• HCI Learning Studio (ICICS/CS2 X360)
• handin procedure
• UBC ethics forms and procedures
• old exams
• bibliography
• useful and/or entertaining web links
• supplementary notes
  • task examples
  • concept generation and low-fi prototyping
  • user study methods
  • role playing: 'Cast of Characters' technique
  • heuristic evaluation
  • preparing presentations and reports
  • videos of past highly-rated final presentations

handin procedure

setup & submission

1. Login to an ugrad machine (e.g., remote.ugrad.cs.ubc.ca)
2. Create a cs344 directory in your home directory; in this cs344 directory create an <AssignmentX> directory where AssignmentX = whatever is specified in the instructions for that deliverable.
   > cd ~
   > mkdir cs344
   > cd cs344
   > mkdir <AssignmentX>
3. Put all of your files for the assignment in the <Assignment X> directory.
   Subdirectories within <AssignmentX> are supported.
   > cp <your files> ~/cs344/<AssignmentX>
4. To handin your assignment use the handin command from your home directory: 
   > cd ~
   > handin cs344 <AssignmentX>

specifications for files

The required file format is PDF unless otherwise specified.

old exams

PDF's of midterms and finals used in past offerings of cpsc 344 or its precursors (taught by Booth, MacLean, or Wolfman) are linked below.

NOTE re old 444 exams: in 2005, we split and expanded the "old 444" material into two new courses (344 and the "new 444"). Thus, the new 344 covers only a subset of the material in "old 444", and has more detail in some areas. You'll need to be aware when using them to study whether the particular material is covered in 344. Nevertheless, they should expose you to the range of question style to expect as well as the thinking we are looking for, and thus be a useful study guide.

ALL posted past exams: You should never assume that example exams will follow the same model, cover identical material or ask the same type of questions.

bibliographies

This list is work in progress and isn't getting updated as often as it should be. If you run into readings you think should be here, please inform course staff.

online bibliographies:

specific readings (papers, books, websites):

useful and/or entertaining web links

funny good and bad stuff

• GUI hall of shame (one of many):
  http://www.baddesigns.com/
• Don Norman's Gallery of Good Design
  http://www.jnd.org/GoodDesign.html

UBC ethics forms and procedures

CPSC 344/544 is covered by UBC Behaviorial Ethics Approval B03-0490. This means that we can use subjects other than ourselves (or classmates) in our evaluations; it also means that while doing so, we must follow UBC Ethics Procedures.

Your team must follow all the ethical guidelines as given in the protocol below, including the signature of the Adherence to Ethics Protocol form and use of proper consent forms; examples of which are provided below as word documents, along with sample questionnairres and interview questions.

The tasks listed below are required for all 344/544 students PRIOR TO ANY SUBJECT CONTACT, and adherence to these protocols is mandatory. You must follow steps 1-4 scrupulously.

PROCEDURE for 344/544 STUDENTS

Step 1: READ THESE FIRST, CAREFULLY. They will tell you, among other things, who you can use for subjects for your 344/544 project (namely: friends and family as well as 344/544 classmates) and what you can do with them.

• Original approved ethics application B03-0490 [pdf] - 2003-04, and renewed annually since.
  Nov 11, 2011 update: I mistakenly replaced the original 2003 application with a less informative version. The version listed here now is the correct one. [Midterm exam credit for the ethics question adjusted accordingly]. - KM

Step 2: Complete the Tri-Council Ethics Tutorial

The tutorial: http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/education/tutorial-didacticiel/

You need to:

• What: Complete the tutorial and add your completion certificate to your hardcopy project folder
• When: before contacting participants
• Estimated time : allow ~2 hours for completion by a novice.

Step 3: Print, Read and sign an adherence form. One copy per team, to be turned in with your final project report.

• Adherence to ethics protocol [pdf] 344/544 student signatures required

Step 4: When using participants, here are samples for the forms subjects must sign, as well as examples of questionnaires and interview questions. For the consent forms, you must use this form as is, except you must replace items in red text with your own information; you can remove "Sample" from the title. The last two items are examples of the types of questions you might use.

• Consent form for a non-questionnaire evaluation that does not involve video (we do not use video recording in 344/544)
  - digital or faxed signature is acceptable for remote participants.
  
• Consent form for questionnaire
  - change in 2010: participant must give specific consent in questionnaire itself; can remove "Sample" from title; fixed typos
  - when using in online survey, participant must view PDF of the questionnaire (insufficient to put text inline), and is allowed to give consent only after having viewed it.
• Sample questionnaire
• Sample interview questions

Note: use of remote participants.
Some of you will be conducting questionnaires and/or interviews remotely (e.g. online, using a tool like SurveyMonkey.com; or in person, e.g. Skype or telephone). You need to get consent from these participants. These options are acceptable (all archived in your project folder):

a) digitally signed pdf (e.g. using Adobe Acrobat authentication; not possible for everyone)

b) manually signed and faxed form

c) Online questionnaire: display the consent form, and have them check off that they agree with this statement before allowing them to proceed:
"I have read, understood and agree to the conditions of informed consent for the evaluation I am about to participate in."
It is critical that they cannot access this checkbox without having first viewed the form.
Then, archive a hardcopy indicating who has checked this page, and showing the page.
Example of how to do this in SurveyMonkey, as of Oct 2011 (see note on pg 2 of the example).

NOT ACCEPTABLE:
- Pasting the text of the consent form directly into a survey page, because things like the letterhead and other supporting information are part of the 344/544 approval.
- Placing a digitized manual signature onto the electronic document and printing it out.