Next Generation User Interfaces

6 ECTS credits
172 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4018166FNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester

2nd semester

Enrollment based on exam contract

Impossible

Grading method

Grading (scale from 0 to 20)

Can retake in second session

Yes

Taught in

English

Faculty

Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences

Department

Computer Science

Educational team

Maxim Van de Wynckel
Beat Signer (course titular)

Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
26 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study

Course Content

The course covers the following topics:

Interaction design
Requirements analysis and prototyping
Evaluation methods
Information architectures
Multimodal interaction
Pen-based interaction
Interactive tabletops and surfaces
Gesture-based interaction
Tangible, embedded and embodied interaction
Virtual and augmented reality
Implicit human-computer interaction

Course material

Digital course material (Required) : Relevant material (including the lecture slides), lecture slides, additional papers and book chapters, contact information, deadlines, exercises, exam details etc., Learning platform

Additional info

The lectures are given in English. Relevant course material (slides) is available on the learning platform. For specific course topics, pointers to relevant additional resources (research papers, books and book chapters, website, specifications, online tutorials etc.) will be provided as well.

Learning Outcomes

General competences

Knowledge and Understanding:
After attending the course on Next Generation User Interfaces, the student has an understanding of the interaction principles introduced by new devices such as smartphones, multi-touch tables or gesture-based interfaces as well as the theoretical background behind these interaction principles. The student is able to reflect on the qualities and shortcomings of different interaction styles, while placing the user at the core of the interface design process.

Application of Knowledge and Understanding:
The student can apply the theoretical background and interaction principles discussed in the course and create interfaces that go beyond the classical WIMP metaphor. They have knowledge of analytical and programmatic tools for the creation of next generation user interfaces. The student is further able to carry out a practical project focussing on post-WIMP user interfaces.

Judgement Shaping:
The student knows various examples of interfaces that go beyond the classical GUI as well as their related modalities. The student is able to assess the usability and effectiveness of user interfaces by using the tools and principles studied during the course. Based on these tools and principles, the student is further able to match different modalities and interfaces in a given context.

Communication:
The course attendees can express themselves in written and oral form about the subjects mentioned above.

Learning Skills:
The course should give students the ability to understand the possibilities and limitations of next generation user interfaces and to recognise variations of such interfaces. They should further be able to understand and evaluate new developments and technologies in fields related to the course and have the skills to independently study and master these new technologies.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 40% of the final mark.
PRAC Teamwork determines 60% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Oral exam with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 40% of the final mark.

Note: During the exam period an oral exam covering all the course topics will be conducted as well as a demonstration and discussion of the assigned projects.

Within the PRAC Teamwork category, the following assignments need to be completed:

Project with a relative weight of 100 which comprises 60% of the final mark.

Note: During the semester students have to work on a group project.

Additional info regarding evaluation

The final grade is a weighted average. During the semester an assignment has to be done (counts for 60% of the final grade). During the exam period an oral exam covering all the course topics will be conducted (counts for 40% of the final grade) as well as a demonstration and discussion of the assigned project to asses a student's individual contribution. In order to pass the course, the final grade has to be at least 10/20. Furthermore, each individual grade (assignment or oral exam) has to be at least 8/20, otherwise the lower of these two grades becomes the final grade.

In case of an overall failure, partial marks for the assignment, if the student obtains at least 10/20 for the assignment, are transferred to the second session. Partial marks for the oral exam, if the student obtains at least 10/20 for the oral exam, are transferred to the second session. Students may not relinquish partial marks that have been transferred to the second session.

In the second exam period, assignments that were not satisfactory can be reworked and defended again. Also the oral exam can be redone. The final mark is calculated in the same way as in the first exam period.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark

The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context