Last update: 15 November 2007
This
course introduces user interfaces and the tools and mechanisms to create and
prototype them. Students work in small groups and learn how to design user
interfaces, how to realize them and how to evaluate the end result.
Cross-listed
to: AS/AK/ITEC 3461 3.0
Prerequisite:
AK/AS/SC/CSE 2011 3.0 or AK/AS/SC/CSE 2031 3.0 or AK/CSE 3501 3.0 or AS/AK/ITEC
2011 3.0.
Degree
credit exclusions: AS/AK/ITEC 34613.0. Not open to students who successfully
completed AS./SC/CSE 4341 3.0 or AS/SC/COSC 4361 3.0 before Fall 1999.
·
Introduction
·
Console
applications vs. GUI applications, sequential programming vs. event-driven
programming, interaction techniques, WIMP concepts
·
User
interfaces
·
Input
model, event-driven model, output model, window managers, containment hierarchy,
model-view-controller concept, graphical user interfaces, widgets, text
interfaces, direct manipulation
·
Mechanisms
for creating user interfaces
·
UI
prototyping, window design and component layout, programming languages (one or more
of Python, Perl, Tcl, Java, Javascript, Visual Basic), GUI builders,
interaction devices (input & output devices), WWW user interfaces
·
Introduction
to human-computer interaction
·
Human
sensory and cognitive limits and capabilities, guidelines and basic principles
for UI design
None - but see 'Weekly
Readings' below.
Assignments are due by
midnight on the specified date and are to be submitted electronically with the
'submit' command in Ariel (unless otherwise specified). The midterm will be
held during class time.
|
Work |
Due |
Weight |
|
Monday, October 8 |
5% |
|
|
Midterm exam (in class) |
Tuesday, October 23 |
30% |
|
Sunday, November 11 |
10% |
|
|
Sunday, December 2 |
15% |
|
|
Final exam |
Wednesday,
December 12, 9-12 a.m., VH 3006 |
40% |
Readings
are assigned weekly. Four copies of each of the readings are available for 2-hour
loan from the Stacie library. These books are not very expensive and are
available from most bookstores (and online from chapters.ca) should you wish to
purchase them instead.
The
readings will be discussed in class, and material from the readings will appear
on exams. The readings are taken from the following:
Donald A. Norman, The
Design of Everyday Things, Doubleday 1990, ISBN 0-385-26774-6. Basic Books
2002, ISBN 0-465-06710-7. (Formerly The Psychology of Everyday Things)
On reserve in the Stacie Library under TS 171.4 N67 2002
Alan Cooper, The Inmates
are Running the Asylum, Sams 1999, ISBN 0-672-31649-8.
On reserve in the Stacie Library under QA 76.9 H85 C673 1999
|
Reading |
Date |
|
The Design of Everyday Things, Chapter 1 |
Thursday, September 13 |
|
The Design of Everyday Things, Chapter 2 |
Thursday, September 20 |
|
The Design of Everyday Things, Chapter 3 |
Thursday, Sept 27 |
|
The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 1 |
Thursday, October 4 |
|
The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 2 |
Thursday, October 11 |
|
No reading this week, due to midterms |
Thursday, October 18 |
|
No reading this week, due to midterms |
Thursday, October 27 |
|
The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 3 |
Thursday, November 1 |
|
The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 4 |
Thursday, November 8 |
|
The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 5 |
Thursday, November 15 |
|
|
|
·
The CSE
3461 Course Website: http://www.cs.yorku.ca/course/3461/
·
Java 2
API: http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/
·
Download
Java 2 (version 1.6.0): http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
·
Java
Swing tutorial notes: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/TOC.html
|
|
Event |
|
Date |
|
|
Fall term classes begin |
|
Wednesday, September 5 |
|
|
First class of CSE3461 |
|
Thursday, September 6 |
|
|
Last date to drop course without penalty |
|
Friday, November 9 |
|
|
Last class of CSE3461 |
|
Thursday, November 29 |
|
|
Fall term classes end |
|
Monday, December 3 |
|
|
Fall term exams begin |
|
Wednesday, December 5 |
|
|
Fall term exams end |
|
Wednesday, December 20 |
Course
enrolment is handled by the Computer Science Undergraduate Office. Instructors
can not 'sign students in' to this course.
