Chris Ault
Thursdays, 9-11:50 in AIMM 202
Mondays, 3:30-4:30 in AIMM 321
Other times by appointment — ault-at-tcnj-dot-edu
This class is interdisciplinary, bringing together the various bodies of knowledge that inform the field of interactive design, including content design, interface design, technical design, usability and project management. The class provides an overview of concepts necessary both to create and evaluate interactive multimedia projects. You’ll apply these ideas to a series of individual writing and production assignments, and ultimately to a collaborative project that spans most of the semester.
Our attention this semester will be be focused on the problems, opportunities and design challenges presented by pervasive social media and ubiquitous computing. The activities and even the assignments below are subject to change in order to best respond to new events or opportunities related to the course subject. Any changes will be highlighted on this web page.
Students will:
This course conforms to the following TCNJ policies:
Chris Crawford’s The Art of Interactive Design is required and available in the TCNJ bookstore and elsewhere. Other readings will be made available online or through SOCS. Links provided to Google Books or Amazon are intended to give you different options for purchasing the books used in class; this doesn’t imply that you’re only required to read the excerpts avaliable on those sites. Read the full selection assigned on the syllabus.
There’s no one software package or web site that offers everything we need for this class, so you’ll be expected to use specialized systems for certain tasks, and keep track of the necessary login information. These tools include:
This is a writing intensive course. You’ll receive written feedback on your formal writing assignments, including your project proposal, a paper on social and mobile computing, an essay on an art exhibit and your individual review at the end of the semester. Your grade on those assignments will depend on elements such as grammar, spelling, clarity, organization, evidence to support your position and a tone of voice appropriate for your audience. We’ll also discuss these issues in class related to each assignment. Throughout the semester — from your initial project proposal through to your final documentation — you’ll be expected to revise and refine the language you use to present your project, based on your experiences as well as feedback from your classmates and me.
No late work will be accepted.
Your final course grade will be determined by the scale below. (Please note that IMM majors need at least a C in this course to continue in the IMM curriculum.)
Over the first few weeks of the semester, we’ll read and discuss the ideas of several critics, theorists and novelists related to the rise of social and mobile computing. Based on those readings and discussions, your own additional research, a review of relevant surveys and studies, and also the results and analysis of your own original survey, write a paper that contrasts the various points of view of the current state of this technology and its impact on society, and also describes your own vision of this technology in the near future.
Start getting your ideas for the paper together by writing up informal responses to that week’s assigned readings. How do the various readings relate to each other? How do they relate to your own experience with and thoughts about similar technology? Post your response (with a clear title) to the SOCS blog before the next class. Your post should be at least 300 words. This is essentially a completion grade — you won’t be graded on your writing skills, but to receive credit you have to demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas presented in the reading. Getting your ideas together now will make it easier to write your paper later.
Based on the expert opinions, predictions and market research previously discussed in class, devise your own survey to gauge the attitudes and expectations of your peers, friends and family about social and mobile computing. The results of this survey should give you a more immediate understanding of the target audience for the project you will propose in a couple weeks. The Ogilvy reading on SOCS suggests some of the particular insights you might hope to gain from such a survey, so write your questions accordingly. Try to obtain responses from a range of people — age, gender, location, ethnic background, occupation, etc.
Use TCNJ Qualtrics or a similar service to create your survey and gather responses — 10 must-know questions and at least 30 responses, but the more responses the better. Include a brief introduction — either in the e-mail containing the survey link or at the top of the survey — explaining who you are and why you’re after this information. And whenever possible, provide a “not applicable” or “don’t know” option to avoid potentially frustrating certain respondents with certain questions. You’ll find other useful guidelines for phrasing your questions here.
Post a copy of your survey results to the relevant SOCS dropbox. Talk us through the results of your survey next week in class. You’ll be expected to address this data in your upcoming paper.
Refer to these guidelines for specifics. Your paper should be at least 1,500 words, and remember that the overall effectiveness of your paper (and therfore your grade) will depend on both content and sound writing mechanics, including proper attribution of sources. Post to the relevant SOCS dropbox before class on February 16.
