N.B. Direct URLs are provided for readings available on the open internet. Articles available through FSU Libraries are listed with their DOI and a direct link via FSU's proxy server. Readings not available online can be found on the "Reserve Readings" page on the course Canvas site.

Part One: Think Different

Week 1) Why Usability?

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, August 25 @ 8:00 PM (Mandatory First Day Attendance Policy)

Readings:

• The Course Syllabus, Weekly Outline, and Assignment Descriptions. Please note that conduct of the course, including grading, will proceed this semester assuming you have carefully read, understand, and agree to adhere to all the requirements in all of these documents.

Week 2) Thinking Like a User

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, September 1 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Spool 2009. The $300 Million Button. https://articles.uie.com/three_hund_million_button/
• Rubin 2008. Handbook of Usability Testing, Chapter 1: What Makes Something Usable? [RESERVE]
• Hackos and Redish 1998. User and Task Analysis for Interface Design, Chapter 1: Introducing Users and Task Analysis. [RESERVE]

Assignments:

• Individual Assignment 1: Designing for Users. 10 pts. Due Tuesday, September 6. One post per student.

Part Two: Usability Analysis and Evaluation

Week 3) Usability 101

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, September 8 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)
• N.B. We will finalize group topics in class this week, and you will have the opportunity to suggest ideas on the course blog ahead of time.

Readings:

• Nielsen 2012. Usability 101. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/
• Usability Evaluation Basics. http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/usability-evaluation.html
• Preece, Rogers, and Sharp 2002. Interaction Design, Chapter 1: What is Interaction Design? [RESERVE]

Usability Disasters:

• Marjani A.
• Julia B.
• Jasmyn C.
• Logan D.

Assignments:

• Group Assignment 1: Group Topic Selection. 5 pts. Due Tuesday, September 13. One post per group.

Week 4) Inspection Methods 1

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, September 15 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Heuristic Evaluations and Expert Reviews. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/heuristic-evaluation.html
• Nielsen 1995. How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-conduct-a-heuristic-evaluation/
• Nielsen 1995. 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

Usability Disasters:

• Amy F.
• Gina G.
• Christopher G.
• Caitlin H.
• Steven H.

Week 5) Inspection Methods 2

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, September 22 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Personas. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/personas.html
• Scenarios. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/scenarios.html
• Task Analysis. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/task-analysis.html

Usability Disasters:

• Sonya J.
• Megan K.
• Paul K.
• Peter L.

Assignments:

• Individual Assignment 2: Heuristic Evaluation. 15 pts. Due Tuesday, September 27. One post per student.

Week 6) Hurricane Ian

No Synchronous Session on Thursday, September 29.

Week 7) Representative User Testing 1

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, October 6 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Usability Testing. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/usability-testing.html
• Planning Usability Testing. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/planning-usability-testing.html
• Rubin 2008. Handbook of Usability Testing, Chapter 5: Develop the Test Plan. [RESERVE]

Usability Disasters:

• Andrew M.
• Ginny M.
• James M.
• Jasmine P.
• Matthew P.

Week 8) Representative User Testing 2

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, October 13 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Recruiting Usability Test Participants. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/recruiting-usability-test-participants.html
• Rubin 2008. Handbook of Usability Testing, Chapter 8: Prepare Test Materials. [RESERVE]
• Marty and Twidale 2005. Usability@90mph: Presenting and Evaluating a New, High-Speed Method for Demonstrating User Testing in Front of an Audience. First Monday 10 (7). http://firstMonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1260/1180

Usability Disasters:

• Isabella R.
• Joseph R.
• Jennifer R.
• Meagan R.

Assignments:

• Group Assignment 2: User Scenarios and Representative Tasks. 10 pts. Due Tuesday, October 18. One post per group.

Week 9) Representative User Testing 3

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, October 20 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Running Usability Tests. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/running-usability-tests.html
• Rubin 2008. Handbook of Usability Testing, Chapter 9: Conduct the Test Sessions. [RESERVE]
• Nielsen 2000. Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/

Usability Disasters:

• Erin S.
• Marinel S.
• Robert S.
• Emanuel S.
• Ryan T.

Week 10) Representative User Testing 4

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, October 27 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Reporting Usability Test Results. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/reporting-usability-test-results.html
• Rubin 2008. Handbook of Usability Testing, Chapter 12: Report Findings and Recommendations. [RESERVE]
• Schade 2013. Making Usability Findings Actionable: 5 Tips for Writing Better Reports. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/actionable-usability-findings/

Usability Disasters:

• Deborah T.
• Colin W.
• Evan W.
• Kyle W.

Assignments:

• Individual Assignment 3: Representative User Test. 20 pts. Due Tuesday, November 1. One post per student.

Part Three: Usability in the Design Lifecycle

Week 11) The Importance of Iterative Design / Iterative Design Workshop 1

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, November 3 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Benefits of User-Centered Design. http://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/benefits-of-ucd.html
• Preece, Rogers, and Sharp 2002. Interaction Design, Chapter 6: The Process of Interaction Design. [RESERVE]
• Nielsen 1993. Iterative User Interface Design. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/iterative-design/

Week 12) The Importance of Iterative Design / Advocating for Usability

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, November 10 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Donahue 2001. Usability and the Bottom Line. IEEE Software. 18 (1), 31-37. [RESERVE]
• Rosenberg 2004, The Myths of Usability ROI, Interactions. Sept/Oct 2004, 22-29. [RESERVE]
• Domingo 2018. How to Advocate and Evangelize User Experience. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/how-to-advocate-and-evangelize-user-experience

Assignments:

• Group Assignment 3a: Iteration 1. 10 pts. Due Tuesday, November 15. One post per group.

Week 13) Iterative Design Workshop 2

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, November 17 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• None

Week 14) Thanksgiving Day

No Synchronous Session on Thursday, November 24.

Week 15) The Future of User-Centered Design

Synchronous Session:

• Thursday, December 1 @ 8:00 PM (Class Participation Required)

Readings:

• Nielsen 2002. Becoming a Usability Professional. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/becoming-a-usability-professional/
• Magain 2014. How To Get Started in UX Design. http://uxmastery.com/how-to-get-started-in-ux-design/
• Bias, Marty, and Douglas 2012. Usability / User-Centered Design in the iSchools: Justifying a Teaching Philosophy. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science. 53 (4), 274-289. [RESERVE]

Assignments:

• Group Assignment 3b: Iteration 2. 10 pts. Due Tuesday, December 6. One post per group.