CS 774 - Human Computer Interaction
Spring 2006


Loyola College > Department of Computer Science > CS 774 > Projects > Individual Projects > Design Project
In this project you will carry a complete lo fi design of a new user interface. You will go from high concept to a tested prototype.

Phase 1. High concept and introduction. In this phase you simply identify the project, the users and the client, if you have one. This should fit on one page, with the title and one-two paragraph(s) giving the high concept with interface, user and client descriptions.
Deliverable: One page high concept.

Phase 2. Research. In this stage you carry out the interviews, brainstorming, and other research you need to understand the users and their tasks. You should produce a user profile that describes the potential user population, a list of tasks to be performed with critical objects identified, scenarios for representatives tasks and an analysis of the context in which the software will be used.
Deliverables: User profile, task list, task scenarios and context analysis.

Phase 3. Design and prototype. Now you produce a initial idea of your interface with a conceptual plan that describes the interface strategy, a short set (one-two pages) of interface and technical guidelines that you choose, and a few key screen lo fi prototypes to illustrate the concepts. The conceptual plan would discuss interaction styles.
Deliverables: Conceptual plan, guidelines, key screen prototypes

Phase 4. Prototype and test. Here you will iteratively refine the prototype through informal user testing, fleshing out the original key screens into a complete interface. You should produce a sequence of prototypes, including partial prototypes when you wanted to consider just one interaction or element, and documentation on how you tested or evaluated each section.
Deliverables: The original prototype with testing notes and a sketch of a revised version that addressed issues identified in the testing.

Grading of the assignment will be based on:

  1. A clear high concept.
  2. Careful research for a select set of users and tasks, with four tasks analyzed in depth.
  3. A prototype that might be rough around the edges but that communicates clearly.
  4. A well-documented and analyzed test report and a good final design.
Due dates: You will work on this assignment week by week. The first phase is due March 29, and the final report and 10 minute presentation is due on April 26th. Each week you should have a draft, perhaps incomplete, of a new section of the report.