A slide deck covering the full module on project scoping and app platform selection, introducing concepts such as defining scope, platform overviews, and tool selection; used by instructors as a lecture presentation or by learners as a study reference.
Topics
This module covers 8 topics. Open a topic to see its subtopics.
- Defining Project Scope in HCI Design
- Overview of Target Application Platforms
- Android Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
- iOS Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
- Windows Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
- Web Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
- Platform Selection: Criteria and Decision-Making
- Design and Development Tools by Platform
Module Content
38 items.
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The full combined module reading that walks learners through scoping an HCI project and then comparing target application platforms, serving as the single continuous text for the whole module.
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A lesson explaining what project scope means in HCI, why boundaries and objectives must be set before wireframing or coding, and how scope decisions shape the user-system relationship; used as the module's opening reading.
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An introductory lesson on target application platforms, arguing that where software runs is the most consequential early design constraint and surveying the main platform categories learners will compare.
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A lesson on Android as a design target, covering device and screen fragmentation, OS version spread, manufacturer customisations and the user expectations designers inherit when choosing the platform.
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A lesson on iOS, presenting it as a tightly coupled system of hardware, software and design conventions across iPhone, iPad and related Apple platforms, and the constraints this places on interface design.
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A lesson on the Windows desktop, examining its huge heterogeneous installed base, wide range of hardware and screen sizes, and the distinctive interface design problems this creates.
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A lesson on the web as an application platform, explaining how URL-based reach and browser rendering (versus store packaging and installation) shape interface design decisions and constraints.
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A decision-focused lesson that lays out the criteria — users, tasks, reach, resources and technical needs — for choosing which platform an interface should live on before design begins.
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A lesson surveying the design, prototyping, coding, debugging and testing toolchains associated with each platform, and how tool choices encode assumptions that affect the resulting interface.
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A reading-view copy of the project scope lesson, presenting the same material on defining what a project is and is not for learners working through the module page by page.
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A reading-view copy of the platform overview lesson, reiterating how the choice of where software runs constrains all later interface design decisions.
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A reading-view copy of the Android lesson, covering ecosystem fragmentation, OS versions, manufacturer layers and the resulting design constraints.
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A reading-view copy of the iOS lesson, describing Apple's integrated hardware, software and design-language system and what it demands of interface designers.
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A reading-view copy of the Windows lesson, detailing the platform's broad hardware range and diverse installed base as design challenges.
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A reading-view copy of the web platform lesson, focusing on universal reach, browser variability and the absence of an install step.
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A reading-view copy of the platform selection lesson, guiding learners through the criteria and trade-offs behind committing a project to a particular platform.
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A reading-view copy of the tools lesson, mapping design and development toolchains to each platform and explaining how toolchain choice influences the final product.
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A reading that explains what project scope means in HCI work — defining goals, users, constraints such as time, budget, team skills and device capabilities, and the boundaries of what will and will not be built — which learners use to frame their own course project before design begins.
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An overview reading surveying the four primary target platforms used in the course (Android, iOS, Windows, and Web) plus additional contexts like macOS, Linux, wearables, smart TVs, automotive displays, and kiosk systems, used by learners to understand the range of environments an interface might live in.
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A platform profile describing Android's defining design realities — fragmentation across thousands of devices, varied screen sizes and densities, OS version spread, manufacturer skins, and broad user demographics — that learners consult when assessing Android as a target for their project.
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A platform profile covering iOS design philosophy and rules, including Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, consistent system controls, typography, and navigation patterns, and the App Store review process, used by learners to weigh the trade-offs of designing for iOS.
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A platform profile on the Windows desktop, explaining how large screens, mouse and keyboard input, overlapping windows, and long working sessions shape interface decisions for business, education, and engineering applications.
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A platform profile on web applications, describing browser-based reach across laptops, tablets, phones and kiosks with no installation, alongside trade-offs such as inherited browser capabilities and limits, used by learners evaluating the web as a delivery platform.
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A decision-making reading that lays out criteria for choosing a platform — screen size, input method, interaction patterns, offline behavior, accessibility, and distribution — and walks learners through a structured approach to justifying their own platform choice.
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A practical guide to the expected toolchain for each platform, spanning design and prototyping software, IDEs, UI frameworks, and testing tools, which learners use to select what they will actually build their project with.
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A compiled single-page version of the full module, concatenating all topic readings from project scoping through platform profiles, selection criteria, and tooling, useful for reading or reviewing the entire module's content in one place.
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A reading that explains how to establish project scope in HCI design by defining goals, boundaries, constraints, and target users before any design work begins; used by learners to understand why and how scope shapes all subsequent design decisions.
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A reading surveying the four major application platforms (Android, iOS, Windows, and web), explaining how platform choice fundamentally influences design and development decisions; used by learners to orient themselves to the platform landscape before diving into platform-specific details.
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A reading detailing Android's design characteristics, constraints, device fragmentation, and UI conventions that designers and developers must account for; used by learners to understand the unique challenges and considerations when targeting the Android platform.
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A reading detailing iOS's tightly controlled hardware-software ecosystem, Apple's design conventions, App Store constraints, and expectations designers must meet; used by learners to understand the specific requirements and conventions governing iOS app design.
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A reading covering Windows as a desktop platform, including its dominant installed base, UI conventions, input models, and constraints relevant to software designers and developers; used by learners to understand what targeting Windows entails for HCI design.
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A reading explaining the web as an application platform, covering browser-based delivery, cross-platform reach, accessibility considerations, and the technical and design constraints unique to web applications; used by learners to understand web-specific HCI design challenges.
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A reading presenting the criteria and decision-making framework for selecting an application platform, covering factors such as audience, technical feasibility, cost, and team capability; used by learners to evaluate and justify platform choices in their own projects.
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A reading cataloguing the wireframing, prototyping, visual design, coding, and debugging tools available for each major platform, explaining how toolchain choices affect workflow and platform alignment; used by learners to identify appropriate tools for their chosen platform.
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A duplicate reading identical to artifact 9, cataloguing design and development tools by platform including wireframing, prototyping, and coding tools; used by learners to identify and compare appropriate toolchains for their target platform.
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A detailed markdown assignment sheet guiding student groups through creating a formal project scope document that defines measurable goals, target users, platform justification, and design constraints, serving as the first installment of a semester-long group project series.
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An HTML assignment brief directing student teams to collaboratively define their app project scope and select a target platform, outlining submission requirements, estimated effort, and group coordination expectations as the first entry in the ongoing group project series.