Spring 2005

05-650 Interface and Interaction Design

An interface is the link between a person and a designed object. The interface communicates how that object is to be used, and created ans experience for its user. Interaction design is the process of creating interfaces that define the behavior of the designed object, encompassing both usability and aesthetic dimensions of the artifact. In this course, we will explore issues that pertain to the design of visual, multimodal and tangible interfaces. The class will focus on elements of the larger interaction design process including basic design principles, information architecture and navigation, planning and brainstorming methods, and techniques for developing rapid sketches and prototypes.

Projects: Small Screen Navigation, Transactional Website

51-783 Conceptual Models

The challenge in human-centered design is not in conducting appropriate research, but in making the leap from research findings to design implications. Creating a model is often an important step toward creating consensus or a driving concept when working with multidisciplinary development teams. In this mini we will focus on one of the most challenging aspects of the design process. We will quickly develop a hunt statement, conduct discovery stage immersive research and use our findings to develop conceptual models and design implications.

Projects: Models of BlackBoard Use, Communication over Distance

05-899 Assistive Technology and Accessibility

This class will focus on computer accessibility, including web and desktop computing, and research in the area of assistive technology. The major learning goals from this course include:

• Develop an understanding of the relationship between disability policy, the disability rights movement, and your role as a technologist.
• Develop a skill set for basic design and evaluation of accessible web pages and desktop applications.
• Develop familiarity with technologies and research relating to accessibility including a study of optimal font size and color for people with dyslexia, word-prediction aids, a blind-accessible drawing program.
• Develop familiarity with assistive technologies that use computation to increase the accessibility of the world in general. Examples include memory aids, sign-language recognition, and so on.

05-630 Programming Usable Interfaces

This course is for those with moderate programming skills who want to express their interactive ideas in working prototypes. The course will cover several prototyping tools and require a number of prototypes to be contstructed in each. These will range from animated mock-ups through fully functional programs. The course will also cover usability testing of interactive prototypes. Prerequisities: proficienty in a programming language such as C, programming methodology and style, problem analysis, program structure, algorithm analysis, data abstraction, and dynamic data.

05-671 HCI Project I

The MHCI Project course is an 8-month long capstone project for the Master's of HCI program and integrates everything the students have learned in their coursework into one "end-to-end" experience. Students work in interdisciplinary teams with an industry sponsor to produce a working prototype that serves as a proof of concept of a novel service or product idea. In the first few months of the project , students conduct user research and brainstorm product ideas. The user research phase begins with students conducting contextual inquiries and background research to understand the nature and needs of the customer/user and tasks relevant to their problem. Based on that understanding, students go through an innovation phase producing product ideas situated to meet the identified needs. Then, over the summer, students engage in a prototyping and user-testing phase where they produce prototypes with increasing fidelity and iteratively test them with users to improve the design. They do weekly iteration cycles, so by the end of the summer, product prototypes are well refined and adapted to user needs. The end goal is a working prototype that serves as a proof of concept of the product idea.

45-820 New Product Management

The course focuses on the strategy for introduction of new products and services. In particular the course methodologies to enable you to a identify opportunities b read and interpret new product market research c develop concept test d test the product and refine the marketing mix elements and launch the product nationally and develop long range plans.

Fall 2004

05-610 Intro to Human-Computer Interaction Methods

Human computer interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field in which computer scientists, engineers, psychologists and social scientists, and design professionals play important roles. The main purpose of this field is to solve real problems in the design and human use of technology.

This course provides an overview and introduction to the field of human-computer interaction. It introduces students to tools, techniques, and sources of information about HCI. The course increases awareness of good and bad design through observation of existing technology. Using a systematic approach to design, the course introduces students to the basic skills of task analysis, and analytic and empirical evaluation methods.

Projects: Palm Redesign & Retrospective, CATO

05-899 Research Topics in Ubiquitous Computing

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing trend towards integrating sensing, communication, and computation into the physical world. No longer restricted to the office desktop, computers are becoming embedded in all aspects of our everyday lives, varying from electronic toys to smart cars, from augmented classrooms to intelligent homes. These computers are also becoming increasingly aware of the environments and situations in which they are used, from factors as simple as the current humidity and light level, to as complex as who is using the computer, where it is being used, and what the user's goal is. This push towards ubiquitous computing offers tremendous gains in coordination, safety, and efficiency in domains as diverse as real-time monitoring of soil conditions, helping patients with Alzheimer's disease, and support for emergency responders.

Projects: Wearable Body Monitor (pdf document)

05-813 Human Factors

This course uses theory and research from human factors, cognitive science, and social science to understand and design the interactions of humans with the built world, tools, and technology. The course emphasizes current work in applied domains such as automotive design, house construction, medical human factors, and design of information devices. The course also will emphasize not only individual human factors (e.g., visual response, anthropometry) but also the organizational arrangements that can amplify or correct human factors problems. Through reading, discussion, and projects, you will learn about human perceptual, cognitive, and physical processes that affect how people interact with, and use, technology and tools. You will learn why we have so many automobile accidents, voting irregularities, and injuries from prescription medication. You will learn some tried and true solutions for human factors problems, and some of the many problems in human factors that remain. You will also have gained experience in research in this field.

Projects: BoomBox Redesign (pdf document)

85-341 Organizational Communication

Most of management is communication. You communicate to get information that will be the basis of decisions, to provide a vision for the people who work for and with you, to coordinate activity, and to sell yourself and your work. The goal of this course is to identify sources of communication problems within an organization and ways to overcome them. To do this requires that we know how communication normally works, what parts are difficult, and how to fix it when it goes wrong.

The focus of this course is on providing you with a broad understanding of the way communication operates within dyads, work groups, and organizations. The intent is to give you theoretical and empirical underpinnings for the communication you will undoubtedly participate in when you move to a work environment. Because technology is changing communication patterns and outcomes both in organizations and more broadly in society, the course examines these technological changes. Readings come primarily from the empirical research literature.

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