Usability Evaluation Methods (INFO20004)

Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability
Semester 2
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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 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: 8 November 2024

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
INFO10003 Fundamentals of Interaction Design
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

INFO30004 Usability Engineering

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: 8 November 2024

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

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.

  • 2000 words
Week 615%

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.

  • 3000-4000 words
Week 1130%

Quizzes - Five best results from regular short online quizzes.

  • 10 minutes (each)
Throughout the teaching period10%

On-campus examination

  • 2 hours
Hurdle requirement: To pass the subject, students must obtain at least 50% in the examination.		During the examination period45%

Last updated: 8 November 2024

Dates & times

  • Semester 2
    Principal coordinatorSarah Webber
    CoordinatorMartin Gibbs
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours36 hours, comprising of one 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour tutorial
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period22 July 2024 to 20 October 2024
    Last self-enrol date 2 August 2024
    Census date 2 September 2024
    Last date to withdraw without fail20 September 2024
    Assessment period ends15 November 2024

    Semester 2 contact information

    Sarah Webber
    s.webber@unimelb.edu.au

Time commitment details

170 hours

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Last updated: 8 November 2024

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

  • Subject notes

    LEARNING AND TEACHING METHODS

    The subject is delivered in 2-hour lectures plus 1-hour tutorials per week. Outside class, students will study the relevant theory and apply the learnings through reading, practising with exercising and conducting group work activities. Lab

  • 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

    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: 8 November 2024