The course SFWR ENG 4D03, Design of Human Computer Interfaces, will cover the following topics and subjects in various degrees of extent, detail and depth.

Designing human-computer interfaces

• Overview
• Importance of considering first the goals and needs arising from the application and the human users (and the technical possibilities only secondarily) when designing human-computer interfaces
• Guidelines and techniques for solving problems arising in the design of human-computer interfaces
• Selected examples and small case studies of both good and bad human-computer interfaces
• HCI design principles

• The human body’s sensors (input channels): eyes, ears, nose, taste buds, hands, fingers, skin
• The human body’s actuators (output channels): speech organs, hands, fingers, feet, etc.
• Ergonomical considerations (similarities and differences between individuals)

• Psychology of sensory perception: characteristics and limitations, visual, aural, tactile, etc.
• Psychology of human information processing: characteristics and limitations, attention and memory span, reaction times, etc.
• Choice of, e.g., colours, blinking frequencies, brightness, contrast, reflective vs. luminous backgrounds, ambient lighting, etc.
• Data overload
• Similarities and differences between individuals
• Speed and capacity of different "input" and "output" channels
• Consequences of repetitive and habit-forming interactions

• standard VDUs
• keyboards
• pointing devices
• printers
• sticks, levers, switches, knobs
• special purpose visual displays
• speech recognition
• speech output
• sensors for position, velocity, acceleration

• Text
• Tables
• Graphical methods for presenting complex data (quantitative and qualitative)
• Virtual reality
• Special high-priority warning signals to cut through masses of information

• User navigation and flow
• Consistency
• Immediate (on-line) vs. delayed interaction
• System active, user passive vs. user active, system passive interaction
• States and modes of the system
• State and mode diagrams
• User awareness of the mode
• User’s mental model of the computer system, perceived vs. actual state
• Users’ mental models of system: vary greatly with regard to precision, accuracy, degree of subjectivity and objectivity, even superstition!
• Error detection
• Support for user correction of errors, undo functions
• Embedded (help) documentation

• Specifying and documenting human-computer interfaces
• Program structure
• Modularization
• Testability
• Maintainability
• Modifiability
• Extensibility by non-computer specialists
• Tools for supporting designing and programming human-computer interfaces