Usability Evaluation Methods (INFO20004)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
From 2023 most subjects will be taught on campus only with flexible options limited to a select number of postgraduate programs and individual subjects.
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Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery |
|---|---|
| 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, students are expected to be able to:
- Conduct a broad range of evaluation methods for digital technologies, and to select appropriate methods in terms of their strengths and limits; including ethnographic field study, user surveys, field experiments, laboratory experiments, and user experience trials
- Interpret and communicate different types of usability data, including field observations, interviews, online use-logs, measurements of errors and efficacy
- Apply contemporary knowledge of the tools and resources of an industry-standard usability-testing laboratory
- Evaluate usability findings to inform the re-design and further development of digital technologies
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: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| INFO10003 | Fundamentals of Interaction Design | Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
| 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: 31 January 2024
Assessment
| 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 (2 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%) plus video presentation (5 minutes - 10%), 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 | 30% |
Quizzes - Five best results from regular short online quizzes.
| Throughout the teaching period | 10% |
One written take-home open book examination, due end of semester. ILO's 1, 2, 3 and 4 are addressed in the examination.
| End of semester | 45% |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Wally Smith Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours, comprising 2 x 1 hour lectures and 1 hour tutorial Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 25 July 2022 to 23 October 2022 Last self-enrol date 5 August 2022 Census date 31 August 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 23 September 2022 Assessment period ends 18 November 2022 Semester 2 contact information
Wally Smith
Time commitment details
170 hours
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
- 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.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
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
Last updated: 31 January 2024