CS565

CS 598 AK: Experimental HCI (Fall 2021)

This course covers conceiving, designing, performing, analyzing data and reporting the results of experiments and usability/UX tests in HCI and empirically evaluating interactive technologies in engineering generally. Topics include defining research questions, selecting experimental objects, tasks, and participants, the ethical protection of subjects, selecting experimental designs, mitigating threats to validity, the collection and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, and reporting experimental research in publications. Both parametric and nonparametric data analysis are covered, including the most commonly used inferential statistical tests such as repeated- and independent-measures ANOVA, post-hoc Tukey, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and others. Statistical material is taught using methods based on mathematical foundations rather than with statistical software languages or packages in order to provide both a rigorous and intuitive understanding to complement the convenience these programming environments provide in research practice. Grades are based mainly on homework and 2 exams.

Instructor: Alex Kirlik

Course Format

Lecture Time: Wednesday and Friday, 12:30pm - 1:45pm (See downloadable course schedule for a detailed calendar of readings, lecture topics, downoadable assignments, etc).

Classroom Meeting Location: Siebel Center for Computer Science 1304

The course will consist primarily of in-person lectures and discussions at the time and location above. Should COVID developments prompt the university to cease in-class sessions, lectures will instead be given via Zoom in a sychrnonous (live) fashion at the regular class time, and be recorded for download and asychronous viewing via UI Mediaspace. l

Note that this (the current) site will always remain our central site for up-to-date information, with the downloadable, detailed course schedule (see below) possibly updated as well:

Course Schedule, Topics, and Events

Downloadable Schedule of course topics, readings, homework assignments (TBD) and exams (TBD): PDF

Class Resources

Discord Peer-Peer Site: https://discord.gg/FtuBRQ4XVz

Course Texts

The first of 2 texts (E-HCI) is a technical book on HCI experimentation and analysis of statistical data. The second of 2 texts (WoK) is an edited collection of chapter-length readings on an array of methodological topics that complement the technical material. Both are available as dowloadable e-books from the UI library.

1. [E-HCI]: Purchase, H.K. (2013). Experimental HCI. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. E-version available from: Online Experimental HCI

Note: When readings from this text are specified by a range of numbered sections (e.g., “E-HCI 5.3- 5.3.3”), the numbered sections should be read as inclusive - so in this case, the reading assignment begins with reading section 5.3, and ends with reading section 5.3.3, as well as each of the sections in between. If no sections are specified the entire chapter is assumed.

2. [WoK]: Olson, J. & W.A. Kellogg (Eds, 2014). Ways of Knowing in HCI. NY: Springer. E-version available from: Online Ways of Knowing in HCI

Note: Assigned readings are indicated by chapter author names, as the chapters are not numbered.