Human-Computer Interaction (DECO2500)

Course overview

Models of action, perception, cognition and interaction in human-machine systems. Methods of interaction analysis and interaction representation. Human-machine system evaluation. Practical implementation. Introduction to user and use-centred design principles. Broader topics may include: societal considerations, groupware, multimedia, media perspectives.

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles, theories, and methods of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). It explores how people interact with technology and how we can design more effective, usable, and engaging digital systems.

The course is structured around Norman’s Model of Interaction, focusing on the Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation. Through this model, students will learn to analyse and design interactive systems by considering three key perspectives:

1. Understanding the Process of Interaction – The Seven Stages of Action and how users bridge the gap between their goals and system functionality.
2. Understanding the Human – Theories of cognition, perception, attention, and emotion that shape how people use and interpret digital interfaces.
3. Understanding the System – The role of system functionality and interface design in supporting user interaction, including usability principles, design heuristics, and evaluation methods.

The course is highly applied, with a mix of lectures, hands-on studio activities, and assessments that build students’ skills in user research, prototyping, and evaluation. Students will first design an interactive system (Assessment 1: Design Proposal) and then evaluate an interface using user-based and expert evaluation methods (Assessment 2: Interface Evaluation).

By the end of the course, students will have practical experience in designing and evaluating digital interfaces, with a strong understanding of the cognitive and usability principles that drive effective interaction design.

The content of this course has been modified several times based on student feedback. The duration of the lecture has been extended and group work has been reduced. Assessment has been redesigned to ensure that it is better distributed across the course and studio activities have been specifically aligned to the assessment tasks.

Course requirements

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

DECO1400 or CSSE1001 or ENGG1001

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

COMP2506 or COMP3501 or COMP7904 or DECO7250

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

The timetable for DECO2500 is split into a two-hour Lecture session combined with DECO7250 students, and a two-hour Studio session. Lectures will occur on campus and will be recorded. The studio sessions will occur on campus and will not be recorded.

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Aims and outcomes

This course provides students with an introduction to the theory and methods underlying Human-Computer Interaction. Students will gain experience in researching user needs and goals, then developing appropriately targeted design solutions to the needs and goals they have identified.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

A1 Design Proposal

• Team or group-based

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30% (Group)

Due date

A1.1 Draft Research Instruments: submitted during your allocated studio 18/03/2025 - 21/03/2025

A1.2 Design Proposal: Submission due 2pm 28/04/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L06, L07

Task description

Submission guidelines

For both A1.1 Draft Research Instruments and A1.2 Final Design Proposal, you should submit a single electronic file via relevant the Turnitin Assignment Handler in Blackboard on or before the due date/time.

Please ensure that an Acknowledgement of the Usage of Generative AI and/or Machine Translation is included in your submission. The format and contents of this Acknowledgement are detailed in the assessment task sheet.

Your team submission must be a single word-processed document that contains your team's report, including coversheet, reference list and appendix. Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) or Pages (.pages) formats only. Note PDF is acceptable but is not the preferred format.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

This assessment is developed and iterated on with students needing to act on regular formative feedback over the semester. This is to support the development of genuine reflective practice in the assessment and enable students to learn skills required in standard industry design practice.

If there are exceptional circumstances, an exemption may be approved and may involve submitting/discussing your work as it stands. Exemptions must be requested as an extension with a note specifying exemption via my.UQ.

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

A2 Interface Evaluation

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

30% (Individual)

Due date

26/05/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L05, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

You should submit a single electronic file via the Turnitin Assignment Handler in Blackboard on or before the due date/time.

Please ensure that an Acknowledgement of the Usage of Generative AI and/or Machine Translation is included in your submission. The format and contents of this Acknowledgement are detailed in the assessment task sheet.

Your submission must be a single word-processed document that contains your report, including any reference list and appendices. Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) or Pages (.pages) formats only. Note PDF is acceptable but is not the preferred format.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

This course uses a progressive assessment approach where feedback and/or detailed solutions will be released to students within 14 days. This is to ensure that students have feedback prior to their exam so they can act on this feedback for their exam.

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

Final Exam

• Hurdle
• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

40% (Individual)

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Identity-Verified Assessment with Hurdles (IVAH) Requirement

In order to meet IVAH requirements and pass the course, students are required to gain at least a Pass (+/-) for the Final Exam. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the final grade for the course being capped at a Fail (3), regardless of performance in other assessment items.

The final grade for the course will be initially constructed from the individual grades according to assessment weightings. At the discretion of the course coordinator, final grades may be moderated.

Qualitative Grading System

A qualitative grading system is used in this course, whereby you will receive qualitative feedback on your work.

Grades for assessment in this course will identify your work as being of a particular standard that fall within a meaningful UQ grade band:

• High Distinction
• Distinction
• Credit
• Pass
• Fail

Within each category, there may be a further qualifier of + or - to indicate that the work is at the upper or lower bounds of the category. For example, if work is assessed at the level of Distinction then it has been assessed overall to meet the quality described by the Distinction grade descriptor. Distinction- means that the work is assessed at Distinction level, but it is at the lower bound having just satisfied the requirements for Distinction. Distinction+ means that the work is assessed at Distinction, but while it is at the upper bound of this grade, it is missing key aspects that would lead it to be assessed at the next grade up.

Qualitative grading is the only method used in this course to grade workﾠbut in order to calculate a grade, each qualitative descriptor is coded to a numerical digit from 0 – 15 (see below).ﾠThere are no % used in any calculation and the coding system does not correspond to a % value.

