Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Informatica (Computer Engineering) - Torino Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Data Science And Engineering - Torino
Nowadays, computing devices are ubiquitously present and integrated in our daily life. Sensors and actuators are, indeed, embedded in home appliances, lights, or cars; wearable devices like smart watches provide information at glance and act as always-on and personal digital extensions; smartphones and tablets are widely spread. Moreover, most of such devices are Internet-connected and people communicate with them by using various interaction paradigms, ranging from “click”, to “touch”, to gestures, speech, or tangible manipulation. As the technology improves, however, we are challenged of how to design suitable interfaces and interactions, so that people can use such technologies with “joy” rather than “frustration”.
This course would provide a strong foundation to address this challenge. In addition, the course will give students hands-on practice to master this complexity and to develop innovative solutions by adopting a modern human-centered design process while building a web application to serve a set of target users. In the end, students will learn how to design and build technologies usable, useful, and used.
Nowadays, computing devices are ubiquitously present and integrated into our daily life. Indeed, sensors and actuators are embedded in home appliances, lights, or cars; wearable devices like smartwatches provide information at a glance and act as always-on personal digital extensions; smartphones and tablets are widely spread. Moreover, most of such devices are Internet-connected and powered by Artificial Intelligence. People communicate with them using various interaction paradigms, ranging from "click", to "touch", to gestures, speech, or tangible manipulation. As the technology improves, however, we are challenged with designing suitable interfaces and interactions so that people can use such technologies with "joy" rather than "frustration".
This course would provide a solid foundation to address this challenge. It will give students hands-on practice to master this complexity and develop innovative solutions by adopting a modern human-centered design process while building a prototype application to serve a set of target users. In the end, students will learn how to design and create technologies that are usable, useful, and used.
Knowledge:
- Concepts of Usability, User Experience
- User centered design processes and their application
- Novel Interaction Technologies
Skills:
- Developing a working prototype according to a human-centered design process
- Mastering some novel interaction technologies
- Experience joint development of a project in a group of engineers
Knowledge:
- Concepts of usability and User Experience.
- Human-centered design processes and their application.
- Novel interaction technologies.
Skills:
- Developing a working prototype according to a human-centered design process.
- Mastering some novel interaction technologies.
- Experience joint development of a project within a group of engineers.
- Programming skills
- Knowledge on web and related technologies/languages (e.g., HTML, JS, client-server architectures, …)
- Attitude towards working in teams
- Programming skills.
- Knowledge of web and related technologies/languages (e.g., HTML, JS, client-server architectures, …).
- Attitude towards working in teams.
Course topics will cover three areas:
- Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction: history, the human, the computer, vision of the future (0.5 credit).
- Building interactive applications with a human-centered process. The main tasks and methods to design, develop, and evaluate an interactive application: needfindings strategies, low- and high-fidelity prototypes, mental models and visual design, heuristic evaluation, and basic concepts and methods for controlled experiments (3 credits of lectures and exercises).
This part will focus, in general, on the design process. In parallel, the concepts will be applied to a specific application domain and a specific interaction technology and carried on during the lab hours in the course projects developed by student groups (1.5 credits).
- “Beyond WIMP” paradigms: e.g., tangible interaction, wearables, voice user interfaces, gestures, eye tracking, and interaction with IoT systems. Each paradigm will be discussed from different perspectives, ranging from rationale and vision, to contemporary examples and development tools (1 credit). Thematic seminars on emerging topics will also be included, as well as the illustration of specific “case studies”.
Most of the topics will have a theoretical (in-class) foundation plus hands-on (in-lab) experiences by using web technologies. Students’ projects will follow the proposed human-centered design process and will submit intermediate deliverables. Projects will consist of a modern web application, in which one of the “beyond WIMP” technologies is exploited for user interaction.
During the course, communication within teams and with teachers as well as project development will adopt contemporary solutions and tools (e.g., Git and GitHub, Slack, …).
Course topics will cover three areas:
- Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction.
- Building interactive applications with a human-centered process. The main tasks and methods to design, develop, and evaluate an interactive application: needfindings strategies, low- and high-fidelity prototypes, mental models and visual design, heuristic evaluation, and basic concepts and methods for user studies (3 credits of lectures and exercises).
This part will focus, in general, on the design process. Students will apply such concepts to a specific application domain in developing a group project, which they will carry on during the lab hours (2 credits).
- "Beyond WIMP" paradigms, such as interaction with AI-powered systems, tangible interaction, voice user interfaces, and gestures. We will discuss selected paradigms from different perspectives, ranging from rationale and vision to contemporary examples and development tools (1 credit).
