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User Interface Design: Applying Heuristics for Improved Usability

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Conference

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual Conference

Publication Date

July 26, 2021

Start Date

July 26, 2021

End Date

July 19, 2022

Conference Session

Computers in Education 10 - Technology 2

Tagged Division

Computers in Education

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--37979

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/37979

Download Count

998

Paper Authors

biography

Irini Spyridakis University of Washington

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Irini Spyridakis is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington. Her research and teaching concern ethics and sustainable design in engineering, human computer interaction, smart cities, resource constrained communities, technology for social good, and STEM outreach. She has close to 20 years of teaching experience and is an experienced UX researcher and designer.

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Abstract

It is critical that human computer interaction and product designers consider their audiences when designing and building user interfaces (UIs). To facilitate effective design of user interfaces (UIs), a course module and report assignment were developed to help students learn about effective UI design. The main goal of this paper is to describe a major graded assignment in this module—the UI Design Report—in depth and discuss its success. The assignment takes place in a three-week UI course module in a required junior level, communication and engineering design course in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. Outcomes were qualitatively assessed by examining samples of students’ reports versus requirements and students’ reflections on the module and report assignment. Outcomes have been positive and reveal that students gain an understanding of effective UI design and the important role of UI designers, and the impact of UI design on society. Educators from a multitude of disciplines that intersect with human computer interaction can use this assignment in helping design products and services with which users interact.

Spyridakis, I. (2021, July), User Interface Design: Applying Heuristics for Improved Usability Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37979

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