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Usability Evaluation Methods (INFO20004)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5Not available in 2017
Overview
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AIMS
How do we know if our digital designs will be usable and useful when people take them up in their work or social lives? Poor designs lead to errors and frustration and result in a substantial waste of money and resources. It is crucial that digital designers carefully evaluate and iterate their designs throughout a well-structured process. In this subject, students will build on the foundational material from the preqrequisite subject Fundamentals of Interaction Design to learn the key industry methods and tools used to conduct usability evaluations and develop understanding about when these methods should be applied and how to interpret their findings.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
- Theoretical foundations of usability evaluation
- Usability and user experience
- Lab-based evaluation methods (e.g., observation, eye-tracking, think aloud)
- Field studies / “in the wild” evaluations
- Expert- and user-based evaluations
- Analysis of usability evaluation data
Intended learning outcomes
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILO)
On completion of this subject the student is expected to:
- Have an understanding of a broad range of evaluation methods for digital technologies in terms of their strengths and limits; including ethnographic field study, user surveys, field experiments, laboratory experiments, user experience trials.
- Have an understanding of the different types of data of technology use and how to interpret them, including field observations, interviews, online use-logs, measurements of errors and efficacy.
- Have knowledge of the contemporary tools and environments for the design and evaluation of interactive systems, including those of the industry-standard usability-testing laboratory.
- Be able to interpret and analyse evaluation data to inform further design and development.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject, students should have developed the following generic skills:
- An ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution
- The capacity to solve problems, including the collection and evaluation of information
- The ability to communicate designs and design thinking
- The ability to analyse and report different forms of data
- The capacity for critical and independent thought and reflection
- Profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship
- An expectation of the need to undertake lifelong learning, and the capacity to do so
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
INFO10003 | Fundamentals of Interaction Design | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Must be taken BEFORE, not concurrently.
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
Cannot be taken in the same study plan with
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
INFO30004 | Usability Engineering | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Additional details
- Assignment 1 – Evaluation Plan: Group project (3-4 students) to develop an evaluation plan for a given interactive technology. (1000 - 1500 words – 10%) and a presentation (10 minutes – 5%), due in week 5, requiring approximately 15 hours of work per student Addressing Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) 1, 2, 3.
- Assignment 2 – Evaluation Report: Group project (3-4 students) to collect and analyse data to evaluate the usability of a given interactive technology. Students will present their evaluation methods and findings in a written report (2000 to 3000 words) and group presentation (10 minutes), due in week 10, requiring approximately 25 hours of work per student (ILO 2, 4).
- Assignment 3 – Critical review. Individual report (2000 words) that reviews and contrasts benefits/limitations of different evaluation methods, due in week 12, requiring approximately 30 hours of work. (ILO 1, 2)
- Take-home exam - Written take-home examination, end of semester, requiring approximately 40 hours of work per student (30%). The examination is a hurdle and must be passed to pass the subject (ILO 1, 2, 3, 4).
Hurdle requirement. To pass the subject, students must obtain:
- at least 50% (15/30) in the take-home examination.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
Not available in 2017
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no prescribed texts, although the subject will draw on selected chapters from the following book:
Olson and Kellogg (2014) Ways of Knowing in HCI. Springer
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Informal specialisation Bachelor of Design Elective Subjects - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
Subject coordinator approval required
Last updated: 3 November 2022