Description
New technologies provide the means to build wonderful tools to extend our cognitive system into the world, as well as producing the most annoying systems in terms of performance, ergonomic design, and aesthetics.
This course will provide an overview of recent approaches towards a scientific as well as a practical understanding of basic issues of usability, representation and coördination that arise in interface design and related areas. The cognitive issues that are involved in designing interactive systems are discussed and the typical real-world lifecycle of the development of a software product is presented.
The course features guest speakers sharing their practical expertise, and field trips to state of the art usability labs. In practical assignments students evaluate the usability of actual software products in collaboration with major ICT companies.
Objective(s)
Students acquire basic knowledge of the cognitive issues involved in designing interactive systems (e.g., computer programs, websites).
After completing the course, students are able to critically evaluate graphical user interfaces.
Students will also acquire a good understanding of career perspectives of psychologists in software development. No technical skills required
Coordinator
Drs. P. Haazebroek
Room 2B11
Phone: 071-5273654
E-mail: phaazebroek@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Literature
Course lecture sheets, papers
Examination
Active participation, project reports
From January 1, 2006 the Faculty of Social Sciences has instituted the Ephorus system to be used by instructors for the systematic detection of plagiarism in students- written work. Please see the Additional Rules and Regulations, section 6.
Requirement(s) for application or advice
Master students specialisation Applied Cognitive Psychology
Education method(s)
Lectures
student assignments
practical exercises
Enrolment
Introduction and enrollment for courses of the first semester will take place August 27th 2008. Introduction and enrollment for courses of the second semester will take place in January 2009. More information will be available at the website of the Department of Psychology.
NB: Exam and re-exam registration will take place via U-Twist, and will be open between a month and a week before the (re)exam. Students who don’t register, cannot participate in the (re)exam.
Blackboard
Information available on Balckboard