CS 820 Spring 09 Begins

Greetings to CTU's CS 820 Spring 2009 class on Usability and Interaction!

You've heard of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition? No? Well, for those who are not fans of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, they are a humorous set of rules that offer bits of wisdom. I jotted down a few to guide our discussions early in the course.

Calongne's Rules
(for Usability and Interaction)

Rule 1: Uncertainty is not our friend.
(or the user's friend, for that matter!)

Rule 2: The "change your mind task" is the most commonly performed task. We should see a "change your mind" task in each usability test and final project.

Rule 3: Save time and number your discussion contributions. It is easier to tell when content is missing.

Rule 4: When in doubt, the general rule for every assignment is to "describe 3-5 of ...."

Exceptions include the number of user classes in your user profiles activity (2) and the number of pages required for your informal lessons learned paper (2-3).

Rule 5: We get very excited when a student makes a mistake or demonstrates a lack of understanding. It is an opportunity for learning. Points are not deducted until the activity is complete (or we grow tired and the course ends).

Rule 6: Learning comes first. It just looks like rule 6.

Rule 7: Check back for more rules! Don't hesitate to propose new rules. *grins*