Qualitative Grade / Qualitative Grade Coding Digit maps to (>) UQ Grade Band

• High Distinction+ (15) > High Distinction (7)
• High Distinction (14) > High Distinction (7)
• High Distinction- (13) > High Distinction (7)
• Distinction+ (12) > Distinction (6)
• Distinction (11) > Distinction (6)
• Distinction- (10) > Distinction (6)
• Credit+ (9) > Credit (5)
• Credit (8) > Credit (5)
• Credit- (7) > Credit (5)
• Pass+ (6) > Pass (4)
• Pass (5) > Pass (4)
• Pass- (4) > Pass (4)
• Fail+ (3) > Fail (3)
• Fail (2) > Fail (2)
• Fail- (1) >Fail (1)
• X - no assessable work received (0) > X

Grade Calculation

The final grade for an assignment is calculated by assigning the qualitative grade its corresponding digit from the coding system and the weighting in a formula to arrive at a final grade. The final grade for the course uses the same principle (see examples below).

Example 1

Assessment Results

• Team Design Proposal (weighting = 30%): Credit- 7
• Individual Interface Inquiry (weighting = 30%): High Distinction- 13
• Final Exam (weighting = 40%): Distinction - 11

Calculation of Final Grade for the Course

• (7 x 0.3) + (13 x 0.3) + (11 x 0.4) = 10.4
• Final UQ Grade: Distinction (6)

Example 2

• Assessment Results
• Team Design Proposal (weighting = 30%): Distinction 12
• Individual Interface Inquiry (weighting = 30%): Credit+ 9
• Final Exam (weighting = 40%): Fail 2

Calculation of Final Grade for the Course

• (12 x 0.3) + (9 x 0.3) + (2 x 0.4) = 7.1
• Final UQ Grade: Fail (3) - capped at 3 due to failing the Final Exam

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.

Supplementary assessment will be provided for students with a final grade of 3, and only available to those that pass the team assignment - A1 Design Proposal.

Additional assessment information

Grading System

A qualitative grading system is used in this course, whereby you will receive qualitative feedback on your work. You will receive a grade for each assessment that falls within a meaningful UQ grade band, e.g. Pass, Credit, Distinction, High Distinction, etc.ﾠ

Teamwork/Group Assessment

Teamwork is an integral component of the Design Proposal. By default, each member of a team will receive the same grade for the group deliverables. However, individual performance will also be considered through two mechanisms:

1. Team Work Record – A weekly (or regularly updated) log documenting each member’s contributions, tasks, and any challenges faced.
2. Individual Reflection – A short personal piece in which you reflect on:

• Your team’s progress and overall collaboration,
• Strategies used to resolve conflicts or overcome obstacles,
• Your own contributions to the group, and
• Lessons learned regarding teamwork and communication.

If these documents indicate substantially different levels of participation, the final grade for individual team members may be adjusted accordingly. This ensures fairness and recognises each student’s engagement in the group process. Full details and instructions for these tasks are provided in the Assessment Task Sheet.

The course coordinator reserves the right to vary group marks for each group member in the event of varied contributions to the team effort.

An online MOOC that provides resources and training for working in teams will also be provided. Teams are expected to develop their own effective conflict resolution strategies to enable them to deal with situations where workload is not shared equally. All teams should produce various articles to document their teams progress, including:

1. Team Charter – This charter will set up the “ground rules” for your team: how you communicate, when you meet, and how you will resolve issues. It really is the guide to how your team is going to work. If problems arise, you should let your demonstrator know BUT make sure that you are following the processes outlined in the charter.
2. Weekly meeting logs – Your team will also need to maintain logs of your weekly meetings. These logs should record – items discussed/worked on, issues that arose (if any), actions required, and deliverables/plan to be completed by the next meeting. It should also record who has been allocated to each of the deliverables.

Team conflicts should be resolved through discussion and negotiation. If teams encounter a situation whereby there may be issues, there is a process that students should follow if their team experiences conflict:

1. In the first instance, teams should independently take appropriate steps to resolve internal issues. It is highly recommended that all team members complete the team working MOOC and if issues arise should be able to evidence how they have applied their knowledge from this MOOC into their group project (if required).
2. All members of the team need to be given the opportunity to work on the project. Issues should be discussed in a non-confrontational manner. It is not appropriate to re-do another team member’s contribution because of a subjective opinion. The team needs to discuss and work as a group to ensure everyone is happy with the group’s output.
3. Tasks/contributions should be accurately documented in meeting logs
4. If your team cannot resolve the issue yourselves, you must inform the teaching team as soon as possible so that they can be made aware of the situation and can assist you in addressing any issues within the team.
5. Formative team performance reviews will be conducted during the project process to allow teams and teaching staff the opportunity to identify areas of conflict, concern, and opportunity. These performance reviews will not impact on individual grades but may be used in cases of severe team disfunction to inform course coordinator action.

If the above criteria have been met and there are still issues within the team, the teaching team will do their best to assist in helping to resolve the conflict. The Course Coordinator reserves the right to moderate group marks in the event of varied contributions to team effort.

Having Troubles?

If you are having difficulties with any aspect of the course material, you should seek help. Speak to the course teaching staff.

If external circumstances are affecting your ability to work on the course, you should seek help as soon as possible. The University and UQ Union have organisations and staff who are able to help, for example, UQ Student Services are able to help with study and exam skills, tertiary learning skills, writing skills, financial assistance, personal issues, and disability services (among other things).

Complaints and criticisms should be directed in the first instance to the course coordinator. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may bring the matter to the attention of the School of EECS Director of Teaching and Learning.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Additional readings may be prescribed in the lectures and in practical sessions.ﾠ Details will be provided in those sessions and links will be added to blackboard.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

School guidelines

Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:

• EECS School Guidelines for Students