Skip to main content
CODE 83838
ACADEMIC YEAR 2018/2019
CREDITS
SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINARY SECTOR M-PSI/01
LANGUAGE Italian
TEACHING LOCATION
  • SAVONA
SEMESTER 1° Semester
MODULES Questo insegnamento è un modulo di:
TEACHING MATERIALS AULAWEB

OVERVIEW

The course in Cognitive Ergonomics is the first module of a combined course in Ergonomics of Interaction Design. Cognitive ergonomics investigates how human mind interacts with work tools and environments, and it defines the principles for an effective, efficient, safe, and satisfying interaction with technology. The course will provide the theoretical ground of the User Centered Design, in order to develop systems taking into account the nature of end-users’ mind processes.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing an updated survey about the theoretical and methodological underpinnings for a proper ergonomic design of the interaction between people and technology, according to the principles of the User Centered Design. Students will learn the basic principles of cognitive interaction with a digital system and they will be able to understand and perform an ergonomic evaluation of a system and an ergonomic design of an interactive device, knowing the salient steps, from the general definition f the project to the evaluation of usability and the user experience.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at providing students with a professional profile in ergonomic design of interactive digital systems.

The learning outcomes are concerning the capacity to:

  • understand the cognitive dynamics in using interactive devices;
  • perform a cognitive task analysis;
  • design a system according to the human cognitive nature;
  • design according to the principles of information visualization;
  • know the recent developments in affective computing and emotional interaction with technology

 

In particular, students will:

  • get proper knowledge about the main topics of cognitive ergonomics, and capacity to understand the main topics in the discipline (the main cognitive processes);
  • apply the knowledge and solve problems inherent the cognitive ergonomics;
  • autonomously use the knowledge about cognitive ergonomics, being able to evaluate the usability of a system;
  • acquire technical language of cognitive ergonomics in order to have a clear and effective communication with subject matter experts;
  • develop learning capacity to carry on studying autonomously the topics of cognitive ergonomics, most of all concerning future application to professional situations.

TEACHING METHODS

The course will be based on several teaching methods:

  • presentations: discussion of the main theoretical models in general cognitive ergonomics, based on slides and material available on Aulaweb
  • group activities: groups will analyse cases and have open discussions

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Cognitive processes

  • visual perception
  • attention
  • memory
  • thinking
  • decision making
  • workload
  • situatin awareness
  • SRK model

Human-automation interaction

  • out-of-the-loop sydrome
  • MABA-MABA
  • Complacency
  • Trust in automation

Emotions and technology

  • edutainment
  • emotional design
  • affective computing
  • lovemarks

User centered design

  • SHELL model
  • Affordances, constraints
  • Mental models and mapping
  • The 7 stages of action

Interaction design

  • basics and laws of interaction design
  • properties of a good design
  • interface design

Development of an interaction design process

  • knowledge elicitation
  • personae
  • scenarios and storybards
  • user case, wireframe

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • Gamberini Luciano, Chittaro Luca, Paternò Fabio, (2012). Human-Computer Interaction. I fondamenti dell’interazione fra persone e tecnologie, Pearson
  • Di Nocera Francesco (2004). Cos’è l’ergonomia cognitiva. Carocci
  • Handouts on Aulaweb

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

FABRIZIO BRACCO (President)

NICCOLO' CASIDDU (President)

MARIA MOROZZO DELLA ROCCA E DI BIANZE' (President)

CLAUDIA PORFIRIONE

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Friday 06 of October 2017, 9 am

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written test with open-ended questions. Students wanting to increase the grade of the written test may ask for an oral exam to be given during the following exam session.

 

Exam description

  • Written test (compulsory): 6 open-ended questions (range 0-5 points). The available time will be 90 minutes
  • Oral test (optional): analysis of a case concerning psychology and communication issues. The oral exam can be requested after the written test. The final grade will be the average of the two tests.

Attending the lessons, students could ground their study on Aulaweb handouts and the book mentioned in the program.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written test will provide an objective assessment and will evaluate students’ capacity in writing a coherent, sound, complete and clear discourse about psychological topics concerning cognitive ergonomics (as it will be further required for the dissertation and at the end of the stage).

The open-ended questions will require more than just a repetition of concepts, but rather a demonstration of linking models and theories, capacity to critically analyse the constructs, to have a global perspective over problems and mastery of the technical terminology.

The optional oral exam could increase the grade obtained in the written test, and the students will be required to demonstrate critical thinking about a case study or a problem in cognitive ergonomics.

Exam schedule

Data appello Orario Luogo Degree type Note
08/01/2019 09:00 SAVONA Scritto
14/01/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
14/01/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
14/01/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
28/01/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
28/01/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
28/01/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
29/01/2019 09:00 SAVONA Scritto
11/02/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
11/02/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
11/02/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
24/05/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
24/05/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
24/05/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
07/06/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
07/06/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
07/06/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
11/06/2019 09:00 SAVONA Scritto
21/06/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
21/06/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
21/06/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
12/07/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
12/07/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
12/07/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
17/07/2019 09:00 SAVONA Scritto
06/09/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
06/09/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
06/09/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto
12/09/2019 09:00 SAVONA Scritto
20/09/2019 09:00 GENOVA Orale
20/09/2019 09:00 GENOVA Registrazione
20/09/2019 09:00 GENOVA Scritto

FURTHER INFORMATION

Topics for dissertations

For experimental research dissertations, students are invited to provide an experimental plan to discuss during the meeting. The topics are:

  • Human-computer interaction
  • Information design
  • Interface design
  • cognitive psychology
  • cognitive ergonomics and human factors