Summary of content

Human computer interaction (HCI) broadens out to encompass more of how users experience computing systems (UX), and how they may change the way people work. This includes the ease of use and enjoyability of the product, and affective reactions more generally, including for games and other enjoyable technologies.
This advanced module builds on the earlier foundational module for HCI, to the point where students can design and conduct their own user studies for various types of applications and computing devices.
The importance of creativity is increasingly recognised in the field, and thus its tractability for the design process is a research activity that will be explored, for the designer as well as the user.
Wider notions of affect will also be covered, including the centrality of human emotion and personality to the user experience, for games and other entertainment devices, for social interaction platforms, but also for computing systems in the workplace generally.
Current trends towards the deployment of more advanced technologies will also be covered, both in the interface, and in the intelligence of tomorrow's devices. Students should thus be better prepared to consider more career options, as they will be able to contribute to the analysis as well as design of a wide range of industrial products and services.

Module structure

Assessment methods