Overview

This unit of study aims to introduce students to the concept of usability and the process of User-Centred Design as a method of achieving good usability outcomes in software development.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Apply an evidence-based approach to software requirements elicitation and specification
  • Demonstrate an explicit understanding of software context of use (i.e., users, tasks and system environment) using a variety of models
  • Design and build a prototype user interface according to software requirements and usability design principles
  • Apply a variety of usability evaluation methods to evaluate and iterate user interface design solutions
  • Describe and apply guidelines for professional practice in the ethical treatment of human research participants
  • Implement and reflect on strategies for working in small groups

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Lecture		2.00 12 weeks 24
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Tutorial		2.00 12 weeks 24
Online Contact (Phasing out)
Online Learning Activities		1.00 12 weeks 12
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning		7.50 12 weeks 90
TOTAL150

Sarawak

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		12.50 12 weeks 150
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Lecture		2.00 12 weeks 24
Face to Face Contact (Phasing out)
Tutorial		2.00 12 weeks 24
Online Contact (Phasing out)
Online Learning Activities		1.00 12 weeks 12
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning		7.50 12 weeks 90
TOTAL300

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Online TestsIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4,5 
ProjectIndividual/Group 60 - 80% 1,2,3,4,5,6 
QuizzesIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • ISO User-Centred Design process and principles
  • Usability as a component of software quality
  • Understanding and modelling context of use (users, tasks, and system environment)
  • Requirements elicitation and specification
  • Ethics of human research
  • Usability design principles, guidelines and standards
  • Conceptual design and iterative prototyping
  • Usability evaluation methods
  • Psychological principles

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.