I480 Experience Design and Evaluation of Ubiquitous Computing

Transcription

1 I480 Experience Design and Evaluation of Ubiquitous Computing Department of Human-Centered Computing Indiana University School of Informatics and Computing, Indianapolis Instructor: Office: Phone: Website: Stephen Voida, Ph.D. in Computer Science, Assistant Professor IT 483, Informatics & Communications Technology Complex 535 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis, IN [map] (317) (Office) Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: None COURSE DESCRIPTION The course focuses on ubiquitous computing and related interface/system design, and user-experience issues. Applications include interactive systems that support natural/gesture/touch-based interactions on devices such as mobile, extra-small-and-large displays, and other non-traditional pervasive technologies. Projects include interaction and evaluative techniques; field observation, contextual inquiry, ethnography, survey/interviews, and cognitive walkthrough. Course Outcomes: The learning objectives of this course include the following: Become familiar with a variety of high- and low-fidelity prototyping techniques and demonstrate expertise with at least three of these techniques; Become familiar with a variety of HCI evaluation techniques and gain experience using them in conjunction with sketches and prototypes of differing fidelity levels; Gain experience thinking about the diversity of user experience design challenges posed by the ubiquitous computing paradigm; Build experience and exposure to working as part of a collaborative design team; Utilize a breadth of sketching and HCI evaluation techniques in a realistic product design assignment; To analyze a design challenge and think systematically about the best combination of prototypes to communicate a single, final design or a number of design alternatives to representative users; and Understand the purpose and structure of a design critique meeting and have experience presenting and soliciting feedback about their design ideas from others. 1

2 The focus of this course is not (necessarily) the implementation of high-fidelity ubicomp prototypes (e.g., coding apps or building working environments), but rather gaining experience across a breadth of prototyping techniques that communicate different aspects of ubiquitous computing system design to a student s future clients, colleagues, or employers. Required Texts and Materials: Title: Ubiquitous Computing Fundamentals Author(s): Krumm, John (Ed.) Publisher: Chapman and Hall/CRC Press Book site: UbiquitousComputingFundamentals/ ISBN: Amazon link: John-Krumm/dp/ / Title: Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook Author(s): Greenberg, Saul; Carpendale, Sheelagh; Marquardt, Nicolai; and Buxton, Bill Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Book site: ISBN: Amazon link: Workbook/dp/ / Required Software: Microsoft PowerPoint imovie, Final Cut, Adobe Premiere, or similar video-editing software Eclipse or Android Dev Studio Other Required Course Materials/Supplies: (a full list, examples, and recommended sources will be provided in class: A sketchbook A presentation portfolio A handful of inexpensive prototyping supplies 2

3 (TENTATIVE) COURSE SCHEDULE Week Topic(s) Reading(s) In-Class Deliverable(s) 1 Course introduction and overview IA: Introduction 2 Sketching: Getting into the mood Evaluation: The review Ubicomp: Introduction 3 Sketching: Sampling the real world Ubicomp: Ethnography 4 GP: Data collection in the field (no class meeting) 5 Sketching: The vanilla sketch Evaluation: Uncovering mental models Ubicomp: Ubicomp systems 6 Sketching: Slideware Evaluation: Sketch boards Ubicomp: GUI to UUI 7 Sketching: Sketching with office supplies Evaluation: Think aloud 8 Sketching: Hybrid sketches Evaluation: Wizard of Oz Ubicomp: Location SUE: , 6.5 UCF: 1 SUE: UCF: 5 SUE: , 6.1 UCF: 2 SUE: , 6.4 UCF: 6 SUE: 3.7, 6.3 SUE: , 6.2 UCF: 7 IA: Sketching GP: Speed dating GP: Sign-ups IA: Crit 1 GP: Fieldwork madness IA: Sketches 1 GP: Problem stmt. IA: Crit 2 IA: Sketches 2 IA: Crit 3 IA: Sketches 3 GP: Poster session 1 IA: Crit 4 IA: Sketches 4 3

4 Week Topic(s) Reading(s) In-Class Deliverable(s) 9 Sketching: Physical sketches Evaluation: Heuristic evaluation Ubicomp: Context-aware computing SUE: 3.11 Nielsen article UCF: 8 IA: Crit 5 IA: Sketches 5 10 Sketching: Visual narrative Evaluation: Cognitive walkthrough 11 Sketching: Animated sequence Ubicomp: Field studies I 12 Sketching: Linear video Ubicomp: Field studies II SUE: 4 Polson article SUE: UCF: SUE: 5.5 UCF: Prototyping: App workshop I Ubicomp: Privacy I UCF: IA: Crit 6 IA: Sketches 6 GP: Poster session 2 IA: Crit 7 IA: Sketches 7 IA: Crit 8 IA: Sketches 8 IA: Video showcase IA: Sketches 9 14 Prototyping: App workshop II IA: Individ. project crit 1 Ubicomp: Privacy II UCF: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! (no class) 16 Wrapping up IA: Individ. project crit 2 Finals Final presentations, portfolios due Final grades available from the registrar GP: Final presentations and demos GP: Eval. plan IA: Portfolio GP: Portfolio SUE = Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook (Greenberg et al.) IA = Individually completed assignment UCF = Ubiquitous Computing Fundamentals (Krumm) GP: Group project assignment 4

