Professor Futrelle, College of Computer & Information Science
Northeastern University, Boston, MA
This page is published at http://tinyurl.com/is4300f10-MidtermComents
For your reference, the Midterm review is published here
http://tinyurl.com/is4300f10-MidtermReview
The Midterm exam itself is published here.
http://tinyurl.com/is4300f10-MidtermExam
All my comments on your answers are collected here. They will appear in your blue book in the form A, B, C, etc. for comments beyond the specifics of a particular question, or 1A, 1B, ..., 2A, ..., 3A, .... for comments specific to one of the three questions.
The symbols '+' or '-' next to a letter code is the indicator as to whether my comment is positive or negative. '+' means that you treated the topic properly. '-' means that you did not. ‘+-’ on the codes below means that my comments on that topic could be positive or they could be negative.
As mechanical as this comment system may seem, it allows me to give more lengthy and detailed comments than I could easily do if I had to write separate comments on each exam, often repeated from one student's exam to the next.
Paying attention to my comments on your midterm and studying all the comment items below can help you to put together an excellent semester project and writeup. If your Project organization and writeup is as casual and non-technical as (too) many of your Midterm answers were, it will markedly reduce your Project grade. HCI is a technical subject, not one properly described in everyday, non-technical language.
Content is King! We'll have some discussions of just what that phrase means - with examples(!) Saying that a questionnaire should be "well-designed" is saying nothing. (No one would ever suggest that a questionnaire should be "poorly designed"!) In this case, there are specifics you could (and should have) described, mentioning Wilson's article, that would put some meat on the bones of what is otherwise a hollow platitude. The best answer of this sort on the Midterm, by far, specifically mentioned the Goetz-LeCompte methods for observations, listing each component. The list appeared on the Chapter 7 slides I discussed in class and linked to on the Review.
A- When mentioning a Likert scale (note: capitalized) it would help for you to draw a simple example, so I could be sure you know how a Likert scale is designed. Ditto for a semantic differential scale.
B- Do not write single in single long unbroken paragraphs. Even the simplest outline (your other blue book) would help you break up your writing into logical sections.
C- Adding Some white space (blank lines) and even titled sections can help to create the best possible answers.
D+- Good to see references to papers you have read with a discussion of their content.
E+- In discussing usability, describing details of Carter's approach is good, avoiding distracting interactions, having a scribe, etc.
F+ Good use of technical concepts and terminology.
F- Overall, not as many technical terms and concepts are discussed as you should have.
G- (= D-) Mere mention of papers with no details is not helpful.
H+- If you use an acronym such as "PEI", it helps to say what it stands for ("Photo-Elicitation Interview").
I+- When suggesting designs, etc. important to try to add a few ideas of your own about what the design might include, or not include. Specific examples are best. Your grade is for suggesting things, not whether or not I agree with your suggestions.
K+ Analogies and metaphors are useful.
1A+ Good discussion of the appropriate content and layout of web pages of the site.
1B+- Mention Hearst's work on interactive search. Almost no one did.
(No question 2 specific comments)
An aside: The reservation activity at the Apple retail store continues after you arrive, with an employee logging you in via a PDA and a large flat-panel display that shows your name in a list in the order in which customers will be served at the Genius Bar.
3A+- The Park Street station is a central hub, with multiple Charlie Card machines. The Red Line and all Green Line trains connect there.
3B+- Interesting to suggest a PEI study for this work. But the scheduling problems for camera return and interviews may make such a study unworkable. You'd probably need to recruit them not on the spot, in the field, but through a social network.
3C+ A broad spectrum of interviewees (subjects) is a goal to strive for.