Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-26 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).
Overview
- Swedish nameUsability: metoder och verktyg
- CodeIMS050
- Credits7.5 Credits
- OwnerTKDES
- Education cycleFirst-cycle
- Main field of studyIndustrial Design Engineering
- ThemeMTS 5 c
- DepartmentINDUSTRIAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE
- GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail
Course round 1
- Teaching language Swedish
- Application code 56124
- Maximum participants50
- Block schedule
- Open for exchange studentsNo
Credit distribution
Module | Sp1 | Sp2 | Sp3 | Sp4 | Summer | Not Sp | Examination dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0119 Project 7.5 c Grading: TH | 7.5 c |
In programmes
Examiner
Oskar Rexfelt- Associate Professor, Design & Human Factors, Industrial and Materials Science
Eligibility
General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Specific entry requirements
The same as for the programme that owns the course.Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Course specific prerequisites
Knowledge about development and user centered development are recommended prerequisites, from courses such as MMT015 Product requirements engineering or PPU032 User studies - Understanding the user and its requirements.Aim
The aim of the course is that the student should develop knowledge on the development proccess, the methods and the design principles that characterise development work with the purpose to develop useful and easy-to-use products, i.e. products with high usability.Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)
- explain the meaning of the following key concepts: usability, usefulness, and utility; - explain the impact of the definitions of these concepts on development work; - explain and in an actual development project be able to apply at least one methods for task analysis (HTA) and at least two methods for theoretical evaluation (CW/PHEA) of a user interface; - plan and execute a usability test of a simple technical product (or service). The student should be able to carry out such a test with regard to aspects such as validity, ethics and available resources; - analyse the results and draw conclusions regarding the design of the product/service and its user interface; - apply the conclusions in a redesign of the user interface; - describe and in a development project be able to apply cognitive theories (cognitive ergonomics) on the design of a user interface
Content
The course covers the following topics: - the concepts of usability, usefulness, and utility; - the iterative usability engineering process; - usability methods and tools: - theoretical methods and tools; - empirical methods and tools; - evaluations in different contexts; - theory and practice of usability testing; - cognitive ergonomics and design guidelines: - heuristics and goldes rules for the design of user interfaces; - the concepts of "affordance", "constraints", "mapping"; - cultural differences - the course is also relevant from a sustainability perspective since the aim is to develop products that fulfil user needs
Organisation
The course is organised as a series of lectures/seminars and a project in which theory is to become practice.
Literature
Recommended literature is: Jordan P.W. An Introduction to Usability. Taylor & Francis Ltd, London. (pb) Reference literature: Nielsen J. (1993): Usability Engineering Academic press, N.Y. (pb) Faulkner X. (2000): Usability Engineering. Palgrave Publishers Ltd, Hampshire.Norman D. (2002): The design of everyday things. Basic Books, N.Y. (pb)
Examination including compulsory elements
The examination is based on an individual written (short) exam and a project. The individual written exam will result in a grade Fail, or 3, 4, or 5. The project will result in a grade Fail, or 3, 4, or 5. The final grade is based on the result of the individual exam and the result of the project.
The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.