Project paper
Human Computer Interaction: A Term Project
Title – (re)Designing a System with the User in Mind
Overview
You are tasked with designing or redesigning a specific technical system. This project aims to
challenge you to apply concepts from the course textbook and reference materials to compile a
minimal set of project requirements and construct a preliminary prototype based on these
requirements. You will present your work using the SocialXYZ Discussion and comment on the
work of their classmates at the end of the term.
Note: Because you will be presenting your work to the class in an open forum, please be sure not
to take on any project that may put your intellectual property in jeopardy.
Project Requirements
P1. Topic / System
Points: 5
Objective: You will choose a unique system and provide a very brief description of the area you
wish to explore. All systems must be approved by the instructor through the course wiki.
Topic Considerations
• Design your own system.
• Choose a system you feel has a difficult or poor design interface.
• Choose a system you feel can be more innovative with features from other systems.
• Choose a system you feel can be adopted in a different industry or for different users and identity functionality to accommodate either.
Format: Add your topic to the group wiki page.
P2. Requirements Gathering
Points: 25pts
Objective: System Design / User requirements will be constructed using the persona template
found in the Ch. 10 slides. When designing systems, it is important to give conscientious thought
to who your users are and how they will use the system. In particular, you will want to pay
attention to the new functionality / design that your users will interact with. Figure 1 provides a
simple persona template, but feel free to use your own creativity in this space.
Figure 1 Persona Template
Format: MS PowerPoint saved as PDF or image. Please note that PowerPoint slides can be
exported as JPG/PNG, which are easily uploaded to CI Learn.
P3: Prototype and Report
Points: 60
Objective: Your final report will consist of your project topic, external system analysis (i.e. Blog
2), set of user requirements (i.e. P2: Personas) and prototype with detailed explanations for all
design considerations. Design considerations should be informed by existing literature, whether
the textbook or other resources. Your prototype should consist of a minimal of 3 system mock-
ups with detailed descriptions for each.
Example: If I were to redesign SocialXYZ to be mobile friendly, I might showcase 3 distinct
views of the new system including one for the homepage, another for the discussion board and a
third for the profile since those feature are very important for how I use the system. For each of
these views, I would use Photoshop or another image editor (even MS Paint would work) to
redesign the look and feel of the system as it should look on a smartphone. These design
considerations would relate back to the textbook.
Report Grading Rubric
• Introduction (2.5pts): The introduction will provide an overview of the system you plan
to (re)design.
• Background (5pts): The background will integrate Blog 2 (Analysis of Existing
Systems) and P2 (Requirements Gathering). In this section, identify the strengths and
weaknesses of existing systems and what design considerations you, as the designer, have
considered. In this space, you will want to include screenshots and / or mock-ups of those
existing systems. You should not include any components of the system you plan to
propose.
• Design (30pts): The design section will include detailed screenshots of your proposed
system. You can construct mock-ups using any techniques available. There are lots of
free-Photoshop alternatives, so I encourage you to explore them. Each mock-up should
also be accompanied by a detailed description of the design and how it relates to material
discussed in this course.
• Textbook Terms (10): Bold and include at least 10 HCI-Related Terms from the
textbook, class notes or slides.
• Conclusion (2.5pts): Your conclusion should highlight your overall approach and
summarize your work.
• References (5pts): Include a minimum of 5 resources / references that provided you with
information for your system. Resources may consist of personal interviews, system
documentation, newspaper, magazine, or journal articles, websites, etc. Follow proper
MLA formatting.
• Formatting (5pts): Spelling and grammar should be thoroughly checked before
submitting your work. Points are deducted for spelling/keyboarding and grammatical
errors. All reports will be submitted using CI Learn Collaboration, but only shared with
the instructor. Stick to standard reporting using double spacing, 12-point font and 1"
(inch) side margins. Heading should be used to designate appropriate sections of the
paper.
Format: Collaborations Document on CI Learn
P4: Presentation
Points: 10
Objective: All students will have the opportunity to share their work with the class. The
presentation should mirror the format of the paper and include an introduction, background and
prototype.
Format: MS PowerPoint presentation, saved as PDF and uploaded to CI Learn with a brief
explanation of the project and supplemental links to design images, personas and / or final report
as PDF.