2 - Project Scoping and App Platform Selection — Topics & Learning Outcomes
Module Topics
Defining Project Scope in HCI Design
This topic introduces the concept of project scoping and explains why clear boundaries and objectives are essential before beginning any HCI design project.
- What Is Project Scope? — Project scope defines the boundaries of a design project, including what will and will not be addressed during the design process.
- Identifying Project Goals — Project goals articulate the intended outcomes of the design effort, providing direction for all subsequent design and development decisions.
- Defining Constraints — Constraints are the limitations — such as time, budget, technology, and team expertise — that shape what is feasible within the project.
- Scoping the Target User Audience — Understanding who will use the application is a foundational scoping decision that influences platform choice, feature prioritization, and design style.
- Writing a Formal Project Description — The formal project description is a structured document that captures the project's goals, constraints, target audience, chosen platform, and selected tools in one authoritative reference.
Overview of Target Application Platforms
This topic surveys the four primary platforms covered in this course — Android, iOS, Windows, and Web — and introduces additional platforms students should be aware of.
- The Four Primary Platforms — This course focuses on four main application platforms: Android mobile, iOS mobile, Windows desktop, and Web-based applications, each with distinct design paradigms and audiences.
- Beyond the Four: Additional Platforms — While this course centers on desktop, mobile, and web applications, HCI designers should be aware that interactive applications are also deployed on platforms such as wearables, voice assistants, smart TVs, and AR/VR environments.
- Platform Categories: Mobile, Desktop, and Web — The three broad categories of platforms — mobile, desktop, and web — each represent different user contexts, interaction models, and technical environments.
Android Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
This topic examines the Android platform's key features, design conventions, user audience, and the constraints designers must account for when targeting Android.
- Android Platform Overview — Android is an open-source mobile operating system developed by Google, running on a vast range of devices from numerous manufacturers worldwide.
- Android Design Conventions — Android applications follow Material Design principles, which emphasize tactile surfaces, motion, and adaptive layouts to create consistent and intuitive user experiences.
- Android Constraints and Considerations — Designing for Android requires awareness of device fragmentation, varied hardware capabilities, and permission-based access to device features.
iOS Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
This topic examines the iOS platform's design system, user audience characteristics, and the constraints inherent in Apple's more controlled ecosystem.
- iOS Platform Overview — iOS is Apple's mobile operating system, powering iPhone and iPad devices, and is known for its consistency, performance, and tightly controlled hardware-software integration.
- iOS Design Conventions — iOS applications follow Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, emphasizing clarity, deference to content, and depth through layering and translucency.
- iOS Constraints and Considerations — iOS development and distribution are tightly controlled by Apple, which introduces both quality assurances and constraints for designers and developers.
Windows Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
This topic covers the Windows desktop platform, its design system, typical use cases, and the unique constraints of designing for mouse, keyboard, and large-screen environments.
- Windows Platform Overview — Windows is the dominant desktop operating system for personal and enterprise computing, supporting complex, feature-rich applications designed for productivity and professional use.
- Windows Design Conventions — Windows applications follow Microsoft's Fluent Design System, which emphasizes light, depth, motion, material, and scale to create coherent and accessible desktop experiences.
- Windows Constraints and Considerations — Designing for Windows involves accounting for a wide range of hardware configurations, OS versions still in use, and the expectations of productivity-focused users.
Web Platform: Characteristics and Constraints
This topic explores the web as an application platform, covering its cross-device reach, design considerations, browser constraints, and suitability for different project types.
- Web Platform Overview — Web applications run in browsers and are accessible across virtually all devices and operating systems without requiring installation, making the web the most universally accessible platform.
- Web Design Conventions — Web application design is guided by established usability conventions, WCAG accessibility standards, and responsive design principles rather than a single platform's design system.
- Web Platform Constraints and Considerations — Web applications are constrained by browser compatibility, network dependency, security sandboxing, and the limitations of web APIs compared to native platform APIs.
Platform Selection: Criteria and Decision-Making
This topic provides a framework for evaluating and selecting the most appropriate platform for a given HCI project, based on audience, goals, and constraints.
- User Audience as a Primary Driver — The most important factor in platform selection is matching the platform to where the target users actually are and how they prefer to interact with technology.
- Platform Capability Alignment — The project's required features must align with what the chosen platform can support, including hardware access, performance requirements, and available APIs.
- Team Skills and Tool Availability — The practical skills of the project team and the availability of appropriate tools should factor into the platform decision, particularly within an academic project context.
- Documenting and Justifying the Platform Choice — The platform selection decision must be explicitly documented in the formal project description, including the rationale based on audience, capability, and team constraints.
Design and Development Tools by Platform
This topic surveys the appropriate design, prototyping, and development tools available for each platform, helping students select a suitable toolchain for their project.
- Design and Prototyping Tools — Regardless of platform, HCI projects typically begin with wireframing and prototyping tools that allow designers to explore and test ideas before committing to development.
- Android Development Tools — Android application development is primarily done using Android Studio, Google's official IDE, with Kotlin as the recommended programming language.
- iOS Development Tools — iOS applications are developed using Xcode, Apple's IDE, with Swift as the primary programming language, both of which require a macOS computer.
- Windows Development Tools — Windows applications are developed primarily using Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code, with languages and frameworks such as C#, WinUI 3, and .NET being the standard choices.
- Web Development Tools — Web application development uses browser-based and cross-platform tools, with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript forming the foundational technology stack.
- Cross-Platform Tools and Frameworks — Cross-platform frameworks allow a single codebase to target multiple platforms, which can be advantageous for teams with limited resources but introduces trade-offs in native experience quality.
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
MO1
Compare mobile, web, and desktop platforms based on HCI design constraints and target user needs
Level: AnalyzeType: CognitiveCourse mapping: CO3
MO2
Select an appropriate application platform and justify the decision against a defined set of project requirements
Level: EvaluateType: CognitiveCourse mapping: CO1
MO3
Formulate a project scope document that identifies objectives, constraints, and success criteria for the interface project
Level: CreateType: BehavioralCourse mapping: CO1
Course Outcomes (reference)
CO1Develop a computer interface to meet a set of requirements.
CO2Evaluate functionality and usability of a computer interface
CO3Identify and describe all issues associated with computer interfaces including ergonomic, psychological, cultural, and accessibility issues.