We develop the role of computing in human terms, as communication, through interaction. This is a foundational methods course.

Humans are positioned as fundamental in the context of digital systems. Initial investigations into practice establish needs and requirements; they continue into evaluation, which motivates design iterations and validates results. Programming methods for building actual systems are developed. Projects are conducted by individual students and teams. The human centered projects are programming intensive.

We learn to gather and analyze data to drive the conceptualization, design, and development of computing systems. We use computing to create new forms of human experience. We investigate social processes, games, creativity, and location- and context-aware systems. We engage in iterative design and prototyping processes, gathering and responding to human data. We learn visual media design, considering principles of color theory, space, and layering. We engage principles of information structure and visualization. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods inform design and provide validation.

We develop techniques for graphical user interface programming, including object-oriented approaches to information, animation, and games. We investigate multi-touch, information visualization,GPS, and location-aware applications. We create and evaluate interactive projects.