Informed by the ideas presented in the readings and discussed in class, propose an interactive media project to be developed by you and small group of your classmates. Your project should be innovative and break new ground in terms of its form and/or its execution, but keep in mind that innovation often stems from a novel combination of existing ideas, not an entirely new idea. As you’ll see in the final project description below, you and your group won’t be expected to fully develop your proposed project by the end of the semester, but rather develop a compelling proof-of-concept.
Using the model discussed in class and referring to these guidelines, write a formal proposal for your project. Imagine that you’re sending this document to a potential client or investor. As such your proposal must be thorough, compelling and convincing, and it should stand on its own without you being there to explain it. You won’t win support if your argument is confusing, overly-technical or incomplete. And you won’t inspire confidence if your writing is sloppy and full of typos and spelling errors. Your proposal should be at least 900 words and should include images, URLs or any other media that will help support your idea. You’ll be graded on the effectiveness of your argument as well as the mechanics of your writing. Post your proposal to the relevant SOCS dropbox before class on February 23.
Use your written proposal as the basis for a polished, formal, but concise presentation to the class on February 23. Imagine you have the attention of a potential client or investor for only five minutes. Use slides, web sites and other media to support your talking points and present a convincing case for your idea. Your presentation will address many of the same issues as your written proposal, but don’t just stand in front of the class and read the text off the screen. You’ll be graded on the effectiveness of your presentation as well as the information you present, following these general guidelines. This presentation will be the basis for assigning projects and people to teams for work throughout the reset of the semester. Presentations will follow this order.
Visit the Illuminating Data exhibit in the TCNJ Art Gallery, and write an essay about a piece in the exhibit that you find particularly interesting or inspirational. (If the artist has more than one piece in the exhibit, you might choose to write about all of them as a whole.) What about the work do you find so engaging, and why? What message do you think the artist is trying to convey? What effect does she or he intend to inspire in the viewer? How do the artist’s choices of form, medium, etc. support that intent? Would your choices have been different? How and why? Your essay should be at least 600 words and should include a photo of yourself at the exhibit. You’ll be graded on the effective presentation of your ideas as well as the mechanics of your writing — refer to these guidelines for specifics. Post your proposal to the relevant SOCS dropbox before class on April 5.
As we move beyond our initial discussion of technology trends and start to read selections from sources more related to the production of an interactive project (starting February 23) you’re required to write a thoughtful, personal response to each reading and post it (with a clear title) to SOCS blog before the next class. I’m not looking for a summary — what did you learn from the reading? Do you agree or disagree? Back up your opinion with specific examples. If more than one reading is assigned during a given week, your response should address them as a whole. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 words should do the trick. This is essentially a completion grade — you won’t be graded on your writing skills, but to receive credit you have to demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas presented in the reading.
As we move beyond your initital research and project proposals, you and the other members of your group will collaborate on a number of assignments related to your team project. Check the syllabus for details of the following week’s assignment. (There won’t necessarily be one every week.) Your group’s work should be posted to the relevant SOCS dropbox and to Freedcamp when appropriate. Grades on these assignments will be based on the product, as assessed by the professor, as well as on your individual contribution to the collaborative process, as assessed by you and your teammates (more on this below). These assignments include:
Create a single written proposal reflecting your group’s revised idea and any feedback your group received from class, following the same format as the individual proposal. Post your group’s proposal to the relevant SOCS dropbox, and to your group’s Freedcamp project.
Create a flowchart using Jesse James Garrett’s visual vocabulary. Use whatever software you have available, including commerical products like Microsoft Viseo or OmniGraffle, or free online tools like Diagramly or Gliffy. (Note that the symbols described by Garrett don’t necessarily have the same labels, rotations, etc in the diagramming software. Ignore the software’s labels and Stick to Garrett’s spec as much as possible.) You’re not designing the final look of the screens — not yet — just include the necessary elements to demonstrate the user’s path through the project. Use branches to demonstrate the actions a user can take on each screen and the system’s response to those actions. Using Balsamiq, create wireframes for particularly important screens (like a home page) or screens that offer the user a large number of choices. (You should have at least two wireframes.) Post your materials to the relevant SOCS dropbox, and to your group’s Freedcamp project. And be prepared — as a group — to present your materials to the class.
