Jump down to the schedule, assignments, or policies (including my AI policy).
About this course
Human-computer interaction combines computer science, psychology, sociology, design, and art into one discipline. In this course, we will explore how to center the human experience in all kinds of computing, including designing for all humans (not just one kind of user). Though computers are relatively new, there is a rich history of the interactions between computers and humans, so I plan to delve into both the inspiring and inadvertently troubling. We will connect these historical lessons to practice, as students will engage in a deliberate design process as they create interfaces. This reflexive design approach will help students develop and apply humane instincts to the field of computer science.
Course Logistics
- When: Monday and Wednesday 2:30-3:45 PM
- Where: Watson 247
- Lecture Slides and Recordings: Google Drive (use Davidson SSO)
- Design Documentation: here
- Discussion/Questions: Slack (contact Dr. Williams if you have not received the Slack link)
- Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday: 10:00-11:00 AM and 1:00-2:30 PM
- I am also usually available for a few minutes after class
Prerequisites and Major/Minor Requirements
Prerequisite: CSC 221 - Data Structures. This course is required (no exceptions).
Major/Minor requirements
- CSC – satisfies the major and minor Applications elective requirement
- DIG – satisifies the major and minor Production, Methodology, Practice Courses elective requirement.
Learning Objectives
Design 
- Students should be able to describe and execute the steps of a user-centered design process
Prototyping 
- Students should develop working proficiency in rapid prototyping with a variety of technologies (e.g., paper prototyping, Figma, Vega, Google Cardboard, etc.)
Research Methods 
- Students should be able to describe and execute quantitative research methods.
- Students should be able to describe and execute qualitative research methods.
- Students should be able to design and justify a range of evaluation plans for an artifact.
Engagement 
- Students should engage in discussions and activities in-class and online.
Adapted from Emily Wall (Emory).
Assignments and Responsibilities
You will be individually responsible for some homework assignments, participation and critique, oral exam, and your final project. In addition, there will be 4 design sprints throughout the semester, completed as group projects.
| Objective | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
20% | Individual homework assignments |
|
5% | Engagement and critique |
|
40% | Group design sprints |
|
20% | Final project |
|
15% | Oral exam |
Since this is the first semester of HCI at Davidson (and we’re building our own Hall of Fame), you can look for stand-out examples in Emory’s HCI Hall of Fame, courtesy of Dr. Emily Wall.
Policies
Grading Philosophy
For many of you, most CS assignments that you’ve had up until this point had clear, crisply defined goals that mapped cleanly to point values. This is impossible in a course that relies on design. Simply checking off each of the TODOs on an assignment does not necessarily mean that you’ve created something that is easy and compelling to use.
Design Document Rubric: A majority of your assignments will use this rubric. Rather than simply ask “Did you do this?”, there will also be the question of “Did you do this well?”. This often translates to “Did you successfully apply the concepts we learned in class to this assignment?”. For example, if you build an app that is functional but breaks many design heuristics… that is not a successful application in this class.
Peer Evaluation: Many of the assignments that you complete will include some kind of peer evaluation. Usability isn’t a set of knowledge that one single person owns. Instead, software that is usable and works for one person may not for another. We will be critiquing each other’s work throughout the semester using the framing of I Like, I Wish, What If from Stanford’s design school.
Group Work: Group work can be challenging. As a result, in each group project, you will submit a brief assessment of you and your classmates’ work. At the end of the semester, I may use these assessments to reweight the group portion of your grade (either positively or negatively).
Timeliness: All assignments are due at the start of class on the day listed in the schedule. You will have a total of 5 “free” late tokens to use for any homework assignments as needed throughout the course. Each token gets you a 24 hour extension on the assignment deadline. E.g., you can use 1 late token for HW1 and 1 for HW3, … You may use multiple tokens on one assignment, e.g. 2 tokens on HW1 for a 48 hour extension. These “free” tokens can apply only to homework assignments and cannot be used for group projects. These are for any cases where college-approved absences do not apply, and no reason must be given to use them. After the 5 “free” late tokens are used up, any late assignments will receive a 10% per day penalty. Assignments turned in one week or later past the due date will not be graded and given a 0. You do not need to notify Dr. Williams to use late tokens – they will be automatically applied. Once you use them, you cannot switch them later in the course, so plan wisely. Any unused late tokens at the end of the semester will be added as 5% extra credit per unused token on the lowest homework assignment.
Regrade Policy: You can request a re-grade of an assignment within seven days of releasing the grade by sending an email to Dr. Williams. The request should contain a written explanation of why you think that the grade is incorrect. I will look over your work again upon request.
If there is an error in my original evaluation, I will correct it. However, do not ask for a regrade or a boost simply because you do not like your grade. If your request is based on a rationale of “what’s the harm” or “it’s worth a try,” save your (and my) energy. Baseless requests for regrades devalue all of your classmates’ hard work and waste everyone’s time.
Academic honesty and AI
Academic Honesty: The spirit of the Honor Code that each student pledges upon entering their first year helps engender an atmosphere of trust. Every signature helps sustain a climate of freedom and integrity. Upholding the Honor Code secures the commitment to academic honesty and social responsibility that characterizes a Davidson education.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, you are expected to complete assignments on your own. It is appropriate to discuss your ideas with others to gain feedback and help with sticky problems. It is not appropriate to find an existing solution online or from your friends, modify them, and submit as your own work. If in doubt, confer with Dr. Williams. It is much easier to ask about these things than handle the consequences of a poor decision.
AI Policy
AI statement: The purpose of this class is to learn how to articulate your ideas throughout the design process, while developing a breadth of technical skills for prototyping. The valuable human skill that you will gain in this class is the ability to think creatively throughout the design process and to write and articulate the decisions you made. I am less concerned with technical skills and indeed, generative AI is a valuable time-saver when creating boilerplate code. To that end, here is an incomplete list of acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in my class. If you have a question on whether a specific use of AI is allowed or not, you must message me on Slack and ask before you use AI. Any unauthorized use of AI will be considered violations of academic integrity and will be brought before the Honor Council.
Allowed uses of AI
- To proofread your writing; to check grammar, rigor, and style (such as using Grammarly); to find alternative wording.
- To generate boilerplate code; to debug error messages. You will learn a wide variety of tools in a short amount of time – I don’t expect you to become an expert on your own. You may use generative AI to assist with coding and to get you 80% of the way there on assignments. You will need to revise this code, since AI will produce buggy or inefficient code.
- To verbally read articles (so you listen to the original text, rather than read it); to summarize articles for your own understanding (not for a grade) after you have already read the original text.
You may NOT use AI:
- To generate outlines for blog posts. The Design Doc serves as your starting point for blog posts and we will read plenty of examples of great blog posts. I expect the content of your writing, from outline to final product, to be solely written by you (see acceptable uses in proofreading above).
- To summarize a text or video without you reading or watching the original. The authors and creators of these works have used deliberate language and have carefully crafted their position. You will likely receive an incorrect or incomplete summary if you rely only on AI summaries.
Accessibility, Inclusion, and Resources for Students
Accessibility Services: The college welcomes requests for accommodations related to disability and will grant those that are determined to be reasonable and maintain the integrity of a program or curriculum. To make such a request or to begin a conversation about a possible request, please contact the Office of Academic Access and Disability Resources (AADR) by emailing AADR@davidson.edu. It is best to submit accommodation requests within the drop/add period; however, requests can be made at any time in the semester. Please keep in mind that accommodations are not retroactive.
Additional Resources for Students: Academic Access and Disability Resources (AADR) offers free academic coaching services to students. If you need help with time management, test taking, studying efficiently, or other academic strategies, a professional staff academic coach or peer academic coach can meet with you once or on an as needed basis. Contact AADR@davidson.edu for more information. Please also stay tuned for Peer Academic Coaching events throughout the semester.
Statement on Diversity and Inclusivity Adapted from Lynn Hernandez, Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University.
I intend to serve students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives equally in this course and to meet your learning needs both inside and outside of class. I view the diversity that you bring to this class as a resource, strength and benefit. I will continually strive to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity along a multitude of axes: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture. I value your suggestions, and encourage you to share with me any ideas you may have to help me improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups.
It is my goal to foster an environment in which each class member is able to hear and respect others. If something is said or done by a member of the instructional team or a classmate that is particularly troubling, or causes discomfort or offense, I urge you to consider one of the following courses of action:
- Discuss the situation privately with one or more of the instructors. I am always open to listening to students’ experiences, and want to work with you to find acceptable ways to process and address the issue. All such conversations will be kept confidential.
- Discuss the situation with your classmates — chances are there is at least one other student in the class who had a similar response. You may then choose to approach one or more of the instructors as a group, to voice your concerns, if that is a more comfortable setting.
- Complete the anonymous feedback form that is linked to from Moodle, to bring the incident to our attention.
- Notify us of the issue through another source such as your academic advisor, a trusted faculty member, or a peer. If for any reason you do not feel comfortable discussing the issue directly with one of us, I encourage you to seek out another, more comfortable avenue to address the issue, such as the Student Counseling Center or via the Office of the Dean of Students.
Acknowledgements
This course was adapted with gratitude from Emily Wall at Emory University. The original material was inspired by with an abundance of inspiration from HCI courses taught by Evan Peck at CU Boulder and James Landey at Stanford University.
Schedule
All reading and demos of design sprints are due at 2:20 PM on the day of class. All homework and any final deliverables for design sprints (typically a Medium post) are due at 11:55 PM on the day listed, except when otherwise noted. For requests of extensions, please see my Timeliness policy above.
Optional viewing: