Columbia College Chicago 623 S. Wabash Fourth Floor
Academic Computing Department
COURSE # 35-2719
COURSE NAME Interface and Navigation
Day: Tuesday
Time: 3:30-6:20
Room number: 423
Name: Andrea Polli
Department # 312. 344. 7676 by appt.
Email: apolli@popmail.colum.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  In this project-based course, students apply the techniques of preproduction, research, planning, design, user testing, and design revision and integrate that information in a real world interactive media project. In production teams, students plan, organize, present, evaluate, and critique the work in progress throughout the semester.

PREREQUISITE: Programming for Interactive Multimedia and/or Programming for the Web

OBJECTIVES
Students will:

• Work in design teams in the production of an interactive media project
• Design flow charts and storyboards for interactive projects
• Map the flow of information in an interactive project
• Select images and sound clips for use in an interactive project
• Use image editing software to change, clean up, and perfect images for use in an interactive project
• Program special navigational devices for an interactive project

REQUIRED TEXTS:
title: Information Design
author: Robert Jacobson
edition: 1999
Additional readings and books: As provided by instructor

MATERIALS:
A sketchbook will be required
A  Zip disk and a print card are provided by the department after the add/drop period.
Additional print cards may be purchased.

GRADING POLICIES:
A professional attitude and approach toward all aspects of this course is expected. Specifically; class starts on time, and class attendance and participation are mandatory.  Un-excused absences and un-excused lateness will adversely effect your grade. Excused  and un-excused absences are at the discretion of the instructor. Please contact the instructor prior to class if you will be late or absent. The fourth absence- for any reason- constitutes a failing grade.  (Two late arrivals = 1 absence)  Assignments are expected on time ( late assignments will be graded down 1 grade per week late).  Adherence to the Student Code of Conduct listed on pages 12-13 of the Columbia College Student Handbook.

Grades are based on a system of personal growth within the following criteria; time and effort, interpretation of the assignment, aesthetics and technical expertise,  critique participation and  professional presentations.

 DISTRIBUTION OF GRADE TO 100%:
Midterm            30
Final Project     30
Participation       10
Assignments       30

GRADING SCALE
100 - 90 = A
90 - 80 = B
80 - 70 = C
70 - 60 = D
60 and below = F

This syllabus is subject to change

Several computer labs are available for student use outside of class.  Classrooms are located on the 4th floor of the 623 South Wabash Building and the 2nd Floor of the 600 S. Michigan Bldg

Lab hours are:
Monday-Thursday  9AM-10PM
Friday   9AM-7PM
Saturday   9AM-5PM

COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCE MATERIALS:

COMPUTERS AS THEATRE
Laurel, Brenda.

DYNAMICS IN DOCUMENT DESIGN
Shriver, Karen A.

THE ICON BOOK
Horton, William

ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION
Benjamin, Walter

SYMBOL SOURCEBOOK
Dreyfuss, Henry

THE COMPLETE TYPOGRAPHER
Perforct, Christopher and Jeremy Austen

ABOUT FACE
Cooper, Alan

HYPERTEXT
Landow, George P.

QUICKSTART GUIDE TO MACROMEDIA DIRECTOR
Persodsky, Andre

INSIDE DIRECTOR
Allis, Leo et. al.

DIRECTOR DEMYSTIFIED
Jason Roberts

COURSE OUTLINE
These are suggested topics and are subject to change

COURSE:       Interface and Navigation
WEEKS    TOPIC

February 13
1 Introduction to the Interactive Design Process

• Through reading, discussion, and on-line research, students will gain an understanding of the basic design principles of interaction design.
• Prepare and discuss information design project with Free Street Theatre.
• Review/introduction to Macromedia Director

February 20
2 Client meeting

• Students will meet with teen authors and actors in 'CoTingle' and view video of performance.
• Discussion of collaborative design project/division of script translation

• Exercise 1: Create storyboard for Co-Tingle script section with teens

• Homework 1: Exercise in the relationship of time in navigational structures:  Subdivisions of time (years, days, hours, minutes) can be seen as similar  to subdivisions of urban spaces (miles, blocks, feet).  For this assignment, you will define temporal space by recording in your sketchbook 20 events (physical or thought events) that occur during specified blocks of time.

• Reading: Visualization for Thinking, Planning, and Problem Solving in Information Design

February 27
3 Collaborative Meeting/Designing

• Students will work with teen authors in development of 'CoTingle' information design
• Focus will be on the clear communication of the ideas in the performance

• Homework 2: Exercise in spatial navigation  Navigating contemporary urban spaces, although we do it every day, is a complex task that requires many levels of awareness.  For this assignment, you will break down your experience of navigation by taking a trip to a place that you HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE.

March 6
4 Collaborative Meeting/Designing

• Students will continue to work on 'CoTingle' Information Design
• Focus on design unity
• Discussion: Interface Metaphors/ Stylistic unity: Students will gain an understanding of the method used to structure many effective interactive designs, the interface metaphor.

• Homework 3: Finalized Co-Tingle designs due in 2 weeks

• Reading: Designing for Technologies of Information in Information Design

March 13
5 Navigational Structure: How to  break down content in interactive design and begin developing a navigational structure.

• Exercise 2 (internal navigation) When many of us consider how our thought process, we tend to think that it is a linear progression, but what if we were to consider a non-linear 2-dimensional map of our personal thought process.  How would this take shape or form, or would it be a complex, formless structure?  For this assignment, you will draw a detailed map of your thought process.

• Homework 3: Preparing animations for meeting with Free Street Teens

• Reading: Interactivity and Meaning in Information Design

March 20
6 Collaborative Meeting/Designing

• Final revisions and updates for CoTingle Animations

• Homework 4: Final revisions due in 2 weeks

• Reading: Structural Ambiguity: An Emerging Interactive Aesthetic in Information Design

March 27
7 Symbology: Buttons and other controls
 

• Exercise 3: First Interactive Project (Text Based) For this project, you will create a simple navigation using text only

• Homework 4: Prepare animations for final meeting with Free Street Teens

April 17
9 Prototyping: How to create/present models on the computer. Using special navigational devices.
 

• Homework 5: Representative Imagery  For this project, you will use a series of images as representative of discrete moments in one of your interactive narratives.

• Reading: Chaos, Order, and Sense making: A Proposed Theory for Information Design in Information DesignExercise 6: Interactive Project Part 2 (Special interactive devices) For this project, you will create a add to your first project with one or more special interactive and  navigational devices in Director using text and/or imagery.

April 24
10 Exercise 4: Flow Chart/Storyboard  For this project, you will present a design for a navigational scheme that will encompasses all of our projects so far.  You will present this work in TEAMS.

• Reading: Human-Centered Design in Information Design

May 1
11 Design testing and Revision: Continued work on exercise 4 with special emphasis on user testing and revision

• Reading: The Uniqueness of Individual Perception in Information Design

May 8
12 Design testing and Revision: Continued work on Exercise 4 with special emphasis on user testing and revision

• Reading: Collaborative Information Design in Information Design

May 15
13 Work on Final Project

May 22
14 Final Project Critiques

May 29
15 Final Project Critiques