Gooey: Soft & Sticky (DA259 200603)

Code of conduct

• This assignment will not be considered to be completed if
  • you attend less than 60% of the meetings.
  • you fail to deliver any of the presentations and the reports in time.
  • you quit the assignment.
  • you prefer "N" to "Y".
• Any excuses of not attending the meetings must be emailed to me 2 hours piror to the scheduled time.
• No excuse after the scheduled time.

Approach

• learning by doing (together)
• learning from each other
• book, book, and yet another book.

Schedule

Week 1

Lecture

• Overview of the soft and sticky aspects of comupters: the operating systems and the GUI

• Overview of GUI history GooeyHistory.pdf

Homework

• (4 weeks) Read the following books:

  • Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug (About web gui design)

  • Interface Desgin by Peter Bickford or/and GUI Design Essentials by Weinschenk et al.

• Please form 2-person groups for the tasks.

• (1 week) Task 1: Experience and compare two OS desktops

  • Sit next to each other to compare and analyze the GUI.
  • Tip: focusing on specific tasks: for example, locating an application; removing a file; sending an email etc.
• Prepare a 5-10 minute presenation of your findings.
• Start thinking of a new design of an OS desktop for a target user group.

Resources

• Ubuntu live CD (GNOME desktop): http://www.ubuntu.com

• Kbuntu live CD (KDE desktop): http://www.kubuntu.org

• Knoppix live CD (KDE desktop): http://www.knoppix.org/

• Solaris 10: http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/

• Windows Vista CTP, installation CD from my office HG2.52.

Week 2

Lecture

GUI design guidelines GooeyDesignGuidelines.pdf

Activity

• Presentations of os desktop comparison
• Discussions

Homework

• Continue the books.

• (2 weeks) Task 2: Find two examples of web designs of the same kind that you like most and hate most. Prepare a presentation that

  • tells what you have learnt from the book don't make me think

  • tells the story and the reasons of the web design comparison.

• (3 weeks Task 3: Designing/prototyping a new OS desktop for a target user group of your choice. Prepare a presentation that

  • tells what you have learnt from the book Interface Desgin by Peter Bickford or/and GUI Design Essentials by Weinschenk et al.

  • tells your target user group, your desgin process and approach, and the result.

Resources

• Edubuntu: http://www.edubuntu.org

• StarDock has a serials of tools to customize your windows desktop: http://www.stardock.com/

  • Search for kids or children at http://www.wincustomize.com/ for examples of redesgins of the windows desktop for children.

Week 3

Lecture

GUI desgin process

Activity

Q&A session

Homework

• Continue the books.
• Continue Task 2.
• Continue Task 3.

Week 4

Activity

• Presentations of web design comparison.

  • tell what you have learnt from the book don't make me think

  • tell the story and the reasons of the web design comparison.
• Discussions

• Q&A session

Homework

• Finish your design/prototype, prepare for the final presentation

Homework

• Continue Task 3.

Week 5

Activity

• Final presenations of your os desktop design

  • tell what you have learnt from the book Interface Desgin by Peter Bickford or/and GUI Design Essentials by Weinschenk et al.

  • tell your target user group, your desgin process and approach, and the result.
• Feedback session

Homework

• Final report. Not more than 4 pages of A4. Including:
  • What you have learnt from this assignment
  • Description of the results from Task 3:your target user group, your desgin process and approach, and the design decisions and the reasons behind.
  • Your comments/suggestions/complaints on this assignment. (I promise that this part won't have any impact on the final verdict).
• Zip the presentations from Task 1, 2, 3, and the final report altogether and deliver it by next Wednesday, 5:00pm