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2010/2011  KAN-DUU  Design for Use and Users

English Title
Design for Use and Users

Course Information

Language Danish
Point 15 ECTS (450 SAT)
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Semester
Course Period Spring
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study Board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Information Systems
Course Coordinator
Janni Nielsen
Main Category of the Course
  • Information Systems
  • Communication

Taught under Open University-Taught under open university.
Last updated on 29 maj 2012
Learning Objectives
By the end of the specialisation, the student should be able to:
• Analyse, reflect and evaluate authentic design problems from a user, usage and participatory design perspective as well as identify and critically reflect upon the scientific basis for Design for Use and Users.

Intellectual learning goals:
• Identify, analyze and reflect upon the scientific basis in interaction design
• Formulate, analyze and evaluate problem spaces in interaction design

Subject specific learning goals:
• Understand and reflect on theories and methods in planning, designing and evaluating ICT artefacts
• Understand and reflect on the basis for experimental and user oriented development of artefacts
• Evaluate ICT artefacts from theoretical perspective: cognitive, interactive and communicative

Practical goals:
• be able to use the theories and methods of the course in analysis, design and evaluation of artefacts
• gain experience with experimental and user oriented design of artefacts
Prerequisite
MSc profile in IT Management and Business Economics
Examination
Individual oral exam based on a project or case
Exam Period May/June
Examination
The course contains two obligatory assignments (1 & 2) and finishes off with an oral examination based on a project or case written in groups (3).

1) obligatory assignment: A literature synthesis consisting of max 4000 words:

To be approved, the literature synthesis should apply the concepts, theories, and models of the theme in question, and it should demonstrate the clarity of argumentation.

2) obligatory assignment: Design prototype

To be approved, the prototype must reflect that the student is able to devise effective design solutions to real-world design problems by successfully applying one or more of the three design methods learnt in the course.

3) Examination: Reflective design evaluation

• The examination is an individual oral examination based on a project or case written in groups of 2-4 students.
• One overall grade is given to each student on the basis of the whole written project or case and the individual oral performance.

The examination takes place in May-June. Make-up and re-examination take place in August.
Prerequisites for Attending the Exam
Course Content

Content, structure, and teaching

Human and Computers:

Interaction design integrates theory and creative practice. In the course we focus on the user interface and work with idea generation, conceptualization, design and evaluation (the design LifeCycle). The theoretical point of departure is the human being: sense making, story telling and interaction. This theoretical foundation is integrated with methods and techniques in the design process and with the designer’s creative competencies.

The aim is to enable students to design and evaluate ICT systems through:

· A theoretical introduction to different understandings of human beings (economical man, social man, emotional man, creative man, user)

· Theories and methods in analysis, design and development

· Test and evaluation of user interfaces

The course is divided into 3 themes:

· Theories of cognition and knowledge

· Visual communication and interaction

· Human-computer Interaction (HCI): theories and methods in design, test and evaluation of interfaces

Theories of cognition and knowledge:

The aim is to enable students to understand and reflect critically upon a) who designers are designing for (which human beings) and b) how human beings acquire knowledge of the world and develop understanding and insight.

Visual communication and interaction:

The aim is to enable students to understand visual communication, visual interaction. The theme builds on visual cognition but focuses on the interfaces and draws on the world of photography, of art and of science.

Human-computer Interaction (HCI):

Theories and methods in design, test and evaluation of interfaces: The aim is to enable students to acquire understanding of and experience with different methods and techniques in the design LifeCycle.

The course will start with a general introduction, followed by two consecutive parts the aim of which is to ensure knowledge sharing:

1. Part of course: On the basis of interest the students will choose her/his focus in the LifeCycle design process: pre-analysis, idea generation and conceptual design, product design or evaluation.

2. Part of course: The students will form project groups (across the LifeCycle) so that each project group covers all phases in the LifeCycle. It is in the project groups that students write their reports and develop their products.