IFN591 Principles of User Experience

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

User Experience (UX) describes how we engage with technology, including how we use, feel, think, and talk about it. It is widely recognized as a key success factor for digital technologies and services that shape how we live, work, socialize, learn, play, and manage our health.

In this introduction to User Experience you will learn methods and theories to understand and characterize what experiences matter to people, to generate ideas and create prototypes, and to evaluate the experiences that people have with technology prototypes. Understanding how to create positive experiences with digital technologies will give students an edge in the market place for jobs as user experience professionals, IT developers, and interaction designers.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Apply methods and theories to study people and technologies in real-world contexts (CLO2)
2. Create design specifications, ideas, and prototypes from real-world insights (CLO3)
3. Evaluate the usability and user experience of interactive technology and be aware of the strengths and limitations of the evaluation (CLO2, CLO6)
4. Work in a collaborative, ethical, and honest manner (CLO4, CLO6)
5. Apply communication skills to create professional deliverables through reports, presentations and visual media (CLO5)

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will learn through engaging in weekly two-hour workshops held in a collaborative learning space. This is an interactive session combining both lecture segments and hands-on practical exercises. The lecture segments will cover the necessary background on user experience theories and methods. Hands-on exercises will focus on exploring user experience through a human-centred design process to identify needs, generate ideas and prototypes, and to evaluate the usability and user experience with these prototypes.

Unit staff provide a learning environment designed to maximise your learning experience. In order to realise your full potential, it is strongly recommended that you actively participate in all of the learning activities offered in this unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will gain feedback in this unit by discussing your user experience project with peers and teaching staff at weekly workshops.  You will receive written feedback on your assessment submissions, and will be able to have private consultations with the teaching staff at any point during the semester to discuss your progress (arrange an appointment).

Assessment

Overview

The assessment in this unit is based on a user experience project in a real-world context. The project consists of 3 interconnected parts: (1) a research proposal; (2) a report to present research findings and to define the target user experience; (3) prototype development. Modelling real-world user experience practice, assignments will be communicated through a combination of reports and presentations.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: User Experience Research Proposal

The aim of this assessment is to prepare a detailed proposal to study people and technologies in a real-world context. The proposal will contain a research plan, research instruments (e.g., interview guide, diary instructions), and ethics documents (participant information sheet, consent form). The proposal will be presented during the workshop.

Assessment: User Experience Specification

The aim of this assessment is to create technology design specifications, based on findings from user experience research in a real-world context. This assessment is based on the proposal presented in assessment 1. Assessment 2 is presented through a report that describes the background, methods, findings, design specifications (for example, a persona and a journey map), a design brief, and detailed appendices. The report will be 3000-4000 words long, not including references and appendices.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: User Experience Prototype

The aim of this assessment is to develop an interactive technology prototype.  The design specifications presented in assessment 2 are used as a starting point to generate a range of design ideas and sketches, which will be refined into an interactive prototype that can be tested with target users (for example, a paper prototype, a wireframe, or a high-fidelity prototype).

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension 

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Students will need to complete Human Research Ethics Online (HREO) or an equivalent training.

Risk Assessment Statement

This unit involves research with people to study the user experience with digital technology through methods like interviews, observation, and diary research. This research will be covered by a unit level ethics application to protect study participants and students. Students are required to complete Human Research Ethics Online (HREO) or equivalent training, and to prepare a research plan, consent forms, and information sheets before starting data collection

Course Learning Outcomes

EN72 Master of Advanced Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

1. Demonstrate and apply advanced and specialist discipline knowledge, concepts and practices in Advanced Robotics and AI and Data Analytics domains
   Relates to: User Experience Specification, User Experience Prototype
2. Critically analyse, evaluate and apply appropriate methods to problems to achieve research-informed solutions in Advanced Robotics and AI and Data Analytics domains
   Relates to: User Experience Research Proposal, User Experience Specification, User Experience Prototype
3. Apply systematic approaches to plan, design, execute and manage projects in Advanced Robotics and AI and Data Analytics domains
   Relates to: User Experience Research Proposal, User Experience Specification, User Experience Prototype
4. Communicate complex information effectively and succinctly in oral and written form for diverse purposes and audiences
   Relates to: User Experience Research Proposal, User Experience Specification, User Experience Prototype
5. Demonstrate an ability to research and apply established theories and plan and execute a substantial research-based project, cultivating an attitude of engineering innovation
   Relates to: User Experience Research Proposal, User Experience Specification