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Usability Evaluation Methods (INFO20004)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Wally Smith
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Availability | Semester 2 |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
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 prerequisite 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
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 | No longer available |
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
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Assignment 1 - Evaluation Plan: Group project (3-4 students) to develop an evaluation plan for a given interactive technology (2000 words - 10%) and a presentation (10 minutes - 5%), due in week 6, requiring approximately 20 hours of work per student. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO's) 1, 2 and 3 are addressed in the group project.
| Week 6 | 15% |
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 (3000 to 4000 words - 20%) and group presentation (10 minutes - 5%), due in week 11, requiring approximately 30 hours of work per student. ILO's 2 and 4 are addressed in the group project.
| Week 11 | 25% |
One written 2-hour closed book examination, due end of semester (60%). The examination is a hurdle and must be passed to pass the subject. ILO's 1, 2, 3 and 4 are addressed in the examination.
| End of semester | 60% |
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Wally Smith Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours, comprising 2 x 1 hour lectures and 1 hour tutorial Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 1 November 2020 Last self-enrol date 14 August 2020 Census date 21 September 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 October 2020 Assessment period ends 27 November 2020 Semester 2 contact information
Wally Smith
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
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022