| Module Title |
Interaction Design |
| Module Code |
MCO1007 (ITS: CM269) |
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Faculty |
Humanities & Social Sciences |
School |
Communications |
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NFQ level |
8 |
Credit Rating |
5 |
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Description
Using an interdisciplinary approach, this module provides students with an understanding of the theories and practices used in designing interactive experiences with digital media. The content focuses on the fundamentals of Interaction Design (IXD) and User Experience (UX), requiring students to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of human-computer interaction.
It adopts industry standard tools and methods for designing, prototyping, user-testing, and collaboration in teamwork. Students should be able to develop the skills required in the industry, and to be able to critically assess third-party interactive design work.
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Learning Outcomes
1. 1D75FD9C-4152-0001-BE74-BD9F1C143500
2. Demonstrate knowledge and critical evaluation of theories and applied principles of human-centred design in the assessment and development of user-experience, including HCI interfaces.
4. 6,7,8,9,11,19,20
5. 1
6. 1D75FD9C-408D-0001-6AA0-19A01970EED0
7. Be able to identify the main components of UX and interaction design, its pros and cons, and design HCI according to good practices for user-centred interaction design.
9. 6,7,8,9,10,11,17,18,21,23
10. 2
11. 1D75FD9C-4839-0001-C389-11101AA18BD0
12. Create an industry-level design report incorporating details of a product, its interface, interaction, and limitations of design
14. 7,12,6,23,8,21,11,9,10
15. 3
16. 1D75FD9C-4AA9-0001-EDE3-9CB03C00C990
17. Develop skills required in team work and project development
19. 22,17,20,16,19
20. 4
21. 1D75FD9C-4BAD-0001-5015-159513506F90
22. Recognise and implement the appropriate use of multimedia assets and techniques to formulate a valid and creative solution
25. 5
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| Workload | Full time hours per semester | | Type | Hours | Description |
|---|
| Lecture | 24 | Lectures | | Assignment Completion | 20 | Weekly Homework Tasks in groups in the early semester | | Assignment Completion | 25 | IXD Research & Report | | Class Presentation | 36 | Main Assignment: Prototype design, development, production, and testing, in small teams | | Independent Study | 20 | No Description |
| Total Workload: 125 |
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| Section Breakdown | | CRN | 10821 | Part of Term | Semester 1 | | Coursework | 100% | Examination Weight | 0% | | Grade Scale | 40PASS | Pass Both Elements | N | | Resit Category | RC1 | Best Mark | N | | Module Co-ordinator | Dónal Mulligan | Module Teacher | Andreas Aurelio Rauh Ortega, Kata Szita |
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| Assessment Breakdown |
| Type | Description | % of total | Assessment Date |
|---|
| Group assignment | Early group assignments for randomly shuffled small groups of students encourage new collaborations and the practice of team roles and dynamics. This unit comprises 4 x IxD Team Tasks, worth up to 5 points each, in Weeks 02, 03, 04, 05.
These tasks begin in seminars, in assigned groups, and require completion at home during the same week. The tasks relate to the week's topic and involve applied practice in a collaborative IxD challenge. | 20% | As required | | Report(s) | This assessment point requires an IxD Analysis Report from each student and is worth up to 20 points, and delivered in Reading Week (07).
The report is completed individually, assessing a specific resource related to your group's ongoing work and suggesting potential IxD improvements for it. | 20% | Week 7 | | Group project | The main assignment of the module requires a UI prototype, which is collaboratively planned, designed, implemented, tested and
refined in your group.
The digital prototype and a short report are
required elements and Peer Review applies and may alter individual grades based on tracked deviations from a fair and equal contribution by all members of the group. | 60% | Sem 1 End |
| 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
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Pre-requisite |
None
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Co-requisite |
None |
| Compatibles |
None |
| Incompatibles |
None |
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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
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Principles & Practice in IXD
Focus on designing interactions, not just on designing appearances.
IXD Workflows & Industry Stages
Learn key methods: goals → personas → interfaces → prototyping → testing
Seminar-based IXD, UI, and UX topic exploration
Mix theory + practice in themed lectures, group challenges, and iterative projects.
Team Dynamics & Project Workflows
Build skills transferable to other design contexts and professional practice. Focus on group roles, work processes, and fair delegation.
Industry Standard UI/UX Prototyping
Use Figma for digital prototyping in the second half of the semester.
Portfolio Prototype Design
Finish with a well-tested, refined interactive design prototype for a functional domestic device control app.
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Indicative Reading List
Books:
- Bryce L. Allen: 1996, Information tasks, Academic Press, San Diego, 0120510405
- written and edited by Stuart K. Card, Jock D. Mackinlay, Ben Shneiderman: 1999, Readings in information visualization, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco, Calif., 1558605339
- edited by Usama M. Fayyad ... [et al.]: 0, Advances in knowledge discovery and data mining, 0262560976
- Jennifer Fleming,: 1999, Web Navigation: Designing the User Experience, 1565923510
- edited by Christian Gram and Gilbert Cocton [sic]: 1996, Design principles for interactive software, Chapman & Hall, London, 0412724707
- edited by Robert Jacobson: 1999, Information design, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 0262600358
- Nicholas V. Iuppa: 2001, Interactive design for new media and the Web, Focal press, Boston, 0240804147
- edited by Morten Kyng and Lars Mathiassen: 1997, Computers and design in context, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 9780262112239
- Kevin Mullet, Darrell Sano: 1995, Designing visual interfaces, SunSoft Press, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 0133033899
- Donald A. Norman: 2002, The design of everyday things, Basic Books, New York, 0465067107
- Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld: 2007, Information architecture for the World Wide Web, O'Reilly, Sebastopol, CA, 0596527349
- Ben Schneiderman: 2009, Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective HumanComputer Interaction, 9780321601483
- Valery I. Frants, Jacob Shapiro, Vladimir G. Voiskunskii: 1997, Automated information retrieval, 0122661702
- Karen Sparck Jones (Editor), Peter Willett (Editor): 1997, Readings in Information Retrieval, 1558604545
- Rory Stuart: 1996, The design of virtual environments, McGraw-Hill, New York, 0070632995
- Edward R. Tufte: 1997, Visual explanations, Graphics Press, Cheshire, Conn., 0961392126
- Tay Vaughan: 2008, Multimedia, McGraw-Hill, New York, 0072264519
- Susan Weinschenk, Pamela Jamar, Sarah C. Yeo: 1997, GUI design essentials, 0471175498
- Richard Saul Wurman, Peter Bradford (Editor): 1997, Information Architects, 978-0823064557
Articles:
None |
Other Resources
None |
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