MADT 433 Human Factors, Spring 2022
Instructor, Class Times, and Location
Instructor:
Casey Darr
cdarr@csuchico.edu
Class Times: Online
Location: Tehama 224 / Online
Dates: January 24 – May 20, 2022 (Spring)
Prerequisites: MADT 334 Basic Typography
Units: 3
Student Hours – Get Help From Me on Zoom
Thursday, 1:00 – 3:15 p.m. on Zoom
https://csuchico.zoom.us/j/4474762348?pwd=NEpOZFlNeEczR05JK25vZWVEU2VHQT09
Or schedule an appointment. I’m flexible. Send me an email and we’ll figure something out.
First Week In-Person, Then the Rest Online
I will meet in person with the class the first week of the semester in Tehama Hall, room 224.
- Tuesday 1/25/2022 from 1-2:50 p.m.
- Thursday 1/27/2022 from 1-2:50 p.m.
After the first week, the remainder of the class will take place online, asynchronously. That means you don’t have to show up at a set time. You’re just responsible for completing the lessons, quizzes, and assignments by the due date.
That said, I highly encourage you to utilize the set hours for the class if possible. I’m a procrastinator at heart so I know how easy it is to put off work until the last minute. To help you with this, I’ll schedule assignments, quizzes, and progress updates to keep you on task. I may even schedule individual sessions with students to ensure everything is going smoothly.
What to Expect From This Course
As a reminder, the course website at cdarr.yourweb.csuchico.edu is the best place to find information about upcoming lessons, assignments, quizzes, or projects.
LinkedIn Learning Courses
The class will utilize Chico State LinkedIn Learning free student access for many of the course lessons. After you complete a LinkedIn course, you can prove completion with a LinkedIn Learning Certificate which contains the completion date on it. You can also easily add these certificates to your personal LinkedIn profile as well.
The courses from LinkedIn Learning are well-structured, easy to consume, and reviewed by me for quality & relevance.
Discussion Assignment or Quiz
To evaluate your understanding of the lesson material, a discussion prompt or quiz will be assigned. Since MADT 433 is primarily online, these quizzes will be open book.
Projects
Project 1: Prototype + Usability Test
Perform an unmoderated remote usability test on a prototype you’ve built in Figma. You’ll design a website or app that users can interact with using the prototype feature in Figma. From there, you’ll use a built-in integration to create an unmoderated usability test using maze.design. Members of the class will act as your test participants.
Project 2: Create UX Deliverables
To get you familiar with common deliverables, we’ll explore the UX challenges at uxtools.co/challenges/. These challenges are a great way to build industry-relevant items for your portfolio and get hands on with UX concepts and techniques. We’ll complete 2-3 challenges during the semester.
Concepts on Tuesday, Practice on Thursdays
Tuesdays will be focused on getting familiar with terminology and concepts by reading, watching, and listening. Thursdays will be focused on applying what you’ve learned and boosting your skillset in Figma.
Direct Access to a UX Professional is Valuable
Online learning for user experience (UX) professionals is very common. It is not unusual for a UX professional to be self taught — this is how I became a UX designer.
The benefit of MADT 433 at Chico State is me, your instructor. You’ve paid me to guide you through the material, answer your questions, and help you build items to showcase in your portfolio. For the next 16 weeks, I am your UX mentor.
Grading
| Component | Worth | Points Possible |
| Class Participation | 10% | 100 |
| Quizzes | 25% | 250 |
| Assignments | 20% | 200 |
| Project 1 | 20% | 200 |
| Project 2 | 20% | 200 |
| 100% | 1000 |
Course Description and Requirements
Course Catalog Description
Exploration of the physical, cognitive, cultural, and social factors that shape audience contexts and the design of human computer interfaces. Students learn to identify design problems, research solutions, build prototypes, and evaluate their effectiveness through user testing.
Course Requirements
Laptop or desktop computer
No textbook required
Course Software
Figma for Students
Adobe Photoshop
Student Learning Objectives
- Understand basic theories and principles that can be applied to human computer interaction.
- Analyze and apply learned principles and theories to previously completed work.
- Design prototype interfaces to be tested and evaluate for both brand understanding and user perception.
- Communicate interpretation of statistical analysis and design results, both written and orally.
University Policies
Academic Honesty
If there is evidence that you have been involved in any form of academic dishonesty, you will receive an “F” grade for the course, and a report will be provided to Student Judicial Affairs for further action. Be careful in all of work (classroom presentations as well as written assignments) to properly cite your sources (including online materials). Please see the University Academic Integrity policy at http://www.csuchico.edu/sjd/integrity. shtml. Ignorance of proper citation methods is not a legitimate excuse for violation of these Policies.
Americans With Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability or chronic illness, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Please also contact Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) as they are the designated department responsible for approving and coordinating reasonable accommodations and services for students with disabilities. ARC will help you understand your rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide you further assistance with requesting and arranging accommodations.
Accessibility Resource Center
530-898-5959
Student Services Center 170
arcdept@csuchico.edu
Confidentiality And Mandatory Reporting
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I also have a mandatory reporting responsibility related to my role as an instructor. I am required to share information regarding sexual misconduct with the University. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the Counseling and Wellness Center (898-6345) or Safe Place (898-3030). Information on campus reporting obligations and other Title IX related resources are at www.csuchico.edu/title-ix.
Publication Release
Student’s work produced in this course may be published in print or on the Web. The instructor will select this piece. If you would not want to publish any of your work for this course, please send an me email before the end of the semester.