Imagine you’re turning the project over to another team to update or expand. Create a style guide describing in detail the requirements for integrating new content into the project. For example, which fonts do you use for body text and headlines? What font sizes? Choose a palette of appropriate colors for text, backgrounds, logos and other graphics. Consider image dimensions, borders, even image composition and style — are they illustrations or photographs? Landscape or portrait? Color or black-and-white or something else entirely? Address the layout of content on the screen — where do headlines go? Body text? Images? How does the content adapt to different screen sizes? Also offer guidelines for writers — is there a particular tone of voice that’s appropriate for your project? Include images, sketches, diagrams, links and anything else to make your requirements clear. Post your style guide to the relevant SOCS dropbox and to your group’s Freedcamp project. And be prepared — as a group — to present your materials to the class.
Use detailed sketches on paper to lend more detail and polish to the wireframes you created for the previous assignment. Create pages for the most important screens. Your paper prototype should reflect the actual “look and feel” of your project (and conform to Apple’s iOS interface guidelinse if applicable), including taking into consideration both landscape and portrait views for your screens. Be prepared — as a group — to present your materials and walk the class through your project using your prototype.
Write a document describing the specific technical plans, considerations and decisions for developing your project. What specific software and hardware is required and why? How will you build your project? Why that way and not another way? Diagrams and drawings may be useful. You may also want to describe some of the underlying logical processes of your system using pseudocode. Write a detailed list of steps needed to resolve the problem, getting from the starting point to the desired end result. Spell out the logical steps and provide a rationale for taking your route and not another. Post all documents to the relvant SOCS dropbox and to your group’s Freedcamp project. And be prepared — as a group — to present your materials to the class.
Transform your previous paper prototype into a digital, dynamic prototype that illustrates what your project will look like and how it will work on-screen. Use Scratch, PowerPoint or another screen-based tool to give your project the appearance of a fully-executed application, without true interactivity being implemented. And be prepared — as a group — to present your materials to the class.
Using Chapter 10 from Steve Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think as a guide (in the SOCS resources and elsewhere), prepare a script for testing your group’s interactive prototype with outside users to elicit useful feedback. Your script should include any information necessary to orient the user before testing, background questions to gauge the user’s experience before the test, the specific questions you anticipate asking during the test, and follow-up questions to gauge the user’s overall experience after the test. (You may find it helpful to use a web-based survey tool for parts of of your testing session.)
Please note: If your project is designed for a mobile device, maybe one person in your group should design his or her session for testing on such a device, while the others should plan to test using a desktop computer, perhaps utilizing a desktop or web-based emulator.
In addition to the Krug reading, keep these guidelines in mind as you prepare your test. Your group’s script should be posted to the relevant SOCS dropbox and Freedcamp before class on April 26.
During our class session, you’ll administer your prepared test at least twice, and you’ll also serve as a tester for projects from other groups.
In addition to your group posting its work to SOCS and/or Freedcamp as required by the particular assignment, each individual will also submit a peer feedback form for every group assignment, in which you evaluate yourself and your teammates. The blank form is available in SOCS resources, and completed forms should be posted to the appropriate SOCS dropbox before the class in which the corresponding group assignment is due.
Your group’s final project includes several elements, listed below, that together form a polished and convincing package that you potentially could present to an investor or client to win support for your idea. You’re not expected to have a fully executed version of the concept that emerged earlier in the proposal stage, but rather an engaging demo that proves you were on the right track with that original idea. Like earlier group assignments, you’re expected to contribute to this final package in a way that makes the most of your interests and skills. You’ll evaluate your own contribution and that of your collaborators through a form in SOCS, and these assessments will be factored into your individual grade for the final project.
