Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is the study and design of the points where people and technology meet. It asks how interfaces should be shaped so that real users, with real goals, limits, and contexts, can accomplish what they came to do. In this topic you will build the shared vocabulary of the field: what HCI is, the core principles that guide good interaction design, how the user-centered design process works, and where HCI activities fit inside the software development lifecycle.
This matters here because the course project will be judged not only on whether your software runs, but on whether it is usable, understandable, and appropriate for the people you design it for. Before you install tools or write a project plan, you need mental models for terms you will use all semester: usability, user experience, accessibility, iteration, prototyping, and evaluation. Getting these distinctions straight early prevents the common mistake of treating interface design as decoration added at the end.
As you watch, look for three things. First, notice how each speaker defines interaction design or UX and compare the definitions rather than memorizing one. Second, track the activities named in the design process (understanding users, establishing requirements, designing alternatives, prototyping, evaluating) and think about which ones your team can realistically run on the course project. Third, collect the examples of good and bad design that are mentioned, and ask yourself what principle each example illustrates.
This lecture-style video introduces interaction design as a field and works through what distinguishes it from related disciplines, drawing on the standard Chapter 1 material of an HCI course. The description points to examples of bad design and to the classic Xerox PARC copier ethnography video, so expect concrete illustrations of why interfaces fail and why studying real users matters. It is the longest of the three videos and serves as the main conceptual foundation for the topic.
It maps directly onto the "What Is HCI?" and "Core HCI Principles" subtopics, and its chapter-based structure mirrors how foundational HCI textbooks present the field, which makes it a reliable starting point for shared vocabulary.
The follow-on chapter in the same series turns from definitions to process: how interaction design actually proceeds from understanding users through to evaluation. The description references the Design Council's Double Diamond and the Design Squiggle, two widely used models for portraying divergent and convergent thinking and the messy early stages of a design project. Expect an overview of the iterative cycle rather than a deep dive into any single method.
It is the clearest fit for the "User-Centered Design Process" and "HCI and the Software Development Lifecycle" subtopics, and the Double Diamond and Squiggle give you vocabulary for explaining your own project's iteration cycles.
A short, focused explainer from the Nielsen Norman Group that reframes how to describe UX. Its description notes that most quick definitions of UX are internally focused on the build process, suggesting this video argues instead for defining UX through user-centered design and the user's perspective. In under four minutes it offers a compact way to articulate what UX is to someone outside the field.
NNgroup is a long-standing authority on usability and UX research, and this video directly supports distinguishing user experience from the narrower mechanics of software production, which is exactly the distinction the course needs you to make.
Together the three videos cover the foundational ground of this module. The two chapter lectures supply the definitions, classic examples, and historical touchpoints of interaction design that support recalling foundational principles and milestones (MO1), while the NNgroup explainer sharpens the line between user experience and the internal build process, helping you separate usability, UX, and accessibility as distinct concepts (MO2). The process-focused chapter on the Double Diamond and iterative design gives you a concrete framework for scoping work and sequencing activities, which you will apply when drafting your team's initial project plan, platform choice, and role assignments (MO3).
These videos were chosen from YouTube on October 3, 2026. Each has captions; the player turns them on. Videos on YouTube can be changed or removed — if one no longer plays, tell your instructor. If a player does not appear, use its Watch on YouTube link.