Days: Monday and Wednesday from 12:45-2:00 Eastern Time 

Location: Global and International Studies building (GA) 1122

Course Description

Use & Usability introduces students to the systematic evaluation of interactive systems. Building on the design foundations developed in Interaction Design Thinking (INFO-I 245), this course teaches how to assess usability problems, gather and interpret both quantitative and qualitative data, and generate evidence-based redesign recommendations. Students learn through highly interactive in-class activities, hands-on testing sessions, paired and group collaborations, critique, and applied studio work. The course emphasizes evaluation over high-fidelity prototyping and prepares students for Interaction Design Research (INFO-I 345) and Prototyping & Evaluation (INFO-I 346).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Conceptual Understanding

 1. Define usability and distinguish it from UX, accessibility, and desirability.
 2. Explain how context of use informs usability outcomes.
 3. Describe core usability dimensions: learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, satisfaction.

Methodological Competencies

 4. Conduct heuristic evaluations using established frameworks.
 5. Develop usability test plans, including tasks, scenarios, and moderation scripts.
 6. Perform moderated usability tests using think-aloud methods.
 7. Collect and analyze quantitative metrics (time on task, completion rate, error counts) and qualitative observations.
 8. Prioritize usability issues using severity ratings and evidence-based reasoning.

Applied Communication & Practice

 9. Translate findings into actionable redesign recommendations.
 10. Create low-fidelity redesign sketches that address identified problems.
 11. Compare before-and-after usability performance using quantitative measures.
 12. Produce clear, professional usability reports and stakeholder presentations.

Textbooks

There is no required textbook for this course. All course materials will be provided on canvas. For further reading on this subject, we recommend the following optional texts:

• Design of Everyday Things (DOET) by Norman, ISBN 978-04765067107

• Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (ED) by Norman, ISBN 978-0465051366

Class Management

This course is taught in a hands-on, active-learning studio environment. Students will:
 • Work in teams or groups each week
 • Conduct usability tests during class
 • Engage in critique and redesign sessions
 • Build deliverables progressively through in-class work
 • Receive continuous instructor coaching

Attendance

There is no attendance requirement for lectures. This class involves a number of exercises and discussions, so we expect regular participation from all students. There is no roll call or explicit account for attendance. However, there will be frequent graded in-class activities, as outlined in the “activities” section below, so continual participation throughout the semester is expected.

Course Materials

Course materials will be posted each week on Friday for the following week. The weekly course material will consist of some combination of pre-recorded lectures, research videos, podcasts, graded activities, readings, and project directives. Consuming the course content early in the week will be advantageous for you, as it will enable you to effectively incorporate the course material into your project throughout the week. 

Grading

Participation

Participation in this course is based on how you engage with in-class activities when you are present. This includes contributing thoughtfully to group usability testing, collaborating respectfully in pairs and triads, arriving prepared with needed materials, and staying focused and engaged during active-learning work. See table for details:

Activities 

We will have several (perhaps many) short activities throughout the semester to apply skills and further explore course material. These activities will be submitted via Canvas and will be graded on a list of criteria (specified on the assignment). For each criterion, you will receive either 2, 1, or 0 points. Most criteria will receive a 1. A 2 means, “you impressed us.”’ A 0 means the assignment is incomplete, incorrect, or sloppy in some fashion with respect to that criterion. The average score across all criteria is computed and the final score is rounded to either 2, 1 or 0. These are general guidelines, grading on specific assignments may differ.

Project 1 Usability Evaluation (Weeks 1-8)

Overview

In Project 1, you will conduct a complete usability evaluation of an existing digital interface of your choice (with instructor approval). You will analyze tasks, apply heuristic evaluation methods, plan and moderate usability testing sessions, collect both qualitative and quantitative data, and synthesize your findings into a professional usability evaluation report.

What You Will Do

 • Identify an app, website, or other interactive technology to evaluate
 • Break down user goals and tasks
 • Conduct a heuristic evaluation
 • Develop test scenarios, scripts, and tasks
 • Moderate 2–4 think-aloud usability tests
 • Capture time-on-task, error counts, and completion rates
 • Document qualitative observations and participant behavior
 • Analyze patterns and assign severity ratings
 • Develop evidence-based recommendations
 • Compile all findings into a structured, clear report

Deliverables

 • Task analysis
 • Heuristic evaluation summary
 • Usability test plan (tasks + scripts)
 • Raw data sheets (quantitative + observational notes)
 • Findings matrix with severity ratings
 • Recommendations linked to evidence
 • Final usability evaluation report

How It’s Graded

Your grade is based on:
 • Completeness and clarity of analysis
 • Accuracy of data collection
 • Insightfulness of findings and recommendations
 • Professionalism and structure of the report
 • Integration of both qualitative and quantitative evidence

Due Date

End of Week 8 (submitted via Canvas)

Project 2 Iterative Redesign and Comparative Evaluation (Weeks 9-16)

Overview

Project 2 builds directly on your findings from Project 1. Based on the usability issues you identified, you will propose targeted redesigns, create low-fidelity sketches, and then test your redesigned flows. You will compare the usability performance of the original interface versus the redesigned version using the same tasks and metrics to demonstrate improvement.

