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Interactive Systems Design

Overview

  • Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
  • Convenor: Dr Rachel Jacobs
  • Assessment: to be confirmed (30%) and a two-hour examination (70%)

Module description

Modern software systems are interactive and personalised and operate in a large variety of contexts. Systems and digital artifacts vary enormously in size and complexity and utilise a range of technologies. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach that can deal with this variety.

In this module we introduce you to the practical issues of creating interactive systems and products from a human-centred perspective. We will cover methodologies, techniques and technologies involved in the design of high quality interactive systems, products and services, and techniques for reflecting on a design throughout the development of the interactive system. The focus is on the design and evaluation of interactive system rather than on the programming aspect.

Indicative syllabus

  • Essentials of designing interactive systems: key concepts and how these are applied to different types of systems
  • The process of human-centred design
  • Usability
  • Techniques for designing interactive systems: understanding the requirements, prototyping and evaluating design ideas
  • Methods for understanding users
  • Design methods
  • Evaluation methods
  • Task analysis
  • Contexts for designing interactive systems: case studies of interaction design in contexts that are dominating the subject today
  • Web-based interactive systems
  • Agents and avatars
  • Mobile computing

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • discuss essential facts, concepts, principles and theories of interactive systems design
  • discuss fundamental issues relating to the design and implementation of interactive systems
  • describe processes, methodologies and techniques involved in the design, implementation and effective deployment of interactive systems
  • recognise social, ethical and professional issues and risk involved in the design of interactive systems
  • recognise specifications and guidelines to design interactive systems for a particular context
  • apply theoretical understanding of design methodologies to interactive systems
  • evaluate interactive systems in terms of general quality attributes and possible trade-offs within a particular context.