ADTS1600 Interaction Design and Prototyping Course description

Interaction design is an interdisciplinary discipline in which experts from several disciplines are involved in the development process from idea to final product. Product design, graphic design, anthropology, communication and cognitive psychology are included as subject disciplines in addition to information technology.

In the course the students will get to know these subject areas, but the practical work will be limited to the development of prototypes, user testing, evaluation and some graphic design.

No requirements over and above the admission requirements.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student is capable of:

• different prototyping techniques
• user-centered design
• Research through Design
• sketching / drawing techniques, simple graphic design, shape and color use
• general design principles for good user experiences. Emotional design
• theories of communication, basic psychology, observation
• tools for making interactive prototypes (digital tools, Arduino, sensor technology)

Skills

The student is capable of:

• be able to work out ideas in teams and make decisions
• be able to produce interactive prototypes using simple means (paper) and more advanced digital tools
• be able to use knowledge of form, color and graphic design in designing products
• be able to describe goals for usability and user experience
• be able to perform user tests and use the results in further development of a product
• be able to use known evaluation methods (heuristic evaluation, cognitive walk-through)

General competence:

The student is capable of:

• working on the development of concepts for given issues
• testing ideas on users through early prototyping
• communicating ideas to other designers, developers, management, users and clients

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• is aware of the importance of evaluating and testing IT systems
• is capable of explaining different techniques and using systems for the evaluation and testing of IT systems
• understands how evaluation and testing relate to other activities in the development process

Skills

The student:

• is familiar with and uses techniques to evaluate and test IT systems
• is capable of preparing evaluation and test reports

General competence

The student:

• is familiar with techniques and theories that promote good quality in IT systems
• is aware of the importance of testing IT systems

Lectures and practical exercises. In the practical exercise sessions, the students will work on assignments, both individually and in groups (2-4 students), under supervision.

Exam form: Portfolio assessment. The portfolio shall consist of a total of four parts:

• A group report (normally 3-5 students) of 15-20 pages describing the development process and showing theoretical and practical skills.
• The three compulsory submissions will also be processed and included in the folder.

One overall grade is given for the portfolio.

The exam result can be appealed.

In the event of resit and rescheduled exams, another exam form may also be used or a new assignment given with a new deadline. If oral exams are used, the result cannot be appealed.

None.

Exam form:

Part 1) A three-hour individual written exam (50%)

Part 2) Written project assignment (approx. 20 pages and appendix) in groups (2-4 students) (50%).

The exam grade can be appealed.

Both parts of the exam must be awarded a grade E or better in order to pass the course.

Part 1) None

Part 2) All

Grade scale A-F.