C SCI 4600 - First Day Handout

Welcome to C SCI 4600
The Human-Computer Interface

Spring Semester, 2002


Class Meets:	Tue Fri  12:00-1:50 pm  (LOW 3051)


Instructor:	Ephraim P. Glinert
Office / Phone:	Amos Eaton 127 / x-2657


I have 2 e-mail accounts!
	For simple text use:	glinert@cs.rpi.edu
	For attachments use:	ephraim_at_home@hotmail.com


Office hours:	Tuesdays, 2:00-4:00 pm
		Thursdays, 11:00 am-2:00 pm


	My general policy is that you are welcome to phone my office
	or to drop in ANY TIME. On rare occasions, I may ask you to
	call back or return later if I'm busy.


Course TA:	Arvind Venkatesan

Course overview. The objective of this course is to get you thinking seriously about how people communicate with computers, both for input and output, whether in general or for specific applications. In today's world, human-computer interaction (HCI) is heavily influenced by the products and de facto standards developed by Microsoft Corp. But things were not always that way, and even in the Microsoft era there are other key factors at work as well. The World Wide Web has become a dominant force. Small, hand-held devices are playing an increasingly important role for many tasks and applications. New algorithms and hardware are making it possible to exploit multiple human sensory modalities in exciting ways. We will review the rich history of HCI, see what today's state of the art is, and imagine what tomorrow may hold. We will learn basic concepts, explore design issues, and acquire practical experience in evaluating interfaces of various kinds. Throughout the semester, the emphasis will be on learning through watching and doing, rather than on formal lectures.

Course text. The following excellent recent book is REQUIRED:

$\bullet$ "Web Site Usability: A Designer's Guide" by Jared M. Spool et al.
Morgan Kaufman Publishers, 1999 (ISBN 1-55860-569-X)

The following brand new book is RECOMMENDED as an outstanding reference and modern overview of the field--worthy of inclusion in your personal library--but it will not be required:

$\bullet$ "Human-Computer Interaction in the New Millennium" edited by John M. Carroll
ACM Press/Addison Wesley, 2002 (ISBN 0-201-70447-1)

In addition, we will make use of sources from the scientific literature (especially conference proceedings), and numerous videos, as explained below.

What we will do in class. You will participate in several different types of activities as part of this course. Lectures in the traditional format just don't seem to me to make much sense for this type of material, so we won't have any.

TUESDAY ACTIVITIES:

In-class exercises. There will be about half a dozen of these, as time allows. They will provide us with a means for exploring important issues in interface design in an interactive (human-human as well as human-computer) setting. Some of these exercises may extend over more than a single session. They will usually be conducted in small teams. At the end of each in-class exercise, brief 3-5 minute oral presentations by representatives of several teams, to be followed within 10 days by a written report from each team which summarizes the lessons learned, will be required. Here are examples of topics we may consider in this format:

      $\Box$   Extrapolating where we might be in 10 years' time if the plethora of current
               hand-held devices converge.
      $\Box$   Exploring alternatives in the design of a single interface component--e.g., a
               touch screen toggle button which can be used to select or de-select an item.
      $\Box$   Designing visualizations for both hierarchical and linear information which allow
               users to retain a sense of context while moving among the various displays.
      $\Box$   Using the "Game of Adumbration" to explore how little screen real estate an
               icon may require and still get its intended message across.
      $\Box$   How might a team of users exploit hand-held PDAs to collaboratively perform
               real tasks efficiently?
      $\Box$   How can we design a "Personal Mobility Assistant" to help visually impaired
               people traverse uneven terrain with confidence and security?
Presentations from the scientific literature. Becoming familiar with the current scientific literature, particularly conference proceedings, is an important skill which is sometimes overlooked in undergraduate courses. During the second part of the term you will investigate some aspect of HCI by reading one or more papers presented during the past two years at major scientific conferences organized by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The specific selections will be determined in accordance with your personal interests, in consultation with me, and will be drawn from sources such as the following, all of which are available for perusal online in the ACM and IEEE digital libraries to which Rensselaer subscribes, as well as in traditional hardcopy format in my office:

      $\Box$   ACM Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI)
      $\Box$   ACM User Interface Software and Technology (UIST)
      $\Box$   ACM Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI)
      $\Box$   ACM/SIGCAPH Assistive Technologies (ASSETS)
      $\Box$   IEEE Wearable Computers (ISWC)
      $\Box$   IEEE Visual Languages (VL), recently renamed Human-Centric Computing
               Languages and Environments (HCC)

After carefully and thoroughly digesting your readings, you will present and evaluate what you've learned to the class. In your talk, which should be timed to last approximately 25-30 minutes, your mission will be not only to distill the important results from your paper(s), but also to critique the research for positive and negative qualities, as may be appropriate. For your talk, you are encouraged to use MS/PowerPoint on your laptop or from the computer on the classroom podium; you may also take advantage of the classroom VCR and overhead projector if you wish. A one-page handout containing full citation information as well as an abstract for your paper(s) will be required. More details will be provided when the time comes.

