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2000-01 session
CS1311 Applications and User Interfaces
Level: 1 Credit rating: 10 Degree(s): CS SE CE CS4 CIS AI CM
Pre-requisites: none Co-requisites: none
Pre-requisite for: CS2312
Duration: 12 weeks in first semester Lectures: 22 in total, 2 per week
Tutorials : included in the lab time Laboratories: 24 hours in total, 12
2-hour sessions Assessment: 1½ hour exam (40%) plus laboratory (60%)
Lecturer: Dr A J West Aims The
course acts as an introduction to the topic of human-computer interaction (HCI),
and relates this to the requirements of applications. It also serves as an
introduction to other elements of the computer science curriculum, using
applications as a theme to illustrate how different areas of the subject can be
used to support applications. The laboratory exercises complement the course
material by ensuring that students can use industry standard tools such as
Microsoft Office, and are able to design and implement web pages. Objectives After this course, students should be able to:
understand human factors and other user-interface issues important for designing
applications, appreciate different styles of interface and which ones are
appropriate for different tasks and applications, be able to critically assess
interfaces to common applications and understand how they might be improved, be
able to use standard tools such as spreadsheets, simple databases, and to author
web pages in HTML. Reading List
Designing
the User Interface (3rd edition), Ben Shneiderman, Addison-Wesley, 1998.
Syllabus Introduction [1]. Aims and overview of the
course, motivations, importance of HCI, building better systems. Laboratory
details.
Designing a system: where do we start [2]? Modelling:
what is a model? The software development life cycle, waterfall model. Parts of
the process: requirements capture, design, implementation, testing, maintenance.
Practitioners in HCI: computer science, psychology, human factors, end users.
Data-centred view versus user-centred view. Reconciling conflicting
requirements, the role of prototyping.
Styles of interface and
the technology [2]. Text (grammar) based, window systems, direct manipulation,
speech recognition. Examples, strengths and limitations of each style. LaTeX
versus Word versus Pagemaker. Virtual environments, augmented reality,
ubiquitous computing.
The human in HCI [5]. What is HCI and why
is it important? Characteristics of humans: learning, memory. Models of humans:
the Model Human Processor; short and long-term memory, perceptual, cognitive and
motor processing. The human visual system, perception of colour and shape,
colour models, colour usage rules. Memory organisation: episodic and semantic
organisation.
Managing data, introduction to databases
[4]. The role of a database. Views. Data modelling: ER diagrams. Relational
databases, relations (tables), keys, integrity. Relational algebra, select,
project. Constructing queries. SQL. Implementation in MS Access. Large versus
small databases. Transactions, error handling, concurrency.
Intelligent systems [2]. Artificial intelligence, uses. Knowledge-based and
expert systems. Knowledge representation, semantic networks, production rules,
forward and backward chaining.
Systems which learn [2]. Simple
probabilistic (Bayesian) classifiers, Ledeen character recogniser. Neural
networks, fully-connected ANN, perceptron, weights, training. Examples of ANNs:
robotics, virtual treadmill, avatar's arms.
Hypertext, multimedia
and the web [2]. Origins of hypertext. Building documents with links. The
world-wide web, URLs. Hypertext mark-up language. Web authoring tools.
Scripting, Java applets.
LABORATORY EXERCISES:
Creating structured reports, managing data with a spreadsheet, designing and
implementing a database, authoring web pages in HTML.
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