CS3041 Human-Computer Interaction

Computer Science Department
B Term 2026

Location and Time:
Unity Hall 405
Tuesdays and Fridays 12-1:50pm

Instructor:
Erin Solovey, Ph.D.
Email: esolovey@wpi.edu
Office: Fuller 232

TA: Ashlesha Bhagat, abhagat@wpi.edu
PLA: Sahana Gokulakrishnan, sgokulakrishnan@wpi.edu

Canvas: https://canvas.wpi.edu/courses/89862

Textbook:

None required. Reading materials will be provided. While many HCI courses come with a standard text book, I believe that there is more than enough freely available information online. The resources link on the course webpage has links to helpful articles and resources.

Aside from internet sources, here are a few of the excellent books that we will be drawing from (I'll link to restricted pdf excerpts). If you want to dive deeper, they are all freely available to borrow as ebooks from the WPI's Library:

  1. Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction - Open Access textbook by Kasper Hornbæk, Per Ola Kristensson, Antti Oulasvirta
  2. Designing with the Mind in Mind by Jeff Johnson
  3. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
  4. Human-Computer Interaction : An Empirical Research Perspective by Scott MacKenzie
  5. Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design by Bill Buxton

Course Description:

Every year, computers are increasingly woven into the fabric of our everyday life. We don't interact with computers simply when we sit in front of their screens anymore. They are in front of our faces throughout the day, telling us where to go when we drive our cars, and the medium through which we express many of our relationships.

This means that we cannot dismiss the quality of our interactions with these devices as something trivial or unimportant. Computers are simply too pervasive in our lives. The quality of our interactions with computers has a direct impact on our overall quality of life.

Given these stakes, we need to deeply consider: What is the best way for us to interact with computers? How can we quantify or capture this notion of "good design"? How can we build applications of our own that are designed well?

This course covers the methods and tools for user-centered practice in human-computer interaction. You will learn to identify design problems that can be solved using computational means. This will allow you to develop ideas that fit actual human needs. You will use a principled process for developing an idea, iterating on it, and communicating it to others. You will develop knowledge about characteristics of good interfaces and tools that can be used for prototyping and implementation. You will evaluate and improve upon your designs at all stages of the design process.

Prerequisites:

Students are expected to have some programming skills. Knowledge of software engineering would be an advantage. However, this course is not a programming course. We will focus on processes for building human-centered solutions.

Learning Outcomes:

By the completion of this course, learners will be able to:

Course Requirements:

1. Assignments and Grade Determination Breakdown

  1. Reading and Homework (29%): Each week, our course schedule will contain short readings or other materials. There will often be an assignment to do along with the reading. Homework may also include hands-on lab assignments that introduce the basics of building user interfaces.
  2. Project Assignments (50%): The course will include assignments that will solidify and expand on topics presented in lectures. Assignments will be hands-on, and students will be asked to design and conduct usability studies and present analyses of user data. Assignments will be mostly individual work components, with each building on the previous one. However, there will be some aspects of the assignments that will involve collaboration with classmates, and this will be facilitated through the course. The final week will include demonstration sessions in which everyone presents their results to the class.
  3. Quizzes (10%): There will be almost-weekly quizzes, either on Canvas or in class. The quizzes will cover any readings and/or lectures. It is your responsibility to review course materials each week. This includes lecture notes, readings and assignments. Missed quizzes receive a score of 0. We will drop the ONE lowest quiz score when calculating grade.
  4. One Minute Responses (3%): At the end of each week, there is a required one-minute response. These are designed to very quickly reflect on the class and the responses are used to assess areas that need further clarification. In addition, the feedback is taken seriously to make course adjustments throughout the term as needed, and to improve future offerings of the course. We will drop ONE of these assignments when calculating grade.
  5. Class Participation / In-Class Activities (8%): There will be in-class activities throughout the term and these count towards class participation. We will drop ONE of these assignments when calculating grade.

Communication:

Please post all questions and comments in the main Questions & Answers forum in Canvas as you may get a quick response from a classmate. In addition, you are encouraged to respond to comments when you can assist a classmate. If you have a private question, you can send a direct message to the teaching staff, but be sure to include the TA/SAs as well as the professor. The instructor will also disseminate important announcements by email through the course mailing list via Canvas, and also post these announcements on Canvas. Also, Canvas contains a timeline with links to all information (lecture slides, assignments, etc.) relevant to the course.

In order to attend to our other responsibilities and our own self-care and plentiful sleep, we do not monitor email or Canvas continuously throughout the day and night, but you can expect to hear from us within one day, often sooner. Note that I do not check email or Canvas between the hours of 8pm and 8am. I also take weekends off for the most part. Please plan accordingly.

Office Hours:

The TA and PLA will have office hours at scheduled times which will be announced. I am always happy to meet as well. For convenience, you can schedule meetings with me from my website: https://users.wpi.edu/~esolovey/office-hours.html. The times that I have listed as available "office hours" are times that I have dedicated to be available for students. During office hours I can provide help on things that were unclear during class, gaps in prior knowledge, difficulty with homework, and effective learning strategies for this course. We can also talk about follow-on courses, majors or minors, and grad school or other career paths. In some cases, I may refer you to a TA, PLA, or ARC tutor to help with gaps in prior knowledge.

POLICIES

Coursework:

It is your responsibility to stay up-to-date on course materials. This includes reviewing lecture notes, activities, assignments, announcements, etc.

Grading Policy:

Most assignments will have a rubric that explains how the grade for that assignment is determined. Please pay careful attention to the rubrics! They tell you exactly what you should do to receive full credit, and also will explain exactly why you may have lost points on an assignment. Check your assignment against the rubric before turning it in for best results! In addition, you will often be required to turn in a self-assessment along with your submission.

All aspects of this course are important for developing an understanding of and appreciation for building user interfaces.

The following final grades are possible: A, B, C, NR.

If there is a numerical error when computing your final grade from raw scores, please email and we will fix the numerical error.

Regrade requests:

Within one week of receiving a grade on an assignment or exam, you are welcome to request a grade change. After the one-week period, you may ask questions about the grade, but your grade will not be changed. If you believe there is an error in your assignment or exam grading, we ask that you submit an explanation in writing to your grader. In this explanation, you provide the score that you think is most accurate for each rubric item, and explain why that score is more accurate than the one you received. Note that they regrade the entire assignment. This may mean that you will receive a lower grade than before, and we do not accept appeals requesting another re-grade.

Late Work Policy:

Life can be crazy and unpredictable, and the 7 weeks of the term go by very quickly! Below is my general policy to provide a common set of expectations to be fair to all the students in the course. These are designed to enable you to complete the course, without falling behind, but with some flexibility for the unexpected. However, if you are struggling, please email me to discuss, so we can work things out. This is best done as early as possible. Hang in there!

Policy: Canvas is set to automatically deduct 10% per day for late submissions (assignments, quizzes, and all other submissions). You have one late pass, which extends the deadline for one project assignment by 3 days (exactly 72 hours). Late passes apply only to project assignments; homework must be turned in on time or it receives the late penalty. Using a late pass may put you behind in the next project assignment, since they do build on each other. Unfortunately, you cannot use the late pass for Project Assignment 2, as this will prevent you from getting peer feedback and completing Project Assignment 3. When using a late pass, you should mention this in your submission comments. If we do not hear otherwise, the teaching staff will assume that the late pass is being used for the first project assignment turned in late.

Academic Integrity:

You are expected to be familiar with WPI's expectations regarding academic integrity. Please review WPI's information page (https://www.wpi.edu/about/policies/academic-integrity/dishonesty). Consequences for violating the Academic Honest Policy range from earning a zero on the assignment, failing the course, or being suspended or expelled from WPI.

Common examples of violations include:

Generative AI Usage Policy (adapted from Prof. Gillian Smith)

I want this to be a class where we can come to a greater understanding of what generative AI systems mean for our discipline. We can learn together about what works, what doesn't, and how it's going to impact your creative and/or research processes. We will also discuss inherent biases in generative AI systems in class, and what that means for usage both in class and in our larger professional context.

To support these goals, I request the following:

If you decide to use generative AI in a project or assignment, please disclose how you have used it in a supplemental document that you upload with your submission. At a minimum, I want to know: which tool(s) you used and for what, what you perceive as the pros and cons of having used it, how you incorporated generative AI into your process, and whether there remains text/code/art/music generated by the system in your final product.

If you use a generative AI system and do not understand its output (e.g. it creates code or written language you do not understand), please make your best attempt at understanding it. You can always bring it to me or a TA/PLA with questions.

Generative AI usage should be supplemental to your own work. Do: feel free to experiment with it for brainstorming, use it to embellish work you have done, or significantly modify its output (with disclosure!). Don't: give an assignment prompt as input and paste the output as your submission.

Using generative AI is absolutely not mandatory or expected. If you prefer to avoid these tools, for whatever reason, that's okay!

This course, as with all professional interactions, operates on trust and integrity. You can trust me to give feedback on your work, to structure policies like this to support your learning as best I can, and to give my honest opinion on your usage of AI in whatever circumstance you choose. I trust you not to pass off generated content as your own, and overall to act with integrity and the intent to further your learning if you choose to experiment with generative AI systems.

Academic Accommodations:

I attempt to use "universal design" principles so that students can access course materials in multiple modalities and at different speeds, learn both independently and collaboratively, and demonstrate their learning and effort in a variety of ways. If you struggle with any aspect of this course, please see me so that we can work together to identify a solution.

Students with approved academic accommodations should plan to submit their accommodation letters through the Office of Accessibility Services Student Portal (https://clockwork.wpi.edu/ClockWork/custom/misc/home.aspx). Students who are not currently registered with the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) but who would like to find out more information regarding requesting accommodations, documentation guidelines, and what that all entails can contact the OAS either via email AccessibilityServices@wpi.edu or via phone (508) 831-4908.

Prioritizing Mental Health:

First and foremost in this course, I care about each individual as a human being. Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can also interfere with learning. From my point of view as your professor, if you are having mental health issues which are interfering with your ability to function (in my course or otherwise) that's a completely valid medical reason to ask for short term extensions or accommodations, just as you might for a physical illness or injury. So if your situation is hard or you feel hopeless, don't hesitate to reach out, and I will try to work with you to minimize the impact mental health difficulties have on your performance in my class.

WPI provides mental health services to support the well-being and academic success of students. The Student Development & Counseling Center (SDCC) offers free, confidential services to help you manage personal challenges.

Student Development and Counseling Center (SDCC)
If you're feeling down and need guidance, support, or just someone to talk to, I encourage you to contact the SDCC to set up an appointment for individual or group counseling. The services of the SDCC are always free and confidential. You can call 508-831-5540 to arrange a same-day appointment starting at 8:30 AM each day when WPI classes are in session. For more information, see the SDCC website.

Respect for Diversity

It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.

Class Attendance

If at all possible students should attend each class as it is best when we are all involved in discussing and learning the course material. However, if you are unable to attend class due to weather, illness or some other circumstance then please notify the instructor and teaching assistants. As assistance in such situations, course lectures will be recorded with Echo360 and be made available on the WPI Canvas system. Notes and materials will also be shared on Canvas.

Should the instructor be unable to attend class due to weather, illness or some other circumstance then the course may be held online via Zoom at the regular course time. Should this situation arise, a notification will be shared on the course Canvas site along with details on how to access the Zoom session.