Human-Computer Interaction

Course Requirements

Active participation in this course, through many forms such as class discussions, small group break-outs, teamwork, is highly encouraged.

This is a project-based course that requires students to work in teams to design, implement and evaluate a mobile user interface through an iterative process. As part of your team project, you will be expected to do the following:

• Identify a problem that could be addressed through the development and deployment of a web app.
• Develop a conceptual design for a novel user interface.
• Implement the user interface you have designed using low and high fidelity prototyping tools.
• Document your user interface with pictures, video, diagrams, and text in a web page that will remain a part of the Human-Computer Interaction course online gallery.
• Present the interface you have built in class.

In addition, students are required to complete individual homework assignments as well as four quizzes about topics discussed in lecture and readings.

Reading Material

There is no required textbook for this course. The reading materials will be available on the class schedule linked to the relevant resource. If you would like to dive into the material and purchase a textbook to follow along, you can obtain one of the following books:

Recommended reading materials and textbooks:
Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things (DOET)
B. Shneiderman, C. Plaisant, M.Cohen, S. Jacobs, N. Elmqvist, N.Diakopoulos, Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction (6th Edition)
A. Dix, J. Finlay, G.Abowd, R. Beale, Human-Computer Interaction (3rd Edition)

Grading

Grades for the course will be determined by the following:
Project - 50%
Homework assignments - 20%
Attendance/Participation - 10%
Quizzes (4 total, 5% each) - 20%

Grading Policy: There is no arbitrary limit on the number of A's, B's, C's etc. for the class, and every student will be assigned the grade they earn and deserve according to the rubric for each assessment.

The mapping from numerical score to letter grades looks like this: >= 95.00 is an A; >= 90.00 is an A-; >= 86.67 is a B+; >= 83.33 is a B; >= 80.00 is a B-; >= 76.67 is a C+; >= 73.33 is a C; >= 70.00 is a C-; >= 60.00 is a D; < 60.00 is an F

Late Assignment Policy:

You are encouraged to submit assignments on the requested deadline but you may submit it up to 48h after the deadline (weekends and holidays counting in total as one 24h period). If you need extra time beyond this grace period, it is required that you contact the instructor and discuss a plan for completing the assignment. We will work together to make sure that plan is a reasonable and effective so that it supports both your learning and your health.

Collaboration Policy

The Wellesley College honor code applies to CS220. This course emphasizes collaboration, as working effectively within teams is an important part of the innovation culture. Working with a team provides you with opportunities to develop and improve interpersonal, communication, leadership, and follower-ship skills. Group assignments and team project are also important for learning integrative skills through the development of a complex system.

I strongly encourage you to get to know all of your classmates and to collaborate extensively with them. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this course, you may be strong in some areas but weak in others. Please share your strengths, and feel free to ask others for help.

Here is a summary of the collaboration policy:
In-class activities and discussion: This class requires your active contribution during our time together. Please come to class prepared and ready to contribute to our learning community. During class you will work in group using different online collaboration tools.
Assignments: No collaboration.
Project: Teams of 2-3 students work together to complete and submit project milestones. You will be assigned to a team.
Quizzes: Absolutely no collaboration.

AI usage policy

Aligned with its learning goals, this course encourages students to explore responsible and critical engagement with generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools such as ChatGPT, DALL·E, Midjourney, Claude and Gemini within the context of interaction design. If you choose to use GAI in this course, we ask that you limit interaction to brainstorming support rather than outsourcing your learning to these tools. For example, it is not appropriate to enter a full project or homework prompt into ChatGPT and submit its response as your own. More appropriate uses would be to use GAI as a brainstorming tool for smaller portions of your assignments, such as for color combo recommendations for your projects or advice on how to structure an in-class presentation. If we feel that your use of GAI becomes inappropriate, we will have a discussion together on how your interaction with the tools needs to change.

You need to be mindful about the following aspects of these tools:

• They can produce incorrect information in a very believable way (known as “hallucinations”), if you take the output of generative AI for its word you might learn incorrect information.
• They are trained on old information and might not have the most up-to-date information that we discuss in class.
• Generative AI is trained on large volumes of data from the Internet and the ethics of its usage and proper attribution to originators is a controversial topic.
• Generative AI has a significant negative environmental impact.

We draw your attention to the fact that different classes at Wellesley implement different AI policies, and it is the student’s responsibility to conform to expectations for each course. This policy is subject to being updated during the semester, particularly if we feel students are interacting with GAI in inappropriate ways.

CS Department Policies

As a part of this course, students and faculty are expected to adhere to the Computer Science Department Guidelines, which are designed to create a positive and productive learning environment. These guidelines emphasize respect, integrity, inclusivity, and transparency, ensuring that our department prepares students to lead in a world shaped by computation and data. For a detailed description of these principles and guidelines on attendance, timeliness, respect for others, exam policies, and how to share your thoughts with us, please refer to the Computer Science Department Guidelines.

Accessibility and disabilities

Every student has a right to full access in this course.

If you need immediate accommodations, please arrange an appointment with me as soon as possible so we can discuss immediate arrangements. You can also ask your dean to email me directly if they are familiar with your situation and you would prefer they reach out.

If you have a disability or condition, either long-term or temporary, and need reasonable academic adjustments in this course, please ensure that I receive a note from Disability Services. Additionally, schedule a meeting with me to discuss these plans in person.

If you are unsure but suspect you may have an undocumented need for accommodations, you are encouraged to contact Disability Services. They can provide assistance including screening and referral for assessments. Doing this as early as possible will help since some situations can require significant time for accommodation design. Disability Services can be reached at disabilityservices@wellesley.edu, at 781-283-2434, or by scheduling an appointment online.

Religious observance

Students whose religious observances conflict with scheduled course events should contact the instructors in advance to discuss alternative arrangements. You may do this through the Wellesley College Religious Observance Notification System if you prefer.

Nondiscrimination and Harassment

Wellesley College considers diversity essential to educational excellence, and we are committed to being a community in which each member thrives. The College does not allow discrimination or harassment based on race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or any other protected status under applicable local, state or federal law.

If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or harassment, support is available to you:

• Confidential Reporting: Students can report their experiences to Health Services (781-283-2810); Stone Center Counseling Service (781-283-2839); or Religious and Spiritual Life (781-283-2685). These offices are not required to report allegations of sexual misconduct to the College.
• Non-Confidential Reporting: You can let your CS 230 instructor know. As faculty members, we are obligated to report allegations of sex-based discrimination to the Non-discrimination/Title IX Office.
• You can report directly to the Non-discrimination/Title IX Office (781-283-2451) to receive support, and to learn more about your options for a response by the College or about reporting to a different institution.
• You can report to the Wellesley College Police Department (Emergency: 781-283-5555, Non-emergency: 781-283-2121) if you believe a crime has been committed, or if there is an immediate safety risk.