Ergonomics of Multimedia Applications

Code:

CC017

Acronym:

ERGAM

Instance: 2011/2012 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://www.icicom.up.pt/~bsg/wiki
Responsible unit:	Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Communication Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CC	15	Plano Oficial a partir de 2008/2009	3	-	5	52	135

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

. Systematise, analyse and reflect on the main topics of discussion related to interaction design, in particular accessibility, usability, emotive design.
. Understand, implement and evaluate a scenario of interaction between man/computer, working on the methodologies for designing an interface, project techniques and prototyping.

Program

. Web accessibility
(state-of-the-art; automatic and manual evaluation);
. Web usability
(state-of-the-art; heuristic analysis and user testing);
. Emotive design
(methods for an emotionally rich interaction);
. Product development cycle
(Conceptual models; prototyping);
. New paradigms of interaction.
Comments on the literature
Online documents: http://delicious.com/giesteira

Mandatory literature

Donald Norman; Emotional Design, Basic Books, 2005. ISBN: ISBN 0-465-05136-7
Donald Norman; Design in EverydayThings, New riders, 2000
Jakob Nielsen; Designing web usability, New riders, 2000
Brenda Laurel; Computers as theatre, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1993. ISBN: ISBN 0-201-55060-1
Donald Norman; Things that make us smart: defending human attributes in the age of the machine, Reading (MA), Perseus Books, 1993
Jakob Nielsen; Usability Engineering, AP Professional, 1993
Jakob Nielsen; Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity, New Riders, 2000
Jakob Nielsen and Robert L. Mack; Usability inspection methods, John Wiley, 1994
Tufte, E.R.; The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Connecticut: Graphics Press., second edition, 2002

Teaching methods and learning activities

. All classes will consist of explanation, theory and practical components.
. The lecturer will introduce the themes and related materials, bibliography and case studies for the students to write and edit a personal article in a blog, duly substantiated.
. Each student will create a blog to edit articles on the themes presented in class. These articles will then be discusses by fellow students.
. The practical component consists of an individual or group project (no more than 2 members), supervised and discusses in class.
. This project must also be systematised and updated in the student’s weblog, which will then be monitored b y the lecturer after classes.
. The subject of Ergonomics of Multimedia Applications will have a work Wiki - http://www.icicom.up.pt/~bsg/wiki/doku.php?id= - designed to organise all classes, provide study resources and allow student-lecturer contacts.
. The email bgiesteira@fba.up.pt will be available for after-hour queries.
. The lecturer’s timetable for extra-class appointments will be provided in due course

Software

Freehand; Illustrator; Flash; Photoshop; Dreamweaver
Programas de desenho vectorial; animação vectorial; tratamento de imagem
Editor de HTML; CSS; XML
Software de Apoio à deficiência visual: Lunar; Jaws; Daisy (et al.)

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	56,00
Blog posts of theoretical work	Trabalho laboratorial	42,00
Projects	Trabalho laboratorial	84,00
	Total:	-	0,00

Eligibility for exams

. Continuous assessment. Final grade will be the weighted sum of the project component (50%) and the theory assignment (50%).
. Project assessment will reflect the final quality of the prototype presented, according to the initial aims defined, the integration of interaction design components applied to the project, and the systematisation and follow-up of online information.
. The theory assessment reflects the understanding and in-depth knowledge (independent research, etc.) of the themes addressed, through the compilation of the various articles posted in the respective weblog, as well as the quality and relevance of comments posted by fellow students.
. Online articles will be continually monitored and commented by the lecturer. There will be two intermediate sessions to present the projects (date to be determined).

Calculation formula of final grade

. Final grade will be the weighted sum of the project component (50%) and the theory assignment (50%).

Classification improvement

. Students must pre-enrol in the subject no later than 31 October.
. The improvement of grades is done according to the parameters of the assessment type in force
normal: project (50%) + theory assignment (50%).
. For assessment purposes, all coursework must always be supervised by the lecturer.
. If a student is not able to attend classes, s/he may book an appointment with the lecturer to discuss project work.
. Classes will be set aside for project submission. Students’ performance during the presentation of projects in as important assessment element.

Observations

Online resources
. http://del.icio.us/giesteira