User Interface Design

COMS 4170 · Spring 2024

Our Goals:

1. Understand users and build websites that suit the needs and abilities.
2. Design useable systems through iteration and feedback.

    Instructor
  • Prof. Lydia Chilton
    OH: Mondays 2:30-3:30 in CEPSR 612

    Please contact staff through Ed or Slack (coming soon)
TA Office hours
    The office hours times and locations are on the calendar below. You can view or subscribe to the calendar here: google calendar.

    The calendar include zoom/hangouts links for remote OH.
Weekly schedule
    Monday, Wednesday
    1:10–2:25pm
    IAB 417

Syllabus

Monday Wednesday Friday
January 15

No class
January 17

Usability Heuristics
Lecture Video
Homework 1 out

January 19

Homework 1 Warm up due

January 22

Information Design
Lecture Video

January 24
Grids and Layouts
Homework 2 out
Lecture Video
January 26

Homework 2 Warm up due

January 29
User Interaction Models
Lecture Video
January 31

JavaScript, Widgets, and Events
Homework 3 out
Lecture Video

February 2
Homework 3 warm up due
February 5
Events and Feedback
February 7

Direct Manipulation
Homework 4 out
Lecture Video

February 9

Homework 4 warm up due

February 12
Menus and Navigation
Lecture Video
February 14

Saving Data on the Server
Homework 5 out
people.zip (correct version)
Lecture Video

February 16

Homework 5 warm up due

February 19

Homework 4 Review (no slides)
Lecture Video

February 21

Database-Backed Websites
Homework 6 out
Lecture video

February 23

Homework 6 warm up due

February 26

Color, Type, Gestalt
Lecture video

February 28

Inclusive Design
and Accessibility
Midterm Project out
Lecture video

March 1

Midterm Project warm up due

March 4

No class. Extra office hours.

March 6

No class. Extra Office hours.

March 8

Midterm Project due
March 11

Break — No class
March 13

Break - No class
March 18

Design Project Kickoff & User Research
Lecture video
Homework 7 out
March 20

TA meetings: Brainstorming and Team formation
Individual Warm up due before TA section time
March 22

Group Warm up due
March 25

Low-Fi Prototypes
Lecture Video

March 27

TA session: User Research and Idea Selection
Homework 7 due
Homework 8 out
March 29

Warm up due
April 1

No Lecture - Lydia was sick :(

April 3

TA Meetings: low-fi prototype feedback
Homework 8 due
Homework 9 out
April 5

Warm up due
April 8
Technical Prototypes
Lecture Video
April 10

TA Meetings: Low-Fi iteration Feedback
Homework 9 due
Homework 10 out
April 12

Warm up due
April 15

Graphic Design
Lecture Video

April 17

TA sessions: technical feedback
Homework 10 due
Homework 11 out
April 19

Warm up due
April 22
Review + Designing with AI
Lecture Video
April 24

TA session: Graphic Design Feedback
Homework 11 due
Homework 12 out
April 26

Warm up due
April 29
No Lecture
May 1
(no official class)
Bonus TA session "office hours" for video feedback
Homework 12 due
May 6

Final Project due at 11:59pm.
No exceptions. Assignments 1 minute late will receive a zero.

Grading

Grade Buckets
92% <= A  <= 100%
90% <= A- < 92%
88% <= B+ < 90%
82% <= B  < 88%
80% <= B- < 82%
78% <= C+ < 80%
72% <= C  < 78%
70% <= C- < 72%
60% <= D  < 70%
 0% <= F < 60%

No A+ grades will be given.
Grade Breakdown
  • Design Section Participation: 10%
  • Weekly assignments: 60% (5% each)
  • Midterm Project: 10%
  • Final Project: 20%

Late Policy
2 Late Passes: You may turn in 2 assignments late with no penalty or excuse needed. Simply email your TA telling them you intend to use a late pass before the assignment deadline.

Each late assignments must be turned in no more than 5 days (120 hours) after the original deadline. There is no difference between an assignment being 1 hour late or 99 hours late.

Late passes cannot be used on the Midterm Project or Final Project.

If you have an illness or emergency with extenuating circumstances, email your TA and Prof Chilton to explain the situation. Include the name and contact of your advising dean so we can coordinate a plan with them.


Class participation
Class participation is based on your attendance and active participation during the design feedback sections in the second half of the class.

If you cannot make the regularly schedule time for your section meeting, email your TA in advance of the meeting and suggest 3 times in the next two days to schedule a make up.

Regrade Requests
If you believe there has been an error in grading your assignment, please contact your TA within 3 days of your grade being released.
  • Send an email to your TA and cc Prof Chilton.
  • The subject of that email should be "Regrade Request HW #n". Where n is the number of the homework.
  • Tell us what problem number you would like to be considered for a regrade and why you think your answer deserves more points.
On any assignment that you request a regrade, we reserve the right to regrade all parts of the assignment, not just the ones you indicated.