In this course, you will learn the essentials of human-computer interaction (HCI). Over the course of a semester, you will learn how to design interactive systems that satisfy and delight users by undertaking the human-centered design process, from ideation to prototyping, implementation, and assessment with human users. You will learn key tools in the HCI toolkit, including need-finding, user studies, visual design, cognitive models, demo'ing, ethical considerations, and writing about your designs. This course also provides a primer on several areas of emerging technology in HCI, such as human-AI interaction and education technology. We will also cover ethics in HCI, including topics like inclusive design and dark patterns. To hone your craft as an HCI practitioner, during this course you will undertake a group project to design an innovative user interface. The final submission will include a working interactive prototype, demonstrations of the interface at a public departmental design showcase, and a written reflection on your design findings. Prerequisite: prior programming experience

In this graduate seminar, we will explore a growing body of work at the intersection of technology and social justice. A range of areas are included under this umbrella including tech ethics, design justice, algorithmic fairness, as well as work on equity, bias, diversity, and representation in computer science and other related disciplines. In this course, students will read and discuss a wide range of this work, through both critical and generative lenses.

This course reviews some of the most powerful ideas enabling great human-computer interaction (HCI), from the past to the present. The course covers classic visions of HCI futures like ubiquitous computing, embodied virtuality, and online collaboration that goes “beyond being there.” In the course, we will take inventory of what progress has been made in these directions, and where work remains to be done. We will also cover theoretical paradigms and frameworks that have advanced how interactions are designed and evaluated, like theories of computer-supported collaborative work, models of human ability, and natural interaction. In-class instruction will consist of lectures and group discussion, with about one lecture and one discussion per major paradigm from HCI. Unlike other courses in HCI, this course will primarily be focused on conceptual understanding rather than implementation and design practice. Students will read classical and emerging papers from the field and undertake a final research project representing a step forward in some major HCI paradigm.