What You Will Do

 • Prioritize usability issues using severity, impact, and effort
 • Develop redesign goals tied to evidence
 • Create low-fidelity redesign sketches (paper or simple wireframes)
 • Run a second round of usability tests on redesigned flows
 • Collect time-on-task, error counts, completion rates, and satisfaction ratings
 • Compare before-and-after performance using quantitative metrics
 • Analyze whether the redesign improved usability and why
 • Communicate results through a final written report and in-class presentation

Deliverables

 • Prioritized redesign plan
 • Low-fidelity redesign sketches of key screens
 • Revised usability test plan
 • Raw data from the second round of testing
 • Before/after comparison tables (time, errors, success rates)
 • Final comparative usability report
 • Stakeholder presentation

How It’s Graded

Your grade is based on:
 • Strength of redesign rationale
 • Quality and clarity of low-fidelity sketches
 • Accuracy and completeness of comparative data
 • Thoughtfulness of analysis and reflection on improvements
 • Clarity and professionalism of final report
 • Effectiveness of stakeholder presentation

Due Date

Presentation in Week 16; final report delivered at the end of Week 16

Document Formatting

Written assignments should be submitted as a PDF. Do NOT submit .doc, .docx, .txt, .odt, etc. In general, assignments should be written in 12 pt, Times-Roman font (or similar) and double spaced.

Late Policy

Late Policy: Canvas will apply an automated late penalty for every assignment, which is
submitted past the due date/deadline. This penalty is 1%/hour late. Canvas will round up to the
next, full hour. This penalty applies to all assignments, including group projects.
Late Policy Exceptions: Toward that penalty are higher circumstances (family emergencies,
sicknesses, accidents, or personal issues), which must be communicated and/or documented well before (in case of a foreseeable event) or immediately, in case of an emergency. If you have
personal predicaments that affect your performance in the class, please let the team know via
email as early as possible. The earlier we know, the earlier we can work together toward a
solution.

Any requests for exceptions/acceptance of late work past the deadline have to be communicated to the instructor, clearly and via email. The instructor will decide, on a case-
by-case basis, if we permit late submissions or work considering the situation, including penalties for late submissions. 

Re-grade Requests

Students may request a re-grade of any graded material. To make a request, a student should submit a written justification for the request via Canvas. Only regrade requests that follow the document formatting instructions above will be read. Students should be aware that such requests could result in a lower grade being assigned as we reserve the right to regrade the entire assignment and may notice errors we previously missed. Any request must be submitted by the beginning of the next class or within 48 hours following the date that the instructor returns the graded material, which ever comes sooner. For example, if the instructor returns the material in class on a Tuesday, then the student has until the beginning of class on Thursday to request a re-grade. Regrades will not be discussed in person on the date that they are returned.

Extra Credit

Earning extra credit is not guaranteed in this class, however there may be opportunities to earn extra points during the semester. One likely candidate for extra credit is to participate in research studies being conducted by graduate students or faculty within the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. These opportunities will be announced on Canvas and sessions will be on a first-come, first-served basis. You may participate in up to 4 hours of studies for an additional 3 percentage points added to your final grade. For example, if your final point accumulation for the course is 83.3%, by successfully participating in 4 hours of studies, your class average is advanced to 86.3%. Note, however, signing up for participation and not showing up to the study or providing the study contact person with less than 2-hour cancellation notice will result in deducting away extra credit hours at double rate. All research studies must be IRB approved and the IRB approved consent form must be submitted as well as a write up of the study goals and your experience participating in the studies.

Academic Honesty

It is expected that you will abide by The IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct (https://studentcode.iu.edu/index.html). Acts of academic dishonesty undermine the effectiveness of the class and the learning experience for all, and will be dealt with in strict accordance with the Code of Student Rights. All written assignments will be checked for plagiarism. Any cheating will result in a zero for the assignment and reporting in your academic file. A second instance of cheating will result in failure of the course. Unless otherwise stated, all work (aside from the group project and occasional in-class activities) is individual work to be completed on your own.

All students at Indiana University are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to appropriate groups. Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion) if the case merits. Other information on academic misconduct can be found at https://studentcode.iu.edu/responsibilities/academic-misconduct.html.

Use of AI assistance¹ 

We treat AI-based assistance, such as ChatGPT and Copilot, the same way we treat collaboration with other people: you are welcome to talk about your ideas and work with other people, both inside and outside the class, as well as with AI-based assistants. However, all work you submit must be your own. You should never include in your assignment anything that was not written directly by you without proper citation (including quotation marks and in-line citation for direct quotes). Including anything you did not write in your assignment without proper citation will be treated as an academic misconduct case.

If you are unsure where the line is between collaborating with AI and copying from AI, we recommend the following heuristics:

Heuristic 1: Never hit “Copy” within your conversation with an AI assistant. You can copy your own work into your conversation, but do not copy anything from the conversation back into your assignment. Instead, use your interaction with the AI assistant as a learning experience, then let your assignment reflect your improved understanding.

Heuristic 2: Do not have your assignment and the AI agent itself open on your device at the same time. Similar to above, use your conversation with the AI as a learning experience, then close the interaction down, open your assignment, and let your assignment reflect your revised knowledge. This heuristic includes avoiding using AI assistants that are directly integrated into your composition environment: just as you should not let a classmate write content or code directly into your submission, so also you should avoid using tools that directly add content to your submission.

Deviating from these heuristics does not automatically qualify as academic misconduct; however, following these heuristics essentially guarantees your collaboration will not cross the line into misconduct.

Course Schedule