Interface Design

Instructor

Tom MacTavish

Overview: This course examines key thought leaders in interaction design, their innovations, and the technology and business contexts that shaped the environment for their work. We will identify important technologies and innovations for human/computer interaction and seek to forecast their future capabilities. We will review and assess successful and failed designs to better understand the elements that led to significant design breakthroughs.
The course will cover specific interaction metaphors and discuss the merits and constraints of each including: Command lines, Text Editors, WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointing), Direct Manipulation interfaces, Gesture, Touch, Multi-touch, Voice Interaction, and other affordances.

After concluding a course of study in Interaction Design, the graduate will have gained perspective on the field on interaction design, be able to identify key thought leaders, and explain the innovations and circumstances that led to important progress for interaction design. Also, they will have gained an understanding of emerging design and technology trends that will help them identify future design breakthroughs.

Text: Bill Moggridge’s, Designing Interactions

Format & Grading

The course will be conducted in a discussion format with both individual and team assignments.

Students are graded on their classroom involvement, their individual, and team assignments. All assignments will be graded weekly.