Human-Centered Design Methods  
Keith Evan Green, RA, PhD                  F 2 4  w h e e l   o f   n a m e s
TA: Bill Xu, tx66@cornell.edu
Tu. & Th., 10:10-11:25am, HEB 2L32 (MVR 4101 only if class it too large for 2L32))
office hours: please email us to meet or find us before or after class.
                                         

C O U R S E   D E S C R I P T I O N   |   D E A   2 7 3 0
This course explores the use of design methods to generate ideas and evaluate designed objects, environments, and interfaces. Lectures cultivate an understanding of the various methods, while hands-on activities provide opportunities to apply these methods to the design of a small device and its interactions with people and things.

P R E R E Q U I S I T E S   |   E N R O L L M E N T
• Enrollment is limited to 22.
• Prerequisites: DEA 1101, DEA 1150 or DEA 1140, and DEA 1500 with minimum grades of B-. This is an auto-enrolled, required class for DEA majors. If you are not an auto-enrolled, DEA major, you must seek the instructor's permission by email providing evidence that you have taken soe DEA prerequisites plus other coursework (e.g., from Info Sci or MAE) and/or other experiences that prepare you to enroll in this course with DEA majors who have the prerequisite courses.
• 3 credits; no final exam; for letter grade only (no Pass/Fail or auditing).

S Y L L A B U S    |   S E E   A L S O   M Y   D E A  5 2 1 0   &   D E A   6 2 1 0

I N T R O D U C T I O N - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Human-Centered Design Methods are used to design things and the interactions between these things and the people who use or inhabit them. As such, Human-Centered Design is not only about form-making but also an attentiveness to the needs and opportunities of people and the planet, striving to improve lives, enhance existing places, and support interactions of human and other living beings with their surroundings. This course focuses on designing interactive devices, given that interactive devices (including interactive environments) are growing in number, kind, and complexity and have great promise for supporting and augmenting human lives. Designers use Human-Centered Design Methods especially in industrial and product design, healthcare design, retail design, interaction design (IxD), user experience design (UX), human-computer interaction (HCI), and mechanical engineering.

W H A T   T O   D O   F I R S T - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Listen to "The Power of Design" and "Are the Best Designers Rebels?" on the TED RADIO HOUR.
  
  
• Explore examples of interactive devices for inspiration.
  
  
• Learn from Julie Zhao, former Design VP at Facebook: What she looks for when hiring designers, How designers can best start their careers, and How to pitch a compelling vision.

C L A S S   O R G A N I Z A T I O N - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A key objective for Human-Centered Design Methods is to have every student in the course design and evaluate not only their project but every project developed by peers. How? By receiving input from peers, the instructor, the TA, and by the staff of the Digital Design and Fabrication Studio (D2FS), organized as follows:

• For most every class, a video case study will be presented at the start of class; and for the last segment of the class, randomly selected students will share their developing work for critique by peers, instructor, and TA.
• At designated milestones throughout the semester, you will deliver formal presentations for critique by peers, instructor, and TA.
• Throughout this course, you will collaborate with D2FS staff on fabricating your project to grow your capacity to work with design partners who have expertise in digital manufacturing methods.
  

Note: I do not share my lecture slides. If you miss a class due to illness or for any other reason, we won't share slides with you or meet with you to repeat the lecture missed, Instead, we ask you to read carefully the assigned readings and review any linked materials for the missed class: the assigned readings and other materials convey the content of the lecture you missed. In missing a class, what you will miss is our class consideration of student work in-progress; it is however, difficult to capture what you missed of this class component. Accordingly, we encourage you to ask a classmate for a summary of this consideration of student work, and for any notes taken about it. Again, it is not the responsibility of the instructor or the TA to repeat the delivery of course sessions missed.

L E A R N I N G    O U T C O M E S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Three learning outcomes are expected of this course:

Outcome 1. To develop an understanding of how and which design methodologies can be applied in the iterative design process.

Outcome 2. To demonstrate the ability to develop and evaluate design prototypes responsive to the challenges and opportunities of supporting and augmenting humans.

Outcome 3. To communicate a design process in a research poster and video that satisfy requirements of benchmark, design-research conferences.

