A computer science HCI course

Abstract

Can a computer science student learn to be a designer and a psychologist as well as a computer scientist? Unlikely, but they can learn to appreciate what other disciplines offer HCI. The need for computer science students to understand the big picture, that HCI is multidisciplinary in nature, has been recognized for many years. Yet successfully integrating HCI into a computer science degree is still difficult. Our thesis is that an appropriately structured course can take advantage of the existing knowledge of students for each to learn more than they otherwise would, and experience the contributions other disciplines make to HCI. This paper presents the theoretical background for this thesis and our experiences with delivering the course in a New Zealand University. In this course, by carefully defining the project requirements, the students experienced designing and prototyping a program where psychology, design and computer science contributed to the software creation process.