I214 - Needs and Usability Assessment
Tuesday & Thurs 2-3:30PM
Room 202
MOT Related Course
CCN: 42727 (3 units)
Syllabus & Assignments | Course Info | Links | Possible Projects | Sample Projects: Last Year's Projects
| Professor Nancy Van House Email: vanhouse at ischool dot berkeley dot edu Phone: (510) 642-0855 Office: 307A South Hall Office Hours: TBA |
Co-Instructor Elizabeth Goodman Email: egoodman at ischool dot berkeley dot edu |
If you are waitlisted for I214, or you can't get in at all, that's probably either because (1) you're a non-major and in Bearfacts we probably have a limited number of spaces for people from other departments, or (2) you're an undergrad.
If you're a grad student from outside the iSchool, it's likely that I will admit you to the class. You should come to the first class.
If you're an undergrad, I occasionally admit undergrads who can convince me that they can do the work and that the course is relevant to them. I've had both good and bad experiences with undergrads in the past. Come to the first class, AND BEFORE THE FIRST CLASS pls email me a description of yourself, your work history or other relevant experience, and why you and this course are a good match.
The IS203 pre-req is leftover from when 203 was taught in the spring and 214 in the fall; it is no longer required. ("Permission of instructor" of course covers all kinds of possibilities.)
This is a course on methods and concepts of identifying target users, investigating users' needs, and evaluating developing and operating systems of various sorts. It is appropriate for iSchool master's students, but also for students in many disciplines who have to address questions of how to design information systems and other applications that are useful and usable -- that speak to the needs, desires, preferences, and capabilities of users. This is a course for people who are interested in being usability professionals, but also for designers, evaluators, marketers, user advocates, and others concerned with connecting design to its consumers.
The primary product (and source of grading) is a project, usually but not necessarily a group project. There will also be periodic assignments, keyed to the projects when possible, aimed at allowing students to practice the various methods discussed.