M A T E R I A L S   N E E D E D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You will be provided the following in class:

- 1 Grove Beginner Kit for Arduino ($23.88 from Mouser).
- 1 Grove Servo ($6.90 from Mouser).
- 1 Grove Ultrasonic Sensor ($4.30 from Mouser).
- 1 Grove Gesture Sensor ($10.99 from Mouser).
- 1 Grove RGB LED Stick (15-WS2813 Mini; $5.40 from Mouser).
- 1 Grove Switch ($3.20 from Mouser).
- 1 USB Battery Pack - 2200 mAh Capacity - 5V 1A Output ($14.95 from Adafruit).
- Panels (pre-cut) to make an enclosure for your assignment-1. If you need a different size enclosure, you can work with D2FS on laser-cutting panels to-size from digital files you generate using CaseMaker (for which you will need to know that our corrugated plastic is 0.2" thick).

You will need in class:

• Your laptop. You need your laptop in class, every class session. If your laptop is not equipped with a port to plug in a USB-A cable (that comes with the Grove Kit), then you need a USB-C hub (here's one) that plugs into your laptop's port and provides a USB-A port. Newer Mac laptops need this USB-C hub, as Macs no longer have USB-A ports on them.

You may also need:

• 1 sketchbook like this one or a comparable one found in our bookstore.
  

• Fabrication materials for early, rapid prototyping. These include: cardboard from shipping boxes, plastic from fruit and vegetable containers, and craft materials needed to construct your prototypes. Many of these materials you have already, at no-cost; other materials are available from the Cornell Bookstore, Michael's at the Ithaca Mall, and online at Utrecht, Blick, and Amazon.

R E Q U I R E D    B O O K - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You are required to purchase one (inexpensive) book for this class:
The Pocket Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems,available from the Cornell Bookstore and from Amazon. Do not purchase the similarly titled, Pocket Universal Principles of Design: 150....

Read assigned readings ahead of each class session as per the SCHEDULE below. The Pocket Universal Methods book is assigned by method number (e.g., 01, 16); shorter readings (from various sources) are linked.

W H A T   A R E   W E    D E S I G N I N G ? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In this course, we are iteratively designing and evaluating a small, interactive device as defined by our DESIGN CHALLENGE (see the description below). We are designing this device as a platform to practice the numerous ideation strategies and evaluation methods of this course.

In more practical terms, what are we designing?

• A small, physical object (not a mobile app or an otherwise screen-based app)
  
  
• An object that is interactive - that may light up, change color, make sounds, and/or move or change shape - when someone does something (near or far from it) or something happens (near or far from it).

• An object that provides an experience that impacts behavior.
  
  
• An object that is not only impactful but fun - an experience worth talking about.
  
  
• An object that is more like a jack-in-the-box and less like a measuring device.

If you still can't answer the question, What are we designing?, see these slides that answer the question with reference to a typical DEA 2730 Design Challenge.

I N T E R A C T I V E   A R T I F A C T S    /   E X A M P L E S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

• Student examples on this page, left-column.
• The lovebox, a simple, meaningful, whimsical product.
• Sound of a Hug, capturing the experience or cycling outdoors inside a plastic sphere.
• plume (by frog design)
• examples from the ACM "Demo Hour" of Interactions.
• projects from MAKE and Instructables.

P R O T O T Y P I N G   H E L P - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As part of this class, you will consult with D2FS staff on fabricating your project (see the narrow left column on this page for more information).

Links to helpful resources:
• Paper•Mech
• Mechanisms (ex.)
• AI generative design tools
• MAKE and Instructables
• WOz prototyping (ex. Nest)
• CaseMaker (for which you will need to know that our corrugated plastic is 0.2" thick).

D E S I G N    C H A L L E N G E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The New York magazine article, "The Uninhabitable Earth," is the most-read article in the magazine's history. The article presents the scientifically projected fate of our planet due to climate change, organized by impact: on water, air, weather, the economy, war, and on other facets of life on our planet. 

Recent reporting on NPR (National Public Radio) provides evidence that 70% of Americans see climate change as a future crisis, not the urgent crisis recognized by the scientific community. Climate change, for the majority of Americans, is not something they are thinking and talking about. But "some experts believe the way we talk about the changing climate can change attitudes."