Building on the paper and screen-based prototypes you created earlier in the semester, create an interactive prototype that will allow unfamiliar users to get a sense of how your project works. This protoype should be constrained — not including every function or feature of your entire project — but within those contrstaints the user should be able to get a clear idea of what your project does and how it works. Build this prototype using whatever tool makes the most sense given the type of project and the skills of your team — as a web page, a Processing sketch, etc. You’ll test this prototype during the last week of class, and based on that feedback revise it as much as feasible for our meeting during finals week. Post the demo including all necessary files, or a link, to the appropriate SOCS dropbox.
Design and code a simple web site to highlight your project. The site should provide a quick but compeling overview of your idea, aimed at potential users, investors or collaborators. The web site should include a compelling rationale for your project, drawing on elements of your research earlier in the semester. Also include bios of the team members, describing their contributions to the project. Use images, diagrams or any other media that help explain or “sell” your idea. If practical, include a link to the interactive prototype described above. Post a link to your site to the appropriate SOCS dropbox.
Your site should include a brief, YouTube-style video — no more than one minute — highlighting the key features and functionality of your project for potential users. Look at existing videos for similar projects for inspiration.
As a group, describe your product and the process of developing it in a polished 10-15-minute presentation, including slides, web sites and other supporting media. Your presentation should stand on its own — don’t assume your audience already knows anything about your project. (Ideally, you’ll have a chance to present your work to people outside our class, including members of the College faculty and administration.) You’ll be graded according to the thoroughness of your content, your command of the material and the clarity of your presentation, following these general guidelines.
From the notes you take during user testing, prepare a formal written report describing the results of your testing sessions. See these guidelines for specifics. Post your report to the relevant SOCS dropbox before we meet during finals week.
At the end of the semester, each individual must turn in a final written report. As you have throughout the semester, put yourself in the position of an employee at an interactive design studio. As part of a regular, end-of-the-year performance review, you’ve been asked to prepare a report for your supervisor that documents your work over the course of the past few months. In specific terms, describe your individual work on the project, including your responsibilities, your tools, and your processes. Include your successes as well as your failures, and your strategy for correcting those failures. Include any images, diagrams, links or anything else you created throughout the semester that will help make your report more clear and useful. Discuss how some of the concepts discussed throughout the semester have influenced the way you approach your work. And be constructive — use this report as an opportunity to look forward, identifying the types of projects you’d like to pursue and skills you’d like to further develop. The text of your report — without images — should be at least 900 words, and keep in mind that sloppy writing will discourage your hypothetical supervisor, and diminish your grade. Post your report to the relevant SOCS dropbox before we meet for our presentations during finals week.
Introducing the class and each other
What is design?
What is interactivity?
The process of interactive design
Social context of IMM
Selections from Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Selection from A Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Selection from The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Start working on your formal paper (due February 16) by writing up a relatively informal response to this week’s readings. How do the various readings relate to each other? How do they relate to your own experience with and thoughts about similar technology? Post your response (with a clear title) to the SOCS blog before the next class. Your response should be at least 300 words. This is essentially a completion grade — you won’t be graded on your writing skills, but to receive credit you have to demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas presented in the reading. Getting your ideas together now will make it easier to write your paper later.
Social robots
Social software
Constant connectivity
The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas Carr (the inspiration for his book The Shallows)
Selection from Clay Shirky’s Cognitive Surplus (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Start working on your formal paper (due February 16) by writing up a relatively informal response to this week’s readings. How do the various readings relate to each other? How do they relate to your own experience with and thoughts about similar technology? Your response should be at least 300 words. Post your response (with a clear title) to the SOCS blog before the next class. This is essentially a completion grade — you won’t be graded on your writing skills, but to receive credit you have to demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas presented in the reading. Getting your ideas together now will make it easier to write your paper later.
