Human-Computer Interaction Option

An option is an area of study recognized by the University of Washington.  On completion of their degree, students will see Bachelor of Science in Informatics as well as the designation "Human-Computer Interaction" on their UW transcript.

INFO 360 is the foundational course for the HCI option, and all Informatics students are required to take it. To meet the requirements for this option, Informatics students must take 16-20 additional credits in HCI beyond INFO 360.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) focuses on the interface between people and technology, with the goal of making that interface enjoyable and effective for users. HCI endeavors to make information and computing useful, usable, and accessible to all.   

In this option, students learn how to design, construct, and evaluate interactive technologies for use by individuals, groups, and organizations; they also learn about the social implications of these systems. Students use knowledge of users’ capabilities, contexts, feelings, and behavior to design new interactive technologies and to improve existing ones.   Upon graduation, students who study HCI often work as user experience designers, user researchers, usability engineers, program managers, or user interaction designers.

Courses must be taken in at least two of the five HCI subject areas below other than foundations in order to provide critical skills and a broader perspective:

1. Foundations (5 credits each)

ART 383 Fundamentals of Interactive Design CSE 440 Introduction to HCI: User Interface Design, Prototyping and Evaluation INFO 360 User-Centered Design HCDE 419 Survey of Concepts of Human-Computer Interaction (formerly HCDE 319)

2. User Interface Software and Technology (5 credits each)

CSE 441 Advanced HCI: Advanced User Interface Design, Prototyping and Evaluation INFO 344 Web Tools and Development HCDE 438 Web Technologies

3. Design (5 credits each)

ART 483 Fundamentals of Interface Design ART 484 Projects in Interaction Design INFO 424 Information Visualization and Aesthetics HCDE 455 User Interface Design

4. Usability and User Research (5 credits each)

INFO 310 Individual Perspectives on Information Systems HCDE 417 Survey of Usability Research Techniques (formerly HCDE 317) HCDE 418 Survey of User Experience Design (formerly HCDE 318)

5. Social and Ethical Dimensions (5 credits each)

INFO 444 Value Sensitive Design INFO 447 Computer-Supported Cooperative Work

 

Notes:

• Special Topics courses, such as INFO 498, HCDE 490, and HCDE 496, may be allowed on an individual, per-course basis, depending on subject matter, in any of the HCI subject areas.
• Because HCI is a multidisciplinary area, students must take at least one of these courses from a participating department outside the iSchool (ART, CSE, or HCDE). 
• Out-of-department courses in the Foundations area, including ART 383, CSE 440, and HCDE 319, can count toward the remaining 16-20 HCI credit requirement.