The learning method is both project-based (i.e., students learn by doing a project) and problem-based (i.e., the project work starts from real users’ needs), with teams of students working together towards a common goal.
Project-related activities will start since the beginning of the course and teachers will provide support and guidance for the entire semester. The project will be accompanied by deliverables to be prepared before given deadlines.
The course may include live seminars by people from industry or other organizations.
The learning method is project-based (i.e., students learn by doing a project) and problem-based (i.e., the project work starts from real users' needs), with teams of students working together towards a common goal.
Project-related activities will start at the beginning of the course, and teachers will provide support and guidance for the entire semester. Students will propose possible project topics, which teachers need to approve. Projects will follow the proposed human-centered design process and will be accompanied by assignments to be prepared before some given deadlines. All assignments will be done in groups except one, which will be individual.
Such assignments will be the primary way to check the project activities and provide feedback, and they will not be graded until the exam. Feedback is there to help students improve the next step in their course project, thus being separated from grading.
At the end of the course, projects will consist of interactive prototypes developed as modern applications in which "beyond WIMP" paradigms might be exploited for user interaction.
During the course, communications and project development will adopt contemporary solutions and tools (e.g., Git and GitHub, Telegram/Slack, etc.). Lectures and in-class exercises will be video-recorded and made available after each class.
The course may include live seminars by people from industry or other organizations, such as thematic panels on emerging topics to illustrate specific case studies.
* Course slides and related materials (e.g., links, readings, …)
* Selected chapters of:
- Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory Abowd, Russell Beale: Human Computer Interaction, 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall, 2004, ISBN 0-13-046109-1
- Shneiderman, Plaisant, Cohen, Jacobs, Elmqvist & Diakopoulos: Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 6th Edition, Pearson, 2016, 013438038X / 9780134380384
* Course slides and related materials (e.g., links, readings, …)
* Selected chapters of:
- Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory Abowd, Russell Beale: Human Computer Interaction, 3rd Edition, Prentice Hall, 2004, ISBN 0130461091
- Shneiderman, Plaisant, Cohen, Jacobs, Elmqvist and Diakopoulos: Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 6th Edition, Pearson, 2016, ISBN 013438038X / 9780134380384
Slides; Esercizi; Esercizi risolti; Video lezioni dell’anno corrente; Strumenti di collaborazione tra studenti;
Lecture slides; Exercises; Exercise with solutions ; Video lectures (current year); Student collaboration tools;
Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato scritto individuale; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;
Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual essay; Group project;
...
The exam consists in a written test (in class) and in the evaluation of the group project. The two parts are mandatory and must be taken in the same academic year.
The written exam will be closed-note (no books nor notes) and on the topics covered during the lectures (i.e., no code or project-related questions). The duration will be 60 minutes, and will consist of a set of open questions. It will account for 40% of the score, with a minimum threshold.
The group project will be evaluated through an oral session, where all group components must be present.
The evaluation criteria for the group project include: effort invested in the project activity; originality, complexity, and richness of the solution; methodological and technical correctness; completeness and communication quality of the deliverables; presentation and oral discussion; individual contribution. It will account for 60% of the score.
Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.
Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Individual essay; Group project;
The exam consists of submitting and presenting the group project within the same academic year. Projects will be discussed and revised along the course with teachers (see the "Course structure" section).
Groups will submit their project before the exam date (i.e., seven days before), and they will discuss their final work through an oral session, where all group components must be present. In addition to the group project, students will submit an individual assignment, which is related to the project and part of the human-centered process followed during the course.
The material to be submitted for the exam includes a) a report summarizing the group assignments, b) the individual report describing the individual assignment, and c) the source code of the final project's prototype.
Students will demonstrate the skills and knowledge acquired during the course with the development of the project and the individual assignment, and they will further deepen them during the oral discussion.
The assessment is expressed on a scale from 0 to 30, with the project accounting for 20 points, the individual assignment up to 6, and the oral discussion for the other 4 points. Additional points (up to 2) can be assigned for the project (significant originality, complexity, and richness of the work), the effort invested during the course (labs and feedback sessions), and for the oral discussion (quality and richness of the discussion). These additional points will allow students to reach 30L.
Overall, the evaluation criteria will include the following:
- Invested effort in the project activity.
- Originality, complexity, and richness of the work.
- Methodological and technical correctness of the entire process.
- Completeness and communication quality of the deliverables.
- Quality of the presentation and oral discussion.
- Individual contribution.
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.