About this course: In this course, you will learn relevant fundamentals of human motor performance, perception, and cognition that inform effective interaction design. You will use these models of how people work to design more effective input and interaction techniques. You’ll apply these to both traditional graphic and gestural interfaces.
Created by: University of California San Diego
Taught by: Scott Klemmer, Professor
Cognitive Science & Computer Science
| Basic Info | Course 4 of 8 in the Interaction Design Specialization |
| Commitment | 3 weeks, 2-3 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Input
There’s more to interfaces than what’s on the screen. While often overlooked, input deserves to be on equal footing with its more popular sibling, output. Also, input is a rare case where we can model user behavior mathematically. In this module, you’ll learn how good input is more than just preference, trace input from the fingertip to the screen, and think about the diversity of possible input devices and their relative merits.
4 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Modeling Human Input
- Video: From Fingers to Screen
- Video: Character Study
- Reading: Lecture Slides
Graded: Fitts' Law
WEEK 2
Search & Navigation
We live in an information-rich world. Consequently, the hardest part of interaction is often finding what we want or finding something that we didn’t know what to ask for. From e-commerce to digital libraries, good search design is central to human-computer interaction in the 21st century.
3 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Designing Effective Search
- Video: Dan Russell, Director of Search Quality at Google
- Reading: Lecture slides
Graded: Search Interaction
WEEK 3
Gestural Interfaces
The graphical user interface with windows, icons, menus, and pointers (WIMP) was a massive advance beyond the command line. It also took 20 years to go from research labs into people’s homes. We’re in the midst of a new sea change now. Gestural interfaces can be even more direct and more natural. They can also be even more frustrating. In this module, you’ll learn how to tell the difference and design gestural interfaces that work.
3 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Don Norman Introduces Gestural Interaction pt 2
- Video: Bimanual Input
- Reading: Lecture slides
Graded: Your Minority Report
Graded: Cumulative Quiz
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
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Creators
University of California San Diego
UC San Diego is an academic powerhouse and economic engine, recognized as one of the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. Innovation is central to who we are and what we do. Here, students learn that knowledge isn't just acquired in the classroom—life is their laboratory.
Pricing
| Purchase Course | |
|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Don's explanations were interesting
I felt that Professor Klemmer should have demonstrated plugging actual numbers into the Fitts' Law formula. He described how it was invented and why but didn't actually demo it. The quiz was nothing but Fitts Law calculations. I didn't grasp the concept as well as I'd like to have. I had to do search queries online and look at Youtubes to understand it better.
The video assignment was challenging but fun. I learned Adobe Premiere in 3-4 hours so that I could edit my video. Without a homework deadline I doubt I would've pushed myself on my own.
Thanks, Coursera. I really enjoy your platform!
Very fun and interesting course! Great project-based assignments!
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A good course, especially the second week on finding and filtering - vivid examples of good filters and what to draw your attention to.