Course Description
Introduction to design concepts needed for the development of usable applications intended for use on the
World Wide Web. The course will cover three main areas. First, general design concepts including usability
heuristics and principles of visual design. Second, the user-centred iterative design process, including
determination of customer requirements, development of prototypes, and low-cost usability evaluations.
Third, the Internet and the WWW as a foundation for deploying applications, and an introduction to a set of
technologies that will enable application development for the Web.
When finished this course you will be able to
- Design and build interactive websites
- Use design elements such as grid-based layout, typography, colour and white space
- Carry out an iterative design process
- Carry out usability evaluations for interactive websites
Prerequisites
CMPT 106 or CMPT 111
Note: CMPT 281 cannot be used towards requirements for a B.Sc. in Computer Science, but may be used as
an open elective. CMPT 281 cannot be taken after CMPT 381 or CMPT 370 (but may be taken concurrently).
Instructor
Instructor: Prof. Carl Gutwin
Contact: gutwin@cs.usask.ca
Office Location and Hours: Thorvaldson 377.2; hours by appointment (send email)
Schedule
Lecture: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00pm – 2:20am, Thorvaldson 205a
Lab: Wednesdays, 9:30am – 10:20m, Spinks 311
Course Material
Required:
The Design of Sites: Patterns for Creating Winning Web Sites (2nd Edition). Douglas K. van Duyne, James
A. Landay, Jason I. Hong, Prentice-Hall, 2007. (available at the U of S bookstore.)
Recommended:
The U of S library has several electronic reference books for the development tools. For example:
HTML/CSS
JavaScript
HTML5
Grading Scheme
- Five assignments: 25%
- Midterm exam: 15%
- Project: 20%
- Final exam: 40%
Assignments: approximately one per week in September and October
Midterm: mid-October
Project: start in October, due at end of term
Course Topics:
- Intro to the Web and web-based interactive systems
- Design patterns and design processes
- HTML: Content
- CSS: Appearance
- JavaScript: Interactivity
- Visual design: layout, grids, fonts, colours, space
- Forms, tasks, and usability
- Basic design concepts
- Task-centred user interface design process
- Web design patterns
- Libraries and web services
- Usability evaluations
- HTML5: graphics, media, and advanced interaction
- Other topics as determined by class interest
Policies
- All students must be registered in order to attend lectures and receive credit for this course.
- Late Assignments. No late assignments will be accepted or marked without medical reason, and no extensions will be given.
- Missed Assignments. See above
- Final Exam Scheduling. The Registrar schedules all final examinations, including deferred and supplemental examinations. Students are advised not to make travel arrangements for the exam period until the official exam schedule has been posted.
- Missed Examinations. U of S policy states "Students who have missed an exam or assignment must contact their instructor as soon as possible. Arrangements to make up the exam may be arranged with the
instructor. Missed exams throughout the year are left up to the discretion of the instructor if a student may
make up the exam or write at a different time. (www.arts.usask.ca/students/transition/tips.php)
- Academic Honesty. Students are expected to be academically honest in all of their scholarly work,
including course assignments and examinations. Academic honesty is defined and described in the
Department of Computer Science Statement on Academic Honesty
(www.cs.usask.ca/undergrad/honesty.php) and the University of Saskatchewan Academic Honesty
Website (www.usask.ca/honesty). The Student Academic Affairs Committee treats all cases according to
the University Policy and has the right to apply strict academic penalties (see www.usask.ca/university_secretary/honesty/academic_misconduct.php).