SSD4前言.docVIP

SSD4: User-Centered Design and Testing This course combines a component that teaches programming interactive user interfaces with one that teaches methods to improve the usability of those interfaces. The course proceeds from the view that interface usability is essential to successful software design and not merely a matter of packaging or aesthetics. Interface usability in fact can have a critical impact on an applications overall quality and effectiveness: an accurate, fast, and powerful application can be rendered useless by a poorly-designed user interface when the people who might otherwise benefit from the application find the interface frustrating, difficult, or impossible to use. The course is organized into four units. Each unit consists of a series of topics and includes multiple-choice quizzes, practical quizzes, and a few extended exercises, all of which will help you gain a solid understanding of the material. In addition, the course features three in-class exams. Course Text The programming component assigns readings from the following textbook: Diane Zak, Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic .Net, Second Edition, published by Course Technology, 2005; ISBN: 0-619-21718-9.? Note: Some of this courses pages refer students to Chapter 5 of the book below by J. Nielsen, if they are interested in more detail. Unlike the textbook by Diane Zak, Nielson, however, is not a required text: J. Nielsen, Usability Engineering, published by Academic Press (AP Professional), 1993; ISBN: 0-12-518406-9. Course reading assignments are spread throughout the courses modules. For a consolidated list of the readings, refer to Appendix C. Consolidated List of SSD4 Textbook Readings. Other Materials The CTE SSD4 Compact Disc (to be distributed in class and used in conjunction with Unit 3). The Student Disks that supplement the Zak textbook. (The Student Disks are available from the publisher as a self-extracting archive-see Data Files for Students.) Hardware and Softwa