Graduate Programs

Student Learning Outcomes

Doctor of Philosophy in Informatics - Human Computer Interaction

Upon completion of the HCI PhD program, students will be able to:

  1. Identify and explain HCI domain knowledge in the areas of both basic and applied research with considerable depth, including:
    • HCI theory and usability terms, principles, and practices,
    • Problem space definition and conceptual models,
    • Social mechanisms used in communication,
    • User-centered approaches to interaction design,
    • User profiling and user needs and requirements,
    • Interface design principles and processes, as well as related areas of visual design and aesthetics,
    • Cognitive and information processing,
    • Product assessments related to a market analysis, as well as processes and life-cycles of interaction design, and
    • Product evaluation and testing methods, both qualitative and quantitative
  2. Identify and apply HCI principles and practices during product design and evaluate (development and usability testing) of interactive products, including the producing of interface designs and prototypes based on user and needs assessments and a user-centered approach to interaction design and the final analysis, evaluation, and usability testing methods to interactive products to validate design decisions.
  3. Identify and explain the broader HCI connections and associations among technology, theory, social analysis, and application domains to arrive at a set of questions in preparation for final research and dissertation, as well as the broader significance of their work within the context of past and current HCI research.