Your challenge: Your design group has a new client who wants you to develop an interactive device where all the electronics (limited to those provided in class), including the rechargeable battery, fit inside a rectangular, translucent box, 8" x 5" x 1.5" (provided in class).

Your client restricts your design to that box and those electronics.

More specifically, you will iteratively design, prototype, and test an interactive device that helps make university students talk about climate change. By displaying such a device, you make visible to students you encounter (as you move about the campus) manifestations of climate change that gets them talking. Talking about climate change (as the NPR report shows) can make university students more mindful of climate change as an urgent problem.

Your device does this, not by its form, but instead by LED lighting, physical movement, and/or sound used to evoke a manifestation of climate change. This means your box will look like its flooded, on fire, suffering a drought, sweltering in heat, melting, smoky, wind swept....

Your device must be a physical thing made interactive using the Grove kit with at least one input and one output. It hangs by the provided hook from a backpack or is otherwise attached to the body, clothing or clothing accessories.

The research questions you will answer by way of Human Centered Design Methods is: Can an interactive device that captures a manifestation of climate change make people talk more and, so, become more mindful of climate change? 

To explore the viability of this new product, the client asks you to pitch the design twice: once (in a week’s time) to present your quick effort to generate a fully-working device, and a second time (15 weeks later) to assess your longer effort to generate a refined prototype informed by user input.

S C H E D U L E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CASE STUDY VIDEOS (e.g., ACM Demos) are screened at the start of most classes.

READ assigned readings for a given class session BEFORE that class.

ACTIVITIES are done AFTER the class session; upload yours for the NEXT class.

LECTURE SLIDES are not shared. Come to class, read the short, assigned readings, become familiar with the methods of human centered design, learn and explore by doing and sharing with us.

CLASS-SESSION ASSIGNMENTS: Each student will upload to the shared class folders evidence of completing the many class session assignments. This means that if the class topic is, "Mind Maps," you will upload your Mind Maps to the folder labeled "Mind Maps" before the next class session. At the next class session, student names will be selected randomly and the Mind Maps of students selected will be considered in class. This is a critical aspect of this course: we learn from each other!

08.27 | 01 Rapid Prototyping - I > Bring a laptop to class always!
> IN-CLASS:
• Students will get a Grove Kit "bag" and the plastic panels to make a box.
• Instructors will introduce Grove: 1, 2; 10 Grove Modules, my slides.
• Students download Arduino, explore Grove board, & try the 5th example (see slides).

08.29 | 02 D2FS Shop Training (Come dressed with closed shoes. No sandals!)
> READ: The Uninhabitable Earth; 56; MindMap.
> VIEW: Materials under WHAT TO DO FIRST above.
> DO BEFORE CLASS: a MindMap (or two!) for this Design Challenge.
> IN-CLASS: D2FS Shop Training; Intro to our Design Challenge and to MindMaps.

09.03 | 03 Rapid Prototyping - II > Bring a laptop to class always!    
> READ: 11, 53; Prototyping; WOz; Nest; Paper•Mech; Mechanisms; ex. mechanism.
> IN-CLASS:
• Review some of your MindMaps. Do they capture your deepest thinking?
• Using the Grove components and the box (and some painter's tape to hold the box together), create a quick, early prototype of your interactive artifact for this Design Challenge. You are strongly encouraged to limit your design to the materials provided you: the box enclosure, the Grove modules, and the Arduino codes (see below; cut & paste one!). Get something simple to work that addresses the Challenge.

09.05 | 04 Course Organization and Intro to HCD
> READ: Design Cycle; An Incomplete Manifesto.
> IN-CLASS: Review this course webpage.

09.10 | 05 Pitch your concept as a Grove demo [DUE: GROVE DEMO: 5pts]
> READ: Problem Definition; Requirements; Lit Review.
> IN-CLASS: 2-minute pitch to the client (the class). Without saying a word, demo your Grove kit that conveys a manifestation of climate change (e.g., fire) using a sensor & 1 or more actuators. We will guess which manifestation of climate change it's conveying!
> DO FOR NEXT CLASS: literature & state-of-the-art reviews; use ACM DL; ACM cit.