Students
are required to attend the lectures, submit the assignments, and write the
midterm and final for the section in which they are enrolled. (Note that
assignments and exams may differ between the two sections.) For questions
pertaining to changing your enrolment status, please visit the Computer Science
Undergraduate Office.
Students
are expected to attend the lectures. Although much of the course information
will be posted on the web, additional information will be given during the lectures
that is not posted on the web. Students who skip lectures do so at their own
peril!
The
assignments for this course are to be done in groups. Groups shall contain
three students, and all students in a group must be enrolled in the same
section. The grade for an assignment is recorded for each group member. It is
up to the members of each group to ensure the equitable distribution of
assignment work. Assignment submissions from groups with fewer or more students
will not be marked. Students may reconfigure their groups throughout the term,
but not in the 15 days before the assignment due date.
For
the purpose of marking, programming assignments are required to compile and
execute on Ariel. Software developed on other platforms should be verified on
Ariel before submission.
Assignments
are due by midnight on the specified date and are to be submitted
electronically with the 'submit' command in Ariel (unless otherwise specified).
Late submissions will not be accepted (see 'Late assignments' below).
Assignment
marking will use letter grades (see the explanation of the letter grades
below).
Late
assignments will not be accepted and will receive a zero grade unless
arrangements have been made with the instructor prior to the due date.
Exceptions to the late policy will be made only under very special
circumstances (e.g. serious illness) and only with proper documentation (i.e. a
letter from your doctor). Missed midterms will be handled in the same manner.
Once returned, marked
assignments and exams should be reviewed by students, and any request for
remarking should be submitted to the instructor within one week. Requests must
be accompanied by a written description of the marking error. Only problems of
mark addition, and serious marking errors will be considered - remarking
requests of a frivolous nature may result in your mark being lowered.
The
following is a guideline to the grading scale used. It is a copy of the York
University official grading scheme. The first number within the parenthesis is
the numeric equivalent of a grade. It is typically used in order to derive
weighted averages of multiple letter grades. The range that follows the number
is used to map a numeric grade (out of 9) to a letter grade.
A
grade of C means doing what was asked for, a B means doing a good job on what was
asked for, and an A means doing an excellent job and showing originality.
Originality in the undergraduate environment means doing things that were not
explicitly asked for but are useful additions or extensions of the work - doing
things above and beyond the call of duty.
A+
(9, 8.5...9) Exceptional - Thorough knowledge of concepts and/or techniques and
exceptional skill or great originality in the use of those concepts and
techniques in satisfying the requirements of a piece of work or course.
A
(8, 7.5...8.4) Excellent - Thorough knowledge of concepts and/or techniques
together with a high degree of skill and/or some elements of originality in
satisfying the requirements of a piece of work or course.
B+
(7, 6.5...7.4) Very Good - Thorough knowledge of concepts and/or techniques
together with a fairly high degree of skill in the use of those concepts and
techniques in satisfying the requirements of a piece of work or course.
B
(6, 5.5...6.4) Good - Good level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques
together with a considerable skill in using them in satisfying the requirements
of a piece of work or course.
C+
(5, 4.5...5.4) Competent - Acceptable level of knowledge of concepts and/or
techniques together with considerable skill in using them to satisfy the
requirements of a piece of work or course.
C
(4, 3.5...4.4) Fairly Competent - Acceptable level of knowledge of concepts
and/or techniques together with some skill in using them to satisfy the
requirements of a piece of work or course.
D+
(3, 2.5...3.4) Passing - Slightly better than minimal knowledge of required
concepts and/or techniques together with some ability to use them in satisfying
the requirements of a piece of work or course.
D
(2, 1.5...2.4) Barely Passing - Minimum knowledge of concepts and/or techniques
needed to satisfy the requirements of a piece of work or course.
E
(1, 0.5...1.4) Marginally failing
F
(0, 0...0.4) Failing