Module: User Interface Design & Implementation

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	User Interface Design & Implementation
Module Code	CSC1058 (ITS: CA357)
Faculty	Computing	School	Engineering & Computing
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

The aims of this module are to introduce the student to the fundamental concepts underpinning the design and implementation of user interfaces. Students will be exposed to the theories which support the design of interaction strategies, and will be instructed in the practical aspects of implementing these theories. This module is aimed at students who wish to become familiar with the theoretical basis, and the practical knowledge necessary to design, implement, and test user interfaces to a high standard.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate the importance of user-interface design and its role in the wider context of software development lifecycle
2. Explain the principles and guidelines for different types of user-interfaces
3. Explain the concept of user types, user classification, and the approaches to design to support them
4. Apply the principles and guidelines to sketch and prototype the interaction in a particular context
5. Evaluate the user-interfaces using various evaluation techniques
6. Apply theories of design/evaluation techniques to the tasks of brainstorming, concept framing, designing, implementing and evaluating a user-interface

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Lectures provided by the coordinator or other nominee
Assignment Completion	35	The assignment which students will complete
Independent Study	66	Time for students to explore and learn topics presented in this module
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	10288	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Hyowon Lee	Module Teacher	Denise Freir

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Assignment	Design exercise 1 - individual sketching and supporting rationale, to apply the principles/guidelines learned thus far	15%	Week 3
Assignment	Design exercise 2 - individual sketching and supporting rationale, with a more complex context, to apply the principles/guidelines learned thus far	20%	Week 7
Reflective journal	Weekly journal entries for reflection and feedback	5%	Every Week
In Class Test	Individual in-class activities to enhance understanding and application of the concepts learned, and checks participation (5-8 times scattered through the semester)	10%	As required
Report(s)	Individual reflection on the group project, detailing the individual contribution and self-assessment on the group project. Submission will be in the form of video and 1-page text summary.	15%	Week 12
Group assignment	Teams will be required to perform a series of brainstorming sessions to frame the project using UI concepts and make the plans for design, rationale and evaluation. Submission will be a written report.	15%	Week 5
Group assignment	Teams will be required to do design and write rationale to support the design decisions, then conduct evaluation to identify the usability problems in the design. Submission will be a video walkthrough demonstrating the design and a short summary written report.	20%	Week 11

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
A discussion of the history of interfaces, and an overview of the role of HCI in the software process.

HCI and the World Wide Web.
An examination of the role of Interface Design in the unique context that is the Web. Things like Ajax, Aria, HTML 5 (to list a few) will be discussed.

Principles and guidelines in Human-Computer Interaction
A major and important facet of Interface Design is the cognitive aspect and how they are used to compile a theoretical foundation in the form of design principles, guidelines and heuristics. What are the available theories that could be used to design usable user-interfaces?

Interaction styles and general design Interaction strategies.
How do humans use and interact with their technology?

Interface and usability evaluation.
Various techniques for evaluation of interfaces including task Analysis, heuristic interface evaluation, and other techniques for capturing the usability of the interface.

User-interface implementation for interactivity
Low-fidelity and High-fidelity prototyping in order to demonstrate the design ideas in interactive artefacts.

User-centred design and accessibility
Why should we design with accessibility in mind? Does it really matter?

Mobile and MultiModal HCI
An overview of current (and future) trends and directions in HCI. Mobile computing (such as smartphones) and multiModal interfaces will be discussed.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Shneiderman, B., Plaisant, C., Cohen, M., Jacobs, S., Elmqvist, N. and Diakopoulos, N.: 0, Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 6th edition, Pearson,
Donald Norman: 2013, The Design of Everyday Things, 2nd revised and expanded edition, MIT Press,
Rogers, Y., Sharp, H. and Preece, J.: 2023, Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, 6th edition, Wiley,
Jakob Nielsen: 1994, Usability Engineering, Morgan Kaufmann, 382, 0-12-518406-9

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None

Matching of LOs with assessments: updated LOs are not reflected in the assessment screen thus once LOs are approved I will be able to review the matching to ensure suitable matching between LOs and assessments.