Outline

Overview

This unit introduces students to principles and fundamentals of interface design in emerging technologies. Following a human-centered design approach, this unit of study provides students with an understanding of industry standard principles for user interface design. Students will gain practical skills for prototyping and testing interactive interfaces through the application of tools and techniques for a variety of different platforms. For example, students will learn how to create low-fidelity prototypes using wireframes for web and mobile user interfaces. The aim is to develop appreciation of visual design principles and their impact on the usability and user experience of interactive products.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	DECO2102
Academic unit	Design Lab
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Hamish Henderson, hamish.henderson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 1 - Week 1 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 01	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 2 - Week 2 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 02	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 3 - Week 3 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 03	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 4 - Week 4 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 04	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 5 - Week 5 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 05	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 6 - Week 6 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 06	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	A.2 Conceptual Design Slide Deck and Presentation	30%	Week 07 Due date: 18 Sep 2022 at 23:59	10 minutes. Up to 4 minutes of feedback
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 7 - Week 8 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 08	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 8 - Week 10 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 10	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 9 - Week 11 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 11	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	A.3 Final Design Slide deck, prototype and presentation	40%	Week 12 Due date: 30 Oct 2022 at 23:59	10 minutes. Up to 4 minutes of feedback
Outcomes assessed:
In-semester test (Take-home extended release)	A.1. Quiz 10 - Week 13 There will be ten quizzes delivered via Canvas over the course of semester.	3%	Week 13	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
= Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ? = Type E in-semester exam ?

Assessment summary

In this unit you will be required to complete ten Quizzes and two Design Assignments. The weighting of these assessments and their associated due dates are contained in the table below. All assessments in this unit are to be completed individually.

Quizzes will become available on the Monday of the week in which they are due. They will be delivered via Canvas.

Both Design Assignments will be delivered as presentations. The presentation slide deck must be uploaded by the due date according to the instructions on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Work of outstanding quality, demonstrating mastery of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows significant innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or exceptional skill.
Distinction	75 - 84	Work of excellent quality, demonstrating a sound grasp of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or superior skill.
Credit	65 - 74	Work of good quality, demonstrating more than satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed, or work of excellent quality for a majority of the learning outcomes assessed.
Pass	50 - 64	Work demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed.
Fail	0 - 49	Work that does not demonstrate satisfactory achievement of one or more of the learning outcomes assessed.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Late submission of work (1) It is expected that unless a simple extension, special consideration or disability adjustment has been granted, students will submit all assessment items for a unit of study on the due dates specified. If an assessment is submitted or otherwise completed within a period of extension granted by successful application for simple extension, special consideration or an assessment adjustment determined by Disability Services, no academic penalty will be applied to that piece of assessment. (2)If an extension is not sought, not granted, or is granted but work is submitted after the extended due date, the late submission of assessment will result in an academic penalty as follows: (a) For non-public assessments, work submitted after the deadline will incur a penalty of 5% of the total marks earned for the assessment per calendar day. Work submitted 20 calendar days or more after the deadline will not be assessed and will receive a mark of zero. (b)For assessments involving public, oral, and/or visual presentations completed after the deadline, a penalty of 10% of the total marks earned for the assessment will be imposed per calendar day. Work completed 10 calendar days or more after the deadline will not be assessed and will receive a mark of zero.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to Interface Design & Subject Overview	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Introducing the Design Brief, Planning your activities, Desk Research	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	Brief History of Interface Design & Design Principles	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Deconstructing Interfaces	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	Gathering Requirements & User Research	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Research Studio	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Information Architecture	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Structuring Information	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	Sketching & Wireframes	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	Wireframes, Wireflows & Studio	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Navigation & Layout	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	Paper Prototyping	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Usability Evaluation	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Assisted Evaluations	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Visual Design Foundations	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 08	Design Studio	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	Design Guidelines and Patterns	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	Design Studio	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	High-Fidelity Prototyping	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Prototyping Studio	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	Communication and Project Management	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Assessment Support15	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Industry Panel	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 13	Presentations	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Attendance of all timetabled activities is mandatory. Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90% of timetabled activities for each unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Unit Coordinator, Program Director or Associate Dean of Education.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Plan, document and execute research with rigour;
LO2. Assess the requirements of an interface design problem and translate them into an actionable set of interface design tasks;
LO3. Understand and apply interface design principles and concepts;
LO4. Apply a variety of design approaches and techniques for ideation;
LO5. Use a variety of tools to prototype and develop interfaces;
LO6. Recruit participants and conduct usability evaluations on lo and hi-fidelity prototypes;
LO7. Present research findings and possible solutions;
LO8. Plan and document an interface design project;

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been updated to reflect it's original objective of introducing web design to a non-design audience.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

DECO2102: Introduction to Interface Design

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect