Undergraduate Course: Human-Computer Interaction (INFR11299)
Course Outline
| School | School of Informatics |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Designing and implementing efficient, effective and engaging technologies requires a deep understanding of both technology and the people who use it. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) explores how to create technologies that fit people's needs and contexts of use. Bringing together methods, perspectives, techniques and tools from interaction design, psychology, sociology and computer science, HCI provides students with the concepts and practical skills needed to design and evaluate human-centered systems. Through a combination of research and design activities, students learn how to translate insights into interactive technologies that are not only usable, but meaningful and responsible in their social and technical contexts. |
| Course description |
This course introduces the principles and practices of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) - the study of how people interact with digital and physical technologies, and how those technologies can be designed to meet human needs. The course explores how human-centered research and design, prototyping, and evaluation inform the creation of usable, accessible and engaging technology systems. Students will learn key methods for understanding people and contexts, generating and testing design ideas, and assessing usability and user experience. Through lectures and hands-on tutorials, students will apply these methods and techniques in a group project that follows the full HCI design cycle. By the end of the course, students will have gained a strong foundation in HCI and the practical skills to design and evaluate interactive systems in real-world contexts.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Feedback |
Formative feedback will be provided during tutorials. Summative feedback on assessments will be provided in line with current Informatics guidelines. Feedback from students will be sought at every lecture - the first part of each lecture consists of activities and further explanations based on student feedback on difficult or tricky concepts. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- describe key theories, principles, challenges and current areas of research in HCI and their relevance to the design of interactive technologies
- apply HCI research and design methods to study people and technologies in real-world contexts and to design, prototype, and evaluate interactive technologies
- integrate insights from different disciplinary perspectives on HCI to analyse and address complex design problems
- communicate research and design processes and outcomes effectively, using appropriate formats to articulate research findings and design rationale
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tara Capel
Tel:
Email: tcapel@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Lachlan Boyd
Tel:
Email: lboyd@ed.ac.uk |
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