User interface design and evaluation
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| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
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Summary
No one would want to fly in an aeroplane whose pilot was unsure what all the knobs and dials did. User interface (UI) design can be critical to the success or failure of a computer system, and their development requires an iterative design and evaluation process involving users at every stage. This course illustrates the design process, and enables you to design and evaluate a UI in collaboration with its users. A variety of UIs, including websites, graphical user interfaces and embedded systems, as well as industrial applications, are discussed. Practical exercises are also included.
Course content
Have you ever had difficulty in finding your way round a website, using the latest piece of software, or operating your mobile telephone? Why is so much computer-based technology difficult to use?
A vast array of computer-based systems surrounds us: stand-alone and networked personal computer systems, websites, safety-critical systems and embedded systems such as mobile telephones and microwave ovens. They influence every aspect of our lives, both at work and in our leisure time. Their effectiveness depends primarily on the UI, which allows the user to interact with the computer system.
For organisations, poorly designed UIs can increase training costs and reduce productivity. For the user, they can cause frustration and inefficiency. How often have you moved to another website because you cannot find the information you need?
M873 looks specifically at the activities required to design usable UIs and to evaluate them. It provides a practical introduction to the area, developing a range of skills that you will be able to apply in your workplace. In particular, these skills will enable you to perform the activities required to design UIs that are suited to the users’ needs, the tasks they want to carry out and the environment they will be working in. Evaluation with users is a fundamental part of good UI design, and the course will also help you to develop the skills necessary to evaluate the UIs of existing systems and to assess their effectiveness.
Specifically, the course develops skills and understanding in:
- developing a UI in a flexible, iterative manner, working in close collaboration with the users
- identifying who will use the system, the tasks they want to carry out and the environment in which they will be working
- creating a conceptual design
- choosing the most appropriate interaction style
- choosing appropriate interaction devices
- using text, colour, images, moving images and sound effectively
- designing various kinds of UI, in particular graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and websites
- evaluating UIs
- the realities of developing usable UIs in an organisation.
We give examples of how these matters have been dealt with by different organisations, and a case study takes you through the design and evaluation of a UI step by step. This is supplemented by interactive exercises on the CD-ROM, while the course website offers links to useful resources. Two DVD programmes show what is involved in designing and evaluating UIs.
Your assignments will ask you to apply your skills to a UI, or part of a UI, of your choice. Throughout these assignments you will be expected to involve end users of your chosen UI. You will look critically at it, redesign it and then carry out an evaluation of your redesign with users. Your choice might be an application or a website that you use at work, at home or elsewhere, such as in a museum or library; or you could choose an embedded computer system such as a heating controller, video recorder or automatic ticket machine.
The course will be of interest to many people, but is particularly useful for:
- people who want to become usability professionals or technical writers in the field
- computing science, management or psychology professionals working in software development, software management or related fields
- software design and development specialists in industry or commerce
- people who have managerial responsibility for the development of computer systems.
Entry
Whatever your background, this course will challenge your existing views of how usable software is developed. You need not have a detailed understanding of any particular programming language although the course assumes you have some basic knowledge about software engineering.
We assume that you have already studied to HNC/HND level or have equivalent experience from your employment. More often, students of this course are professionally engaged in software development, perhaps as a developer, project manager or specifier of software systems. If you are not personally engaged in software development but are a software user, you should be able to complete the course, but you might find your progress slow. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please seek advice from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
If you would like more information about the Postgraduate Computing programme as a whole, you can visit the programme website. This site includes additional information about the programme, details of new courses and qualifications that are being planned, some samples of course materials, FAQs and links to descriptions of current courses and related qualifications.
Discount for Open University Graduates
If you are a graduate of The Open University (holding either an undergraduate or masters degree), you are eligible for a discount of £100 towards the cost of this course. Telephone 0845 3666056 or email us to claim your discount when you register for this course.
Qualifications
M873 is an optional course in our
- Postgraduate Certificate in Computing (C69)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Management (C49)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Computing for Commerce and Industry (C02)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Information Systems (E10)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Management of Software Projects (E19)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Networks and Distributed Systems (E18)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Software Development (D69)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Technology Management (E08)
- MSc in Computing for Commerce and Industry (F05)
- MSc in Information Systems (F37)
- MSc in Management of Software Projects (F43)
- MSc in Networks and Distributed Systems (F42)
- MSc in Software Development (F26)
- MSc in Technology Management (F36)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Visual aspects of user interfaces are considered in detail in the course, which could cause difficulties if you are visually impaired. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. After you have registered you will receive detailed information about the residential school site and the facilities available to help with the academic programme.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklets Meeting Your Needs and Meeting your residential school needs, which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, DVD, CD-ROM, website, optional online forums.
You will need
A DVD player.
Access to the internet is essential for this course since some course materials are available only on the course website. You also need to use the internet to submit your assignments to your tutor.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You will be able to contact your tutor by telephone, email and post. An optional introductory Saturday tutorial may be offered at up to four centres (London, Walsall, Manchester and Glasgow) shortly after the beginning of the course, at no extra cost, subject to viable group sizes in all locations. There is usually a lively student online discussion forum. Contact the Postgraduate Technology & Computing (PTC) Office at The OU in the East Midlands (telephone 0115 971 5566, or email us) if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
We may be able to offer a revision school at the end of the course to help you to prepare for the examination. The fee for the school (around £230) is not included in the course fee and places are limited. The school is organised by our PTC Office, who will send you details of how to apply for a place. It is not guaranteed that we will hold an introductory day school or revision school for every course, for these events are dependent upon student numbers.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
You will take your examination in one of the University's examination centres.
Professional recognition
The British Computer Society (BCS) offers exemption from some of its membership requirements for holders of an appropriate MSc in Computing from The Open University. M873 can form part of such an MSc. You can download our Recognition leaflet 3.7 Computing or ask our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for a copy. BCS regulations are on their website.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the final course starting in May 2010.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
A postgraduate course in Computing and ICT.
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Student Reviews
I found this to be the most enjoyable course to date, my fourth course, with each TMA effectively reinforcing the ...
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The workload on this course was quite ok, although the TMAs might cause slight panic if you tend to leave ...
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