09.12 | 06 Cultural Probes; Introduction to IRB
> READ: 24. Gaver, Cultural Probes.
> IN-CLASS: review IRB application and parental consent form.
> ACTIVITY upload in 1 week: 1. photos of your probe, 2. photos of how some of the 5 participants completed the probe; 3. a completed What did I learn? form.

09.17 | 07 Research through Design [RtD]
> READ: 70. RtD; YouTube on RtD; Frayling RtD; Zimmerman RtD.
> IN-CLASS: look at posters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

09.19 | 08 Interviews with Stakeholders, and How To Code Them
> READ: 43; 48; Interviews; Focus Groups; The Coding Manual.
> ACTIVITY: conduct interviews with 5 participants about your prototypes; code them; What did you learn? Complete/upload a What did I learn? form.

09.24 | 09 Mood Boards
> READ: 14; 47; 66; 99; Mood boards.
> IN-CLASS: look at videos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
> ACTIVITY: create two mood boards: the mood before & the mood after interaction.
What did you learn? Complete/upload a What did I learn? form.

09.26 | 10 Morphological Charts
> READ: 36; Morphological Chart: 1, 2, and a student example from class.
> IN-CLASS: look at Ideation ex.s 1, 2.
> ACTIVITY: ideate with a morphological chart; select cells to generate 3 alternatives.
What did you learn? Complete/upload a What did I learn? form.

10.01 | 11 Storyboards
> READ: 58; 82; Storyboard (more; example from cinema).
> ACTIVITY: ideate with storyboards - ex.1 from class; user-study with storyboards.

10.03 | 12 Prototyping with GIFs
> VIEW: PBS on GIF; GIF by Photoshop; GIF by Figma & Gif Maker; ex. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
> ACTIVITY: Create a GIF; upload your draft IDEATION slides for next class.

10.08 | 13 In-class critique of draft IDEATION slides [not graded]
> IN-CLASS: we will review selected students' draft IDEATION slides.
> FOR NEXT CLASS: upload your IDEATION slides for grading.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - your design concept should be clear at this point - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

10.10 | 14 Scenarios and Role Playing [DUE: IDEATION: 10pts]
> READ: 71; 72; 73; 84; Scenario (more); Scenario-Based Design; Role Playing [video]
> ACTIVITY: draft a scenario, ex.1; video record your role-play based on the scenario: upload: [a] a Word doc with your scenario and a Vimeo/YouTube URL for the role play video (ex.1, 2), [b] a What did I learn? form, [c] a photo of the prototype informed by these changes.

10.15 | Break No Class

10.17 | 15 Ethnography, Triangulation
> READ: 42; 57; 59; 61; 91; Observations; Perec's Observational Experiments.
> ACTIVITY: observe one participant interacting with your working prototype (a box with embedded electronics); take notes from the observation; upload (only): a short video capturing your working prototype as it stands now, with any changes you might have made to the design, following the observation.
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' Scenarios and Role Plays.

- - - - - you should have a working prototype; consider/evaluate details hereon - - - - -

10.22 | 16 Designing User Studies & Surveys - I
> READ: 23; 97; 67; 83.
> ACTIVITY: generate a survey focused on user response to design alternatives. Your survey should include 8 Likert-scale questions and 2 open-response questions. At least one Likert-scale question must be posited in the negative as considered in class. Use Google Forms (help) for your survey. Upload your survey for review at our next class.
> IN-CLASS: as time permits, review selected students' videos of working prototypes.

10.24 | 17 Designing User Studies & Surveys- II
> READ: Surveys; Tool to calculate sample size; Qualtrics.
> ACTIVITY: conduct your study with 5 participants: have them interact with your prototype(s) and complete your survey; upload: [a] slides with your survey questions, responses from 5 participants, and your bar charts. [b] a What did I learn? form.
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' survey questions (not yet the survey results).

10.29 | 18 Think-Alouds, Cognitive Walkthroughs, 3 Types of User Studies
> READ: 13; 46; 87; Think Aloud; Methods Compared.
> ACTIVITY upload in 1 week: perform a Think-Aloud with 5 participants; code your transcripts informed (again) by The Coding Manual.Complete/upload a What did I learn? form.
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' survey results and What did you learn? forms.