5 EXPECTATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND POLICIES Assessment and Evaluation: Attendance and Reading Quizzes: 10% o Weekly reading quiz (12; 10 required. The two lowest-scoring quizzes are dropped): 1% each, 10% total Individual Assignments and Portfolio: 35% o Weekly sketching/prototyping exercises (9; 8 are required. The lowestscoring exercise is dropped): 3.125% each, 25% total o Individual design project: 10% Group Project (no late credit given): 45% o Group project team sign-ups: 5% o Fieldwork madness: 5% o Articulation of the design problem: 5% o Mid-term poster presentation 1: 5% o Mid-term poster presentation 2: 5% o Final project presentation/demo: 10% o Final project portfolio: 10% o For each component of the group project, 50% of the grade is determined based upon peer and self evaluations Class Participation (including timely, respectful, and constructive participation in crits): 10% Students are responsible for completing each deliverable (e.g., assignment, quiz) by its deadline and submitting it by the specified method. Deadlines are outlined in the syllabus or in supplementary documents accessible through OnCourse. Should a student miss a class, he or she is still responsible for completing the deliverable and for finding out what was covered in class, including any new or modified deliverable. In fairness to the instructor and students who completed their work on time, a grade on an individual assignment deliverable shall be reduced 10%, if it is submitted late and a further 10% for each 24-hour period it is submitted after the deadline. Because the reading quizzes are designed to serve as an attendance check for the course and group projects require coordination among multiple team members, no late credit will be given for reading quizzes (see below) or missed group project deadlines. Reading Quizzes: In order to ensure that all students are adequately prepared for discussion and ready to join in the in-class activities, very short (multiple choice and/or short answer) reading quizzes will be given at the start of each class period. These quizzes will cover all readings assigned for that week. Of the twelve reading quizzes, only ten will be counted towards students final grade for the course; the lowest (or 2 missed) reading quiz scores will be dropped. 5

6 Individual Assignments and Portfolio: Over the course of the term, students will be introduced to a wide variety of sketching and prototyping techniques. Nearly every lecture meeting will include a hands-on "studio" session focused on developing students' skills with a particular class of design techniques, as well as making them aware of how these techniques might be used to communicate particular aspects of a design. Each week, students will be expected to complete an individual design exercise, which will give them an additional opportunity to practice applying a sketching or prototyping technique. (Some exercises may be completed in a small group of 2-4 students.) Each of these exercises will address a design challenge from a different sub-area within ubiquitous computing. The deliverables from these exercises will be due at the beginning of the first class meeting after they are assigned. They will be evaluated primarily on the creativity of thinking represented and the communicative effectiveness of the deliverable; less focus will be placed on the artistic merit of the submissions. Of the nine exercises, only eight will be counted towards students' individual assignments grade for the course; the lowest (or 1 missed) exercise score will be dropped. Students will also complete one, in-depth design project on their own, where they will explore one of the design challenges from the weekly exercises more deeply and from different perspectives. The outcome from this project will be a more thoughtfully developed ubicomp product or system design, comprising at least 20 sketches or prototypes using at least three of the techniques introduced in the course (e.g., a suite of artifact design sketches, a Foamcore model of the artifact, and a video sketch of how the artifact might be used in a real-world scenario). Group Project: Students will work in teams of 3-4 to conduct informal, exploratory field work in a broad domain specified by the instructor, develop sketches and prototypes representing a novel ubiquitous computing technology or environment that addresses some well-identified user need, and carry out early-stage evaluations of these sketches and prototypes with representative users. The main deliverables for the group project are: After conducting several hours of ethnographic data collection, each group will deliver a five-minute madness presentation and produce a one-page report describing the research challenge that they will be addressing, the anticipated audience for the final sketches/prototypes, and any relevant design constraints that they have identified, themselves. Initial sketches and storyboards representing a large diversity of potential design alternatives, presented at two poster sessions for feedback from the instructor, student peers, and other members of the IUPUI informatics community. A written evaluation plan detailing a series of methods and that the team has chosen to elicit feedback from representative users about the usefulness and usability of their emerging designs, as well as selection criteria for the participants in this informal evaluation study and any relevant privacy or participant 6

