Usability and Information Systems
Cod: 22146
Department: DCET
ECTS: 7
Scientific area: Computer Engineering
Total working hours: 210
Total contact time: 40

This learning unit intends to give students knowledge about the basic principles and rules for designing and developing usable user interfaces. This includes learning the iterative development cycle of an interface, starting from the identification of the users and the tasks they want to accomplish, the prototyping techniques and the identification of the best evaluation technique to be applied according to the project phase.

Usability
User Interfaces
User Interfaces Design

At the end of the learning process in this learning unit, students should be able to:
- Identify and apply the steps of the iterative development cycle;
- Discriminate the meaning of good and bad interface design;
- Recognize the basic principles and rules for creating interfaces and how to apply them;
- Apply methods to involve users in the development of the interface;
- List the various types of evaluation and know how to apply them correctly.

1. Usability and Usability Engineering
2. Requirements Gathering (User and Task Analysis)
3. Methods for Data Collection
4. Human Factors
5. Conceptual and Mental Models
6. Interaction Styles
7. Screen Design and Prototyping
8. Heuristic evaluation and Evaluation with users
9. Evaluation Data Analysis
10. Web Usability

Principal: Manuel J. Fonseca, Pedro Campos, Daniel Gonçalves, (2012), “Introdução ao Design de Interfaces”, FCA, Portugal (Principal)

Secundária: Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory D. Abowd, (2004), “Human-Computer Interaction”, Prentice Hall.

Secundária: Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp, Jenny Preece, (2011), “Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction”, 3rd edition, Wiley.

Blended learning

Evaluation is made on individual basis and it involves the coexistence of two modes: continuous assessment (60%) and final evaluation (40%). Further information is detailed in the Learning Agreement of the course unit.