10.31 | 19 Usability Studies, Heuristics, & SUS Surveys - I
> READ: 93; 94; M Heuristic Evaluation, (Nielsen's Heuristics), SUS
> ACTIVITY: upload before 11.12: perform a Systems Usability Score (SUS) survey (my version) with at least 5 participants.
> FOR NEXT CLASS: upload your Think-Aloud activity for review.

11.05 | 20 Usability Studies, Heuristics, & SUS Surveys - II
> ACTIVITY: Score/analyze results from your SUS survey (how to score; how to do calculations in Google Forms; how to calculate the standard deviation; Complete and upload a What did I learn? form.
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' Think-Aloud activity and What did you learn?

11.07 | 21 Prototyping: Money Shots & High-Fidelity Prototyping
> REVIEW: How to pitch a compelling vision. VIEW IN-CLASS: Steve Jobs presenting.
> ACTIVITY: generate a print ad for your concept for the cover or WIRED (8″ by 10- 7/8″), Ex. 1; as time permits, we will review selected drafts of these in the first class session after Thanksgiving.
> NEXT CLASS: upload your SUS activity for in-class review.

11.12 | 22 Delphi Method, Pre-Post Testing, Quasi-Experiments
> READ: The Delphi Method (We won't do a Delphi.)
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' SUS activity and What did you learn? forms.

11.14 | 23 [No lecture] [EXAM: 30pts]

11.19 | 24 Efficacy study
> ACTIVITY upload in 1 week: Is your device cultivating conversations about climate change? Might it impact future Earth-stewardship behaviors? To help find out: [a] wear your device for 5 days to see if it generates conversations on climate change with Cornell students; [b] report results (How many conversations in 5 days? Where did the conversations occur and at what time of day? How long were the conversations? What was said?; [c] be prepared to share your results in our class meeting in one week.
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' WIRED magazine covers.

11.21 | 25 Design in Practice; Agile UX [DUE: CONCEPT 10pts]
> READ: The IxDA (Interaction Design Association) webpages.
> ACTIVITY: meet a guest from ...
> ONLINE: complete an online course evaluation.

11.26 | 26 Showcase of Draft Posters and Videos [DUE: IRB CERTIFICATE: 5pts]
> BEFORE CLASS: upload a URL for your draft video + your draft poster pdf.
> IN-CLASS: review selected students' efficacy study results and draft videos/posters.
> BEFORE NEXT CLASS: prepare and upload to our shared folder a pitch deck of 5 slides that support your 3-minute, in-class pitch during our final two classes. In preparing these slides, see the requirements detailed below under WORKING DEMO and review this webpage.

11/28 | Break No Class

12.03 | 27 Final Pitch: Demo Day-1 [DUE: WORKING DEMO 10pts]
> BRING TO CLASS: your working prototype. It will be graded in-class when you "demo" it as part of your 3-minute pitch.
> IN-CLASS: Half of the class will pitch their designs, one-by-one, in 3 minutes, in front of the class. In the unlikely event you have an excused absence for both Demo days, upload a doc. with a URL to a YouTube or Vimeo movie showing you giving this same presentation, for grading.

12.05 | 28 Final Pitch: Demo Day-2 (our last class) [DUE: WORKING DEMO 10pts]
> BRING TO CLASS: your working prototype. It will be graded in-class when you "demo" it as part of your 3-minute pitch.
> IN-CLASS: Half of the class will pitch their designs, one-by-one, in 3 minutes, in front of the class. In the unlikely event you have an excused absence for both Demo days, upload a doc. with a URL to a YouTube or Vimeo movie showing you giving this same presentation, for grading.

12.16 | 4:30pm | DEADLINE: POSTER and VIDEO, uploaded for final grading:
(a) [My Name]-Poster.pdf < 15MB
(b) [My Name]-Video.doc - simply paste the URL for your Vimeo or YouTube video.
(c) [My Name]-Video.mp4 < 30MB using Handbrake (free app to reduce file size.
This deadline s the date/time specified in October by Cornell Registrar.
Your grades are based on what we find from you in our shared folder at the deadline.

