10p
11.19 Final Projects are nigh	Discussion of Readings Guest Speaker, Mafalda Stasi, e-Learning Enablement Manager for Lotus Worldwide ("Turning it into a Proper Business": The Fate of Complexity in Distance Learning Corporate Discourse) Class exercise Choose one of the following (ID design winning) sites to review. www.maharam.com www.hahnsmithdesign.com www.pem.org/yinyutang/ http://www.nike.com/nikepresto/ www.allsteeloffice.com/number19/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/ Using terminology from class and your own design practices, create a brief analysis of the site. Determine the audience for the site and decide if it has sufficiently addressed their needs. Examine navigation and interactivity in its context. Choose one example from the site that best illustrates your point. You chose this site because you liked it best. Explain why. Be ready to present your findings (in terms of audience, usability and your own practice) to the class.	Assignments Work on your final project IM availability: Tues 11/25 8-10p, Sun 11/30 8-9p, Tues 12/2 8-10p
11.27	No class
12.3 Presentations	Presentation of Final Projects Rules of the presentation You must be on time. NO exceptions. You will have five minutes at the beginning of class to copy over your work to your student folder. If you are working in a group, please turn in your work to the projects folder. Name the folder "Final_LastName[s]" for ease of access. You may also bring in a CD or hard copy of your information. Your group folder must include a readme.txt that details the group members' individual contributions. If you are doing a solo project, please copy it to your student folder. Name it the same way as above. Be sure to include a readme.txt if it's difficult to navigate. If you are doing an individual project, you will have 8 minutes to present. If you are doing a group project, you will have 10 minutes. I will hold you to these times. You must fill out an evaluation of your group to complete the final. I will post a link similar to the mid-term. Send me an email with your food request from Jason's Deli. I will be ordering for the class. Share and share alike.	Please be sure to submit a critique of your team members if you are not working on an individual project. This is an important requirement for group projects. This survey response is due by Friday, December 5.

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