Usability refers to the factors that make a product, service or other technology system easy for humans to use and understand. Typically, the more usable a system is, the more efficient the system will be, and the more users will be comfortable and satisfied with their use of the system. Usability considers human factors, ergonomics, psychology and efficiency; it also strives to make something that works for a range of people, without sacrificing functionality. In this course, students will analyze existing systems and use heuristics to communicate usability standards. Students will also create and test prototypes to understand how usability testing can improve human-computer interactions. You’ll explore several branches of user experience design, including interaction design, information architecture, navigation and user needs. 

• User Experience Research is recommended, but not required 

Lesson 1  

Design 

• Examine easy-to-use and not-so-easy-to-use interfaces, exploring key design principles (efficiency, error prevention, graphic design, learnability and visibility) and human capabilities that inform usable designs (attention, color vision, human error, motor skills and perception) 

Lesson 1 Assignments 

• Watch interview with Don Norman at UX Week, and come to class with three questions or ah-ha’s for in-class discussion 

Lesson 2  

Evaluation 

• We will explore techniques for evaluating and measuring interface usability, including persona development, heuristic evaluation and user testing 

Lesson 3  

Implementation 

• We will explore techniques for building and testing user interfaces, including low-fidelity prototypes and other prototyping tools