G R A D I N G   /   S E E   G R A D I N G   R U B R I C S   B E L O W - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please review carefully the POLICIES found below. These policies are not negotiable except under grave circumstances.

Assignments are individual efforts; however, in class, you will be viewing the work of peers and sharing your own work to inform one another. In this way, DEA 2730 is a “conversation” across students, professor, and TA during which you will have ample opportunity to learn and receive feedback on your work.

The list that follows names and describes the graded components for this course. Each component is worth so many points, as shown in red type. The sum of all of these components equals the final grade of 100 points. The numerical scale for grading is as follows: A+ (98–100), A (93–97), A- (90–92), B+ (88–89), B (83–87), B- (80–82), C+ (78–79), C (73–77), C- (70–72), D+ (68–69), D (65–67), D- (below 65).

• 5 points | IRB CERTIFICATE of completion of training on studies with humans.
From this Cornell IRB link, on the linked page, select this required IRB training by:
1. clicking on the blue box, "TAKE CITI TRAINING (CORNELL LOG-IN)
2. entering your credentials (email address, ....)
3. selecting, as your role, from the pull-down menu "Student Researcher - Undergraduate"
4. selecting, as the course you plan to take, from the pull-down menu, "Basic Human Subjects – Social & Behavioral Focus."
After finishing the course, email the certificate of completion you receive to the TA before the due date shown in the SCHEDULE above. Failure to complete this task or late submission results in a zero grade for this component of the course. No excuse.

• 5 points | EARLY GROVE DEMO
This demo is done as a 2-minute pitch in class following two days of focusing on rapid prototyping (see course schedule above). Show us that you can make work, using Grove, any example code that I provided on this course webpage under the heading, "Arduino Code You Can Copy & Paste." In class (see scheduling above), you will demo your Grove kit that conveys a manifestation of climate change (e.g., fire, smog, ...) using a sensor and 1 or more actuators, without saying a word!. We will then guess which manifestation of climate change your demo is conveying! This assignment is Pass or Fail: you receive 5 pts if you pitch a working demo; you receive zero points if you fail to do so. If you miss the class for the pitch, then you make and submit a video to our shared folder. What to upload: a Word .doc with a link to a video (Vimeo or YouTube) of the working system, uploaded to our shared folder by 11:59pm on the due date shown on this webpage. Name your Word .doc [My Name]-Grove-Demo.doc.

• 10 points | IDEATION [Rubric] | Examples of better strategies 1, 2 from DEA 2730.
Upload 2 files to our shared folder for grading, by the due date above in SCHEDULE:

• A file with collected slides of your best example of each ideation strategy, 01-08. (See the upper-left of this webpage for the list of these). Collect these 8 ideation strategies together in one PowerPoint file (or pdf file, if you use an application other than PowerPoint to make slides). Name your file [My Name]-Ideation. Your last slide should be your animated GIF embedded into a slide (or, if you save your slides as a pdf, a representative still image from the GIF) and a link (URL) to the same gif upload as a video to Vimeo or YouTube. Advice: you miight add a "detail" slide to any ideation strategies where it is difficult to read its contents or where there are a lot of results. For instance, for the Cultural Probe and the Interview, add a slide that "zooms in" on the most exciting thing a participant offered you in completing a cultural probe or answering the interview question.

• A pdf file of your collected What did I learn? forms when these are assigned (as assigned above in our weekly schedule).

For IDEATION, we are looking for your capacity to:

1. use each method
2. present it in a captivating way (the way designers do), and
3. gain insights that advances your design (with evidence of your design changing).

Review the Rubric. A grade of "A" for this assignment means that your work is so accomplished that I will use it as an example for next year's class.

• 10 points | CONCEPT [Rubric] | Examples 1*, 2* (*requirements may be different)
Upload to our shared folder your Concept (for grading, worth 10pts; Grading Rubric) as PowerPoint slides or pdf pages (if you use an application other than PowerPoint to make slides). Upload your slide file as [your name]_CONCEPT.xxx, organized as follows:

Slide-1: a title slide with a name and logo for your prototype and a money shot.
Slide-2: your 09. Scenario in written text.
Slide-3: your 10. Role Play captured by video: provide URL link to Vimeo or YouTube.
Slide-4+: your 11. Survey (User Experience - UX) showing questions and results.
Last Slide: print ad for your concept, for WIRED magazine (size 8″ by 10- 7/8″). 