FRIDAY ACTIVITIES:

Video labs. Each week, we will watch one or more scientific videos. Some of these will allow you to hear guest lectures by renowned computer scientists on relevant topics; others will explore important concepts in ways which would not be possible using traditional media, or will enable you to see systems in action which would be impossible using computer equipment available on campus (either because they are one of a kind research prototypes or because they are of historical interest). At the conclusion of each video lab you will be expected to summarize in writing what you've learned by completing a brief "lab report" on special forms which will be provided. Here's a sample of some of the tapes we'll see:

1.
"All the Widgets." Scroll bars, menus, command and radio buttons, etc. What are the components of the graphical human-computer interface? This video, edited by Brad Myers of CMU, is an encyclopedic compendium of the many ways in which they had been designed and implemented up to 1990 (before the era of Microsoft standardization).
2.
"Creating a Well-Designed User Interface." Tandy Trower, director of the Advanced User Interface Design Group at Microsoft, discusses his experiences and shares his perspectives on creating practical applications for consumers.
3.
"Doing with Images makes Symbols: Communicating with Computers." This talk, recorded over a decade ago, features Alan Kay. Now an Apple Fellow, he envisaged the laptop more than a decade before there even were personal computers! Perhaps we can learn something from how he and his colleagues kept a keen eye on the every-day world to help them conduct their pioneering research.
4.
"Visual Programming in Data Flow Environments." Craig Upson of Silicon Graphics explores novel ways in which programmers might interact with the computer, and discusses some of the underlying technical issues.
5.
"Automatic Speech Recognition." Kai-Fu Lee from Apple Computer recorded this talk in 1993, discussing what was then the state of the art and speculating on what might be possible in 10 years. Let's see if he got it right!

We will also view a number of research collections from major conferences such as ACM's CHI and UIST.

The homework projects. Your grade for the course will be determined, in part, by the classroom activities outlined above. The remainder of the grade will derive from 3-4 homework projects, as time allows, all of which will relate to design, implementation and/or evaluation of web and/or interface resources. The first of these assignments may be found at the end of this handout.

Tests. None will be given.

The course letter grade. Your grade will be computed according to the following simple algorithm:

1.

You get ONE POINT for doing each of the following:

Participating in the in-class exercises, missing no more than one at most.
Participating in the video labs, missing no more than two at most.
Presenting a talk from the scientific literature, and attending the presentations by your classmates, missing no more than one session at most.
Satisfactorily completing all homework assignments in a timely manner.

So you can get up to FOUR POINTS IN TOTAL.

2.

Your letter grade will then be calculated as follows:

4 POINTS $\longrightarrow$ A 3 POINTS $\longrightarrow$ B 2 POINTS $\longrightarrow$ C 1 POINT $\longrightarrow$ D

Note that PARTICIPATION IN CLASS ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER is key to success! I will be delighted if you all earn 4 points, and thereby get a grade of "A" in the course. But should circumstances arise which you feel warrant special consideration in determining your final grade, please do not hesitate to come discuss them with me. In particular, if you know you will need to miss a class, please let me know in advance!

Approximate course syllabus. The following is intended to give you a good idea of what we will do, especially during the first part of the semester; I will try my best to adhere to the schedule shown, but some deviation may be unavoidable.

$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Jan 15: Introduction and Course Overview.

$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Jan 19: Video Lab. "The Machine that Changed the World--Part I" (PBS/ACM). This remarkable documentary chronicles the development of the computer, and affords you a rare opportunity to see and hear some of the people involved talk about the marvelous devices they invented. Pay particular attention to the human-computer interface!

$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Jan 22: In-class Exercise I.

$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Jan 25: Video Lab. "The Machine that Changed the World--Part II" (PBS/ACM). The continuation of this documentary chronicles the developments in the computer industry through the end of the 1960's and explains the tie-ins to the space program.

$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Jan 29:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Feb 05:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Feb 12:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Feb 26:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Mar 05: In-class Exercises II-VI NOTE: No class on Tue, Feb 19, as this has been declared a Monday for scheduling purposes.

$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Mar 12 and Fri, Mar 15: SPRING BREAK!

$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Mar 19:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Mar 26:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Apr 02:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Apr 09:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Apr 16:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Apr 19: Student Presentations from the Scientific Literature. Talks which should have been on Tue, Apr 23 will instead be given on the preceding Fri, Apr 19, to avoid a scheduling conflict.

$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Feb 01:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Feb 08:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Feb 15:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Feb 22:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Mar 01:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Mar 08:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Mar 22:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Apr 05:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Apr 12:
$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Apr 23:
$\longrightarrow$ Fri, Apr 26: Video Labs NOTE: No class on Fri, Mar 29 due to Passover. The video lab on Fri, Apr 19 has been moved to the following Tue, Apr 23, due to a scheduling conflict.

$\longrightarrow$ Tue, Apr 30 Course Wrap-Up.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #1
Due: Friday, March 1

Read the text by Spool et al. in its entirety. We want to apply the ideas in the text to the evaluation of two airline web sites, with respect to three tasks which people might reasonably want to perform:

1.: Price a roundtrip ticket between points A and B for given dates.
2.: Price a roundtrip ticket between points A and B for the lowest possible fare, when the travel dates are somewhat flexible.
3.: Price a ticket for a "triangular" (three segment) trip from point A to point B to point C returning to point A.

You choose the two airlines whose web sites you want to check out, subject to the constraint that one must be a major United States carrier (such as American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest, United, US Airways, etc), whereas the other must be an international carrier (such as Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, El Al, Japan Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, etc). Try to perform each of the three tasks enumerated above in turn, for both sites. Keep records of how long it takes you to complete the tasks (e.g., how many links you have to follow), of what difficulties you encounter (e.g., blind alley from which you need to backtrack), and other relevant information in accordance with the criteria for good web site design discussed in the text. DO NOT ACTUALLY BUY ANY TICKETS, PLEASE!

When done, prepare a written report in which you:

Summarize your findings for the three tasks posed above.
Critique the two web sites you explored with respect to the textbook's criteria.
Discuss whether the criteria in the text are incomplete or inappropriate in some way for today's web--the book was written about 3 years ago--and if so what would you change?

Use MS/Word and other Office tools as needed to prepare your report, then e-mail the report to me by the due date. CAUTION: Be sure to use the correct address when sending me attachments!