Usability Case Studies
Research Team:
- Mary Beth Rosson (principal investigator)
- Jack Carroll (co-principal investigator)
- Manuel Pérez-Quiñones
- Con Rodi (graduate research assistant)
Contact:
- For further information send an email Con Rodi at cases@vt.edu.
Upcoming Meetings:
- Wednesday, August 13, Torgersen 3180 (10:00 am)
Review notes from previous meetings.
Project Summary:
Development and Validation of a Case-Study Approach
for Teaching Human-Computer Interaction
Human-computer interaction (HCI) was recognized as a subarea of the computer science discipline over a decade ago, but the methods and resources for undergraduate HCI instruction are far from adequate. There is ongoing debate within the community about how best to introduce HCI into computer science programs (typically departments offer just one course). Two constants in the discussion have been the important role of meaningful design and evaluation projects, and the recognition that many of the social and psychological intuitions necessary in the design and evaluation of usable systems are best taught through example.
Unfortunately few educational resources exist to satisfy these needs. The standard textbooks offer a survey of HCI concepts and techniques (e.g., the human, the computer, their interaction) rather than a framework for designing usable systems (e.g., requirements, design, evaluation). Many samples of exercises and class materials have been collected through the efforts of ACM's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction, but they are only loosely organized, and thus difficult to browse and apply to class projects. Furthermore, with one exception, none of these materials include case studies illustrating a complete cycle of design and evaluation.
A prior proof of concept project has developed a prototype set of usability engineering case studies, a case browsing tool, and several classroom activities based on the case studies. This work was coordinated with the development and publication of a new HCI undergraduate textbook (Morgan Kaufmann, 2002). The textbook differs dramatically from current offerings, interleaving the presentation of HCI content with a comprehensive scenario-based framework for the development of interactive systems. A key innovation of the new textbook is its use of a case study to introduce and exemplify the analysis, design, and evaluation framework. The proof of concept project enhanced the case study material presented in the book, by developing richer and more flexible online materials, and by building cases from three additional problem domains.
The proposed work will further develop and validate the learning effectiveness of case studies as an element of teaching HCI. Using the marketing channels of Morgan Kaufmann, we will recruit professors and students from 8-10 other universities interested in using the book, and participating in the evaluation of the case study materials. We will work with these instructors and students to develop new activities, as well as packaging the prototype activities for convenient use. We will also refine the browsing tool, responding to formative evaluation received during the prototype project, and adding new functionality to support traceability of concerns throughout the life cycle, more flexible views and case study reporting schemes, and authoring by both experts and students.
The proposed work leverages our ongoing research on scenario-based development methods, incorporating the methodology concepts into undergraduate education. It also highlights the use of information technology in undergraduate education, for both content access and student project support. The graduate students who develop the case studies will become experts in presenting and illustrating the scenario-based framework, helping to prepare them for careers in HCI education.
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