• 30 points | EXAM on key terms, names, numbers, and case studies from this course. Anything presented, discussed, assigned, and reviewed through the last class session prior to the the exam date may be examined. (NOTE: I do not share my lecture slides. If you miss a class, ask a classmate for notes.) For the exam, you will be provided a word bank (that includes, e.g., focus group) from which you select and enter the word that best completes the sentences (e.g., A _________is a kind of interview that that brings together a number of people in a room to provide feedback regarding a product). To answer this example, you would select from the word bank and enter focus group. If you need to make-up the exam due to an excused absence, the make-up exam will be an essay format, proctored by the TA, where you will be offered key terms, names, numbers, and case studies; you will be asked to define them, compare/contrast them, and/or provide a practical examples of them in a written narrative completed in the time offered students who took the exam as scheduled.

• 10 points | FINAL WORKING DEMO, presented during our final class sessions.
You will graded on the demonstration, in class, of your physical, interactive prototype with embedded, functioning Grove electronics. Show us something that works! Grading is simple: you earn...

• 10 points if you demo for us, in class, a substantially finished, physical prototype with a fully-functioning, interactive Grove system (i.e., at least one input and one output).
• 5 points if you demo for us, in class, a partly-finished, physical prototype or a partly-functioning Grove system.
• 0 points of you fail to present a physical prototype in class.

The demonstration of your working prototype will be the key component of your 3-minute pitch, delivered in class, aimed at "selling us" on your design, as if we were your clients or your investors. TIP: Speak more words than you show in slides. Slides should have very few words and figures.

To support your pitch, you will prepare and upload to our shared folder a pitch deck of no more than 5 slides that will help you present: [a] the problem you’re addressing; [b] how you're addressing it; [c] what the experience is; [d] why it's important; [e] why we want it - in 3 minutes! In preparing these slides, this webpage might be helpful. Upload your slide file as [your name]_presentation.pdf.

In the unlikely event you have an excused absence for the WORKING DEMO days, upload to our shared folder a Word doc. with a URL to a YouTube or Vimeo movie showing you giving this same presentation. Your Word .doc must be uploaded by the due date for final deliverables for this course(i.e., our Poster and Video) as set by the Cornell registrar (see date above). Given that you will have extra time to complete this assignment, the grading of your demo will be more rigorous to be fair to your peers that presented their demos in class more than two weeks earlier.

• 15 points | POSTER | Ex.s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• 15 points | VIDEO | see examples in the left column on this webpage
Example videos and posters may not satisfy all the requirements; closely follow Rubric, guide, and section below. To our shared folder, upload a folder with your name as follows: [yourname] - final poster and video and include in that folder four files named as follows:
(a) [My Name]-Poster.pdf <15MB
(b) [My Name]-Video.doc - simply the URL for your Vimeo or YouTube video
(c) [My Name]-Video.mp4 <30MB using Handbrake (free app to reduce file size.
(d) [My Name]-What_did_I_learn.pdf - a pdf containing a scan of all the forms you completed over the entire semster

M O R E   A B O U T   K E Y   D E L I V E R A B L E S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The POSTER [Rubric, guide], 30" wide x 40" high, communicating in a compelling way the iterative, human-centered design process for your development of an interactive artifact. You are not reporting on all ideation strategies and design research methods; only those that make the most cohesive, compelling reporting of your design process and final outcomes. Your poster will be named, [My Name]-Poster.pdf < 15MB.

The VIDEO [Rubric, guide] communicating s cohesive story of the designed artifact you produced, offering the societal problem, introducing your design, and answering why, for whom, and how your design was developed, including briefly key findings of your user studies. For the video, (a) upload a Word doc that simply has a URL link to your video posted to Vimeo or YouTube; and (b) upload to our shared folder an mp4 file reduced to < 30MB using, e.g., Handbrake, a free app that reduces video file sizes and changes the codec from, e.g., .mov to .mp4 (see my guide about this). Your two video uploads will be named My Name]-Video.doc that contains simply the URL for your Vimeo or YouTube video, and [My Name]-Video.mp4.

Notes on video making:
[1] If you do not have access to video editing software (e.g., iMovie), try Open Shop, a free video editing app for windows https://www.openshot.org/

[2] My guide follows requirements for a Video Showcase submission to the ACM conference, CHI (a benchmark for design research). If you believe you have a great video, consider submitting yours to CHI and, if accepted, attend the conference.

C O U R S E   P O L I C I E S - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

No exceptions but for the gravest circumstances, documented.

P1. Come to class. You might discover something.
Unlike a large lecture course, this course is not just about lectures but also:

• case study videos
• discussions of previous student examples
• critiques by the professor, TA, and student-peers of developing student work
• answers to student questions
• guest visits

When you miss a class, you miss these rich classroom experiences and fail to share your work and your voice to benefit yourself and your peers. Come to class, participate: you might be surprised to discover something important here. In design, we work together.

(If you need help with academic advising or mental health, please make use of the resources available on campus as described in this guide to Cornell Mental Health Resources.)

P2. Follow instructions for the assignments.
Follow instructions carefully for all assignments. Failure to abide by the instructions for any assignment will lower your grade for that assignment.

P3. Get the file format right.
Your submitted work must be submitted in the format stated on the course page for each assignment. Digital files and URLs (e.g., links to videos) must be accessible, without us requesting access-privileges. Google Docs are never acceptable. 3 points (of the 100 points total for the semester grade) will be deducted from each assignment that does not comply. Too many students lose points for failing to follow this simple instruction; if you fail to follow this simple instruction, you will be the next!

P4. Extensions will be granted, only for grave circumstances.
If you need an extension for any assignment, email both the instructor and the TA (if there is one) ahead of the due date and make a case for your extension, attaching evidence when available. Extensions may be granted for illness, injury, or family emergency requiring your travel. No extension will be granted because work is due for other classes, or because you are traveling for a non-emergency. Don’t even ask.

P5. If you want a high grade, surpass the quality of the best previous work.
The course page for this course offers student examples of “best work” from previous semesters. Your work will be evaluated relative to these “best work” examples when available. (And even these "best works" may not be A+ or even A but sometimes A-.) If you disagree with a grade for any work in this course, make a case for reconsideration in an email both to the instructor and the TA. Why does your work merit a better grade? Do not ask for reconsideration during, before, or after a class session; your request must be submitted in writing, by email. And if you ask for reconsideration of a grade, you grant the instructor, the TA, and other faculty members with appropriate expertise the permission to reconsider your grade, which may result in a better grade, no change of grade, or lowering of the grade.  

P6. No slides are shared.
No slides are shared for this course apart from those few slides linked from this course webpage. The exam is based on any content presented in-class and in the assigned readings and related materials found on this page. If you miss a class, ask a classmate for notes. (See Note under Course Organization above for more on this subject.)

P7. Make-up exams may be in any format the instructor chooses.
If you are absent from any exam for this course, the make-up exam may be in any format the instructor chooses (e.g., long or short essay form). The material examined is the same, and we expect no more or less from you, no matter the exam format.

U S I N G   G R O V E   &   A R D U I N O   C O D E - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

G E T T I N G   S T A R T E D
Follow my slides to install Arduino and the USB Driver on your computer, to begin working with Grove and Arduino coding, to fix common errors, and to use ChatGPT for solving coding and hardware issues and modifying and generating Arduino code.
• View this video on Grove and review the Grove Beginners Kit for Arduino Wiki.
• More in an article and a video on how to use ChatGPT to code Arduino for you!

A R D U I N O   C O D E    Y O U   C A N   C O P Y   &   P A S T E  
Paste these codes in Arduino! Change values in the code! Modify with ChatGPT!
• A Sound Sensor controls a single LED [code].           
• A Button controls a single LED and a Buzzer [code].
• A Potentiometer (i.e., Rotary Angle Sensor) controls a Servo Motor [code].
• An Ultrasonic Sensor controls a Servo Motor and an RGB LED Stick [code].
• A Gesture Sensor controls a Servo Motor and a single LED [code].
• A Light Sensor controls a Servo Motor and an RGB LED Stick; a Switch turns the whole system on/off [code].