Usability:
Information Architecture and the User Experience

X59.9207/non-credit
Fall, 2002
Wednesday, 6:20 pm – 8:20 pm, Sep 18 – Nov 6 (8 sessions)
Washington Square

Faculty
Matt Ferranto: mattferranto@spareroom.org
Katie Reifman: reifman@ix.netcom.com
Matt Slaybaugh: ms171@nyu.edu

Course Introduction
Now that the hype is (mostly) over and the Web is part of our everyday lives, the concern with Web publishing is no longer just an issue of translating existing print content to the Web - as quickly as possible. We now have to be aware of the “user experience” and how our presentation of content compares with competing Web sites. Web usability refers to the ease of use of Web sites – how easily users can find the information they seek.

Objectives
Students will read texts from usability experts such as Jakob Nielsen and Steve Krug, and discuss online usability issues in class. Topics include issues of speed versus presentation, navigation, layout, user testing and log analysis, writing for the Web. Students will leave the class with a better understanding of how to evaluate and improve the usability of online publications.

Assignments
Each week, students will perform simple usability tests on various Web publications, focusing on the specific topics covered in class. The final project will be to conduct a more comprehensive usability study, incorporating all of the ideas covered during the semester.

Texts
The reading assignments of this course will primarily include online readings from current Web publications. Additional readings will be assigned each class.
Suggested Texts:
Steve Krug: Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability Jakob Nielsen: Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity

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Usability: Information Architecture and the User Experience

Usability:
Information Architecture and the User Experience