Usability and Accessibility Standards - 1st semester

Objectives

The general purpose is the acquisition of knowledge which may enhance 1) the awareness of the importance of usability and accessiblity for the interactive practices and satisfaction of users, namely on the web, and in UX contexts and 2) a critical perspective of these issues based on theoretical grounds and best practices.
Students should end the course with skills that allowed them to:
1) understand the growing demand for guidelines and standards on interaction protocols; 2) be able to apply basic evaluation and testing methods of usability and accessibility; 3) identify and describe the most common features of graphical user interfaces and paradigms/styles of interaction; 4) understand users skills and limitations in interaction processes.


General characterization

Code

7220111091

Credits

10

Responsible teacher

Graça Rocha Simões

Hours

Weekly - 3 letivas + 1 tutorial

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

Portuguese-English

Prerequisites

n.a.

Bibliography

O básico/the basics
Dix, A. et al (2004). Human-Computer Interaction. Pearson-Prentice Hall.
Henry, S. L. (2006). Understanding Web Accessibility. Em Jim Thatcher et al. Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance. NY: Springer-Verlag.
Krug, S. (2010). Rocket surgery made easy: the do-it-yourself-guide to finding and fixing usability problems. Berkeley, Ca: New Riders Press.
Nielsen, J. & Loranger, H. L.(2006). Prioritizing Web Usability. Berkley: New Riders Publishing.
Norman, D.(2002), The Design of Everyday Things. NY: Basic Books.
Reiss, E. (2012). Usable Usability – Simple Steps for Making Stuff Better. Indianapolis: John Wiley & Sons.
Rubin, J. & Chisnell, D.(2008). Handbook of usability testing: How to plan, design, and conduct effective tests. NY: Wiley.
Weinschenk, S.(2011). 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People. Berkeley: New Riders

Teaching method

In class teaching.
The teaching method includes theoretical exposition of contents supported by the active and critical participation of students (60%); components of practical team work (40%)




Evaluation method

Evaluation of students performance considers 1) Active participation and contribution on class and team work. Individual and group assignments with oral presentation in class (40%), 2) A final individual paper (3000-4000 words), with mandatory oral presentation and discussion in class (60%).

Subject matter

Three main dimension of study; 1) the question of accessibility, the importance of Design for All and the guidelines of W3C - World Wide Web Consortium; 2) Foundations of usability - the Human-Computer Interaction contributions and the actual standards 3) Evaluation and testing tools
Basic specific content:
1. Human-computer/systems interfaces
a. Paradigms and styles of interaction
b. \"Know thy users\"
3. What is accessibility? How to evaluate? The importance of Design for All
4. What is usability? Rules and guidelines. How to ensure usability. Evaluation and testing.

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: