INFO

Welcome to CS130(0): User Interfaces and User Experience!
PLEASE JOIN OUR PIAZZA FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS!
LOCATION: MacMillan Hall 117
TIME: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:40pm - 8pm
🥄 This course will cover concepts in human-computer interaction that focus on designing user interfaces. Topics include understanding when to use different interfaces, modeling and representing user interaction, principles of user experience design, eliciting requirements and feedback from users, methods for designing and prototyping interfaces, and user interface evaluation. Students interested in learning the process behind building a user interface and gaining hands-on experience designing a user interface should take this course.

🥄 Both CS1300 and CS0130 will have the same lecture, labs, and readings, but some assignments will differ. CS1300 will have assignments with computer science prerequisites (involving more statistics, logic, programming). You may choose which one you want to take, but you won't be able to take the other one for credit in the future. CS1300 provides 1000-level CS credit, but CS0130 does not, so CS concentrators may prefer CS1300. Typically, a number of RISD students also take the course; RISD students should come to the first day of class to get information about enrolling. Any student in CS0130 may substitute their assignment with the corresponding CS1300 assignment for credit, but not vice versa. Note that due to both courses having the same lecture, all students will see everyone in both courses, and sometimes work with students in the other course number.

🥄 RISD students interested in taking the course should fill out the RISD at Brown Cross Registration Form and bring it to the first day of class to be signed by the professor.

🥄 UI Camp happens in the first weekend of class. UI Camp is a 2-day bootcamp that teaches you all about the basics of UI softwares. Each day will consist of three sessions led by the TAs: Adobe XD + Figma, Balsamiq + InVision, and either an HTML/CSS session or a Javascript session. This a chance to obtain lab credits and meet the TAs early on; the labs will introduce design tools that will be useful for later assignments. Snacks will be provided by the TAs.

🥄 UI Camp is sponsored by Figma, a collaborative interface design tool. Special thanks also to the Brown University Zern Grant for supporting the data science work in this course!

DOCUMENTS

SCHEDULE

All lecture capture recordings can be found HERE!

Lecture slides and prompts for readings will be posted below throughout the semester.

Date Lecture / Event Due (6 p.m.)
09/05 Introduction [SLIDES]
09/10 History [SLIDES]
09/12 Affordances [SLIDES] Reading: Portfolios [PROMPT] AND [Intro Quiz]
09/17 Models [SLIDES]
09/19 Understanding [SLIDES] Assignment: Everyday UI [HANDOUT] AND Reading: Norman - Design [PROMPT] [READING]
09/24 Typography [SLIDES]
09/26 Visual Design [SLIDES] Reading: About Face (Cooper) [PROMPT] [READING]
10/01 Layout [SLIDES] [EXAMPLE]
10/03 Prototyping [SLIDES] Assignment: Personas & Storyboarding [HANDOUT] AND Reading: Vignelli [PROMPT] [READING]
10/08 Evaluation [SLIDES]
10/10 Usability Testing [SLIDES]
Visitor
Reading: Sketching (Buxton) [READING] [PROMPT]
10/15 Analysis [SLIDES]
10/17 Visitors! Assignment: Redesign [HANDOUT]
10/18 A/B Testing Gear-Up 7 - 8pm
10/22 GUI Lecture [SLIDES]
Speed Data 8:15 - 9pm
10/24 Interaction [SLIDES] Reading: Koomen [READING] [PROMPT]
10/29 Navigation [SLIDES]
Visitor
10/31 Pointing [SLIDES] Assignment: A/B Testing & Eye Tracking [0130 HANDOUT] [1300 HANDOUT]
11/05 Typing [SLIDES]
11/07 Natural [SLIDES] Reading: Input (Buxton) [PROMPT] [READING]
11/12 React [NOTES] [EXAMPLE]
11/14 Crits Crits AND Reading: Goffman and Eggers [PROMPT] [GOFFMAN] [EGGERS]
11/19 Social [SLIDES] [EXAMPLE]
11/21 Emotion [SLIDES] Assignment: Iterative Design & User Testing [HANDOUT]
11/26 HCI (optional)
11/28 NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
12/03 Accessibility + AR/VR [SLIDES]
12/05 Onboarding [SLIDES] Assignment: Development (1300) [1300 HANDOUT] or Input (0130) [0130 HANDOUT]
12/10 NO CLASS
12/12 Portfolio (peer practice) Reading: NYT Innovation Report [PROMPT] [READING]
12/17 NO CLASS
12/19 NO CLASS Final Portfolio [HANDOUT]


When attending TA hours, please put your name on the SignMeUp for CSCI 130(0), and a TA will call you when it's your turn!

