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214. Needs and Usability Assessment

Course Description

This course addresses concepts and methods of needs and usability assessment. The emphasis will be on understanding users' needs and practices and translating them into design decisions. Topics to be covered include: methods of identifying and describing user needs and requirements; user centered design; and evaluation of information systems. We will practice a number of major usability assessment methods, including heuristic evaluation, surveys and focus groups, and naturalistic/ethnographic methods. Finally, we will discuss methods of bringing needs and usability assessment into the design process.

This course is appropriate for both 1st and 2nd-year MIMS students, and for students from other departments with a strong interest in user-based design and assessment, with the instructor's permission. Students will complete at least one major group project related to needs assessment and evaluation. Second-year MIMS students may use this project to meet their capping project requirement.

Catalog type: General
Units: 3
MOT type: Related
Prerequisites: None

Course History