7 protections that will need to be undertaken to guarantee that the UX research is being conducted ethically. It is strongly recommended that this evaluation plan be written using the IU Institutional Review Board documentation as a guideline. A minute presentation of the final design or design alternatives, comprising at least three of the techniques introduced in the course (e.g., storyboards illustrating multiple use cases, an animated sequence showing an interface walkthrough suitable for showing to potential users, and an interactive artifact that incorporates some degree of computation). The final sketches/prototypes should reflect significant input from both the course instructor and the representative users from whom feedback was solicited. This presentation should be a professional-quality overview of the research problem(s), an explanation of the design challenges and alternatives considered, and an exhibition/demonstration of the final sketches/prototypes. (Given during the final exam period) A professional-quality portfolio that presents an overview of the group project, at least 20 of your best representations of the sketches/prototypes that you developed over the course of the project (e.g., sketches, photographs of physical artifacts, video stills), and 2-3 pages (single-spaced) of written narrative to explain the rationale behind the design decisions that you made over the course of the project and the outcome of the evaluation study. (Due at the beginning of the final examination period) Completion of self- and peer-evaluation forms at each stage of the group project, summarizing the strengths, weaknesses, and relative contributions of all members of the project group during a given stage of the project. (Due as part of each group project component submission) Class Participation: The instructor expects students to be appropriately prepared for each lecture meeting, to attend all lectures on time, and to conduct themselves in a professional manner. During the course, students will have multiple opportunities to present and elicit peer feedback on their sketches and prototypes--based on both the weekly design exercises and the individual design project. A significant portion of each student's class participation grade will be determined by their performance in these critique sessions, which will be held at the beginning of class during most weeks of the quarter. When assigned to have their own work reviewed, students are expected to be prepared to provide a brief, professional presentation of their sketches and/or prototypes and to help guide the discussion. Students are also expected to provide thoughtful, respectful, and constructive comments when evaluating others' work. Absences must be explained to the satisfaction of the instructor, who will decide whether omitted work may be made up. To protect your privacy, doctor s excuses should exclude the nature of the condition and focus instead on how the condition affects on your coursework. 7

8 Grading Scale: A+ 100% Professional level work, showing highest level of achievement A 93 99% Extraordinarily high achievement, quality of work; shows command of the subject matter A 90 92% Excellent and thorough knowledge of the subject matter B % Above-average understanding of material and quality of work B 83 86% Mastery and fulfillment of all course requirements; good, acceptable work B 80 82% Satisfactory quality of work C % Minimally acceptable performance and quality of work C 73 76% Unacceptable work, does not demonstrate mastery C 70 72% Unacceptable work D % D 63 66% D 60 62% F Below 60% Incompletes: Because of the significant group project component of the course and the impact that student participation in group projects can have on one another s success, incompletes will typically not be granted. In extraordinary cases, the instructor may assign an Incomplete (I) grade in consultation with the Department chair and only if at least 75% of the required coursework has been completed at passing quality. All unfinished work must be completed by the date set by the instructor. Left unchanged, an Incomplete automatically becomes a failing grade (F) after one year. (See also for the University s official policy on incompletes.) ADDITIONAL POLICIES A complete list of campus policies governing IUPUI courses may be found online at: Selected policies are highlighted below. Academic Integrity All students should aspire to the highest standards of academic integrity. Each student in this course is expected to adhere to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct of IUPUI ( Incidences of academic misconduct shall be referred to the Department Chair and repeated violations shall result in dismissal from the program. This is an unpleasant process for all involved, so please do not put yourself in this situation. Classroom Civility To maintain an effective and inclusive learning environment, it is important to be an attentive and respectful participant in lectures, discussions, group work, and other 8

9 classroom exercises. IUPUI nurtures and promotes a campus climate that seeks, values, and cultivates diversity in all of its forms and that provides conditions necessary for all campus community members to feel welcomed, supported, included, and valued (IUPUI Strategic Initiative 9). Educational Accommodation I strive to design my courses in ways that accommodate students with a diversity of learning needs and styles. If you have needs that I haven t anticipated, please register with Adaptive Educational Services ( and notify me during the first week of classes about any approved accommodations. If you require accommodation for religious observances, please notify me by the end of the second week of the semester using the Request for Course Accommodation Due to Religious Observance Form ( Administrative Withdrawal A basic requirement of this course is that students participate in class discussions and conscientiously complete all required course activities and/or assignments. If a student is unable to attend, participate in, or complete an assignment on time, it is the student s responsibility to inform the instructor and make alternative arrangements. If a student fails to sign up for a group project team on time; does not actively participate in the first phase of the group project (ethnographic data collection, fieldwork madness, and problem statement submission); or misses more than half of the points for the reading quizzes and individual assignments within the first 5 weeks of the course without contacting the instructor, the student may be administratively withdrawn. Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications. Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and a student who has been administratively withdrawn from a course is ineligible for a tuition refund. 9