Guest Speaker Affiliation & Title Day
Sharon Lo Program Manager II, Ethics & Society - Microsoft October 10th
Frank Bentley Distinguished User Researcher at Yahoo October 17th
Jill Woelfer Sr. UX Researcher at Google October 17th
Shuya Gong Venture Designer at IDEO October 29th

ASSIGNMENTS

NOTE: "INTM" = Intermediate Step Due (Optional)


Everyday UI

Out
INTM
Due
Late
09/05
09/12
09/19
09/22
Personas &
Storyboarding

Out
INTM
Due
Late
09/19
09/26
10/03
10/06

Redesign

Out
INTM
Due
Late
10/03
10/10
10/17
10/20
A/B Testing &
Eye Tracking

Out
INTM
Due
Late
10/17
TBD
10/31
11/03
Iterative Design
& User Testing

Out
INTM
Due
Late
10/31
11/7
11/21
11/24
Development/
Input

Out
INTM
Due
Late
11/14
11/26
12/05
12/08
Final Project/
Portfolio

Out
INTM
Due
Late
12/05
TBD
12/19
N/A

* Assignments and Readings are due on Thursdays at 6 p.m. on Gradescope.

LABS

All* labs are held in the List Art Center MML (Room 315).

*The exception is UI Camp, which will take place in the CIT.

Labs will include:
Sketch & proto.io
Adobe XD & Figma
Balsamiq & InVision
HTML/CSS
JavaScript
React

Date Day of Week Time Location Lab (Software) Sign-Up Handout Slides
09/07 Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CIT UI Camp Day 1 N/A N/A
09/08 Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. CIT UI Camp Day 2 N/A N/A
09/11 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML Balsamiq + InVision N/A Slides
09/13 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML AdobeXD + Figma N/A Slides
09/16 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML Sketch + proto.io Handout Slides
09/18 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML Balsamiq + InVision N/A Slides
09/23 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML Sketch + proto.io N/A Slides
09/25 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML HTML/CSS Handout Slides
09/27 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML AdobeXD + Figma N/A Slides
09/30 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML HTML/CSS Handout Slides
10/2 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML Sketch + proto.io N/A Slides
10/7 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML React N/A Slides
10/9 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML HTML/CSS Handout Slides
10/11 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML AdobeXD + Figma N/A Slides
10/16 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML React N/A Slides
10/18 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML Sketch + proto.io N/A Slides
10/21 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML JavaScript Handout Slides
10/23 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML JavaScript Handout Slides
10/25 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML React N/A Slides
10/28 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML JavaScript Handout Slides
10/30 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML React N/A Slides
11/01 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML Balsamiq + InVision N/A Slides
11/04 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML JavaScript Handout Slides
11/04 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. CIT 269 Adobe XD + Figma Handout Slides
11/06 Wednesday 5 - 7 p.m. MML Sketch + proto.io N/A Slides
11/08 Friday 4 - 6 p.m. MML React N/A Slides
11/11 Monday 7 - 9 p.m. MML Sketch + proto.io N/A Slides

STAFF

uiuxtas@lists.cs.brown.edu
(email all TAs, use this by default)


uiuxhtas@lists.cs.brown.edu
(HTAs, Grad TA, & Jeff)


jeff@cs.brown.edu
(sensitive issues)


PROFESSOR



HTAs



UTAs











PORTFOLIO REVIEWERS

Special thanks to all of the industry portfolio reviewers who helped us out this semester! Reviewers included: Alex Hadik, Zach Deocadiz, Andrew Evans, Clara Kliman-Silver, Gifford Cheung, Juliette Weiss, Aaditya Ailawadhi, Hyemi Song, Nikolas Klein, Tiffany Chen, Irene Rae, Gianna Giancarlo, Sharon Lo, Stephanie Castilla, Vanessa Cho, Shuya Gong, Marc Sasinski, Julia Davids, Amelia Abreu, Esther Smit, and Diya Sharma.

F.A.Q

🥛 Can I take this course as a non-CS concentrator?
The CS0130 track is designed for non-concentrators and has no prerequistes. However, CS1300 requires one of the intro CS sequences (CS15/16, CS17/18, or CS19) and some knowledge of Javascript (which can be learned at UI Camp), but you may still enroll in CS1300 if you satisfy those even as a non-CS concentrator.
🥛 Is this course capped?
No, the course will not be capped for Fall 2019.
🥛 I will miss class on [date]. Can I be excused?
We do not take class attendance or deduct points for missing class. You can watch the lecture capture (link above the schedule). So there's no need to contact the TAs. Note that you can get participation points by doing in-class activities, and there will be more activities than are needed to get full participation points; please see the syllabus (linked above) for details.
🥛 Should I put my name on hand-ins via Gradescope?
No. If you submit through Gradescope, it will record the name you signed up for Gradescope with on your submission. Please be sure to sign up with your first and last name that you used to register for the course (i.e. not a nickname).
🥛 How many late passes do I have?
You can calculate the number of late passes you have by checking Gradescope:
Every student starts the semester with 1 free late pass, and for every TWO intermediate steps you submit, you earn another late pass.
🥛 Can I take the course as a capstone?
Yes, but you must be taking the 1300 track, and you must extend an assignment into something that has substantial development and design components. For instance, you could take your Iterative Design prototype and build it fully to the point where it's a deployable app. This can be done as a group, but the amount of work should be proportional to the group size.
🥛 Will there be a textbook for the course?
No, all readings will be available on this website.
🥛 Will there be a final exam?
Nope! You will complete a portfolio for your final assignment.
🥛 When is the last day I have to come to class?
The last day you have to be physically present in class is Thursday, December 12th, 2019. The final assignment will be due December 19th at 6 p.m.