Social impact of the internet and digital media
Technology trends
Selection from A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
David Ogilvy’s 18 Miracles of Research from Ogilvy on Advertising (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
The Design Challenge from Donald Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Based on the expert opinions, predictions and market research previously discussed in class, devise your own survey to gauge the attitudes and expectations of your peers, friends and family about social and mobile computing. The results of this survey should give you a more immediate understanding of the target audience for the project you will propose in a couple weeks. The Ogilvy reading on SOCS suggests some of the particular insights you might hope to gain from such a survey, so write your questions accordingly. Try to obtain responses from a range of people — age, gender, location, ethnic background, occupation, etc.
Use TCNJ Qualtrics or a similar service to create your survey and gather responses — 10 must-know questions and at least 30 responses, but the more responses the better. Include a brief introduction — either in the e-mail containing the survey link or at the top of the survey — explaining who you are and why you’re after this information. And whenever possible, provide a “not applicable” or “don’t know” option to avoid potentially frustrating certain respondents with certain questions. You’ll find other useful guidelines for phrasing your questions here.
Post a copy of your survey results to the relevant SOCS dropbox. Talk us through the results of your survey next week in class. You’ll be expected to address this data in your upcoming paper.
Market research
Innovation
Writing
Watch Steven Johnson on Where Good Ideas Come From
Listen to Undesigned: The Symbiotic Relationship Of Steve Jobs And Jonathan Ive
Social Media and Mobile Computing Paper
Project considerations
Creative process
Proposal writing
Presentation skills
Prepare a written project proposal and your presentation. This is an individual assignment.
Project proposals
You’ll be assigned to groups of four or five students based on the individual proposal presentations. As a group, discuss and reconcile each other’s ideas, consider any feedback from the rest of the class, and propose a revised idea. This is the project you’ll collaborate on for the rest of the semester, through group assignments, and culminating in a final project package. Be prepared — as a group — to present your idea informally to the class next week.
Chapter 12: The Design Process, from The Art of Interactive Design. Remember to start posting your reading responses to the SOCS blog.
Project proposals
Your group’s revised project idea
Project teams and roles
Group dynamics
Project management
Set up your project using the project management tools in Freedcamp, including your personal profile, and preliminary tasks and deadlines for your group.
As a group, craft a revised project proposal, and remember to fill out a peer feedback form for this (and every) group assignment.
The Art of Interactive Design, Chapter 7: Architecture
Group dynamics
Project management
Information architecture
Set up your project using the project management tools in Freedcamp, including your personal profile, and preliminary tasks and deadlines for your group.
Flowchart and wireframes (and corresponding peer feedback form)
Bitmapping from Steven Johnson’s Interface Culture (in SOCS resources, in the TCNJ library, and elsewhere).
Apple's iOS UI Element Usage Guidelines
Your group’s flowcharts and wireframes
Content design
Graphic design
Style guides
Style Guide (and corresponding peer feedback form)
The Art of Interactive Design, Chapter 5: Listening
People and Prototypes from Bill Moggridge’s Designing Interactions (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Your group’s style guide
Interface design
Interaction design
Paper prototyping
Paper Prototype (and corresponding peer feedback form)
The Art of Interactive Design, Chapter 4: Thinking
Purpose from Douglas Rushkoff’s Program or Be Programmed (in SOCS resources and elsewhere)
Your group’s paper prototypes
Illuminating Data exhibit
Technical design
Technical specifications
Technical Specifications (and corresponding peer feedback form)
Read Gamer’s with Disabilities Battle Indifferent Industry from Wired magazine
Listen to How The Disabilities Act Has Influenced Architecture
Your group’s technical specifications
Usability
Accessibility
Dynamic prototyping
After Effects demo
Dynamic Prototype (and corresponding peer feedback form)
In two weeks your group will be user-testing the interactive prototype of your project.
Your group’s dynamic prototype
Usability
User testing
After Effects demo
Prepare for user testing of your group’s interactive prototype, next week in class. (Also submit the corresponding peer feedback form.)
As a group, work to develop and/or revise the various elements of your final project package.
We’ll meet for your group’s final presentation.
All other elements of your group’s final project package are due.
Your individual review is due.