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How to use this book ix

HC6 Graphical User-Interface Programming (touched upon only in Chap-
ters 7-9 and on the website).
HC7 HCI Aspects of Multimedia Information Systems and the web (inte-
grated into the discussion of Chapters 1-5, and in examples throughout the
text, and on the website).
HC8 HCI Aspects of Group Collaboration and Communication Technology
(discussed in 1-5, particularly in Chapter 4. Chapters 6-15 discuss design and
evaluation and some examples cover these systems, as does the website.)

Suggestions for information systems students

Information systems students will benefit from reading the whole text, but instructors
may want to find additional examples of their own to illustrate how issues apply to
business applications. Some students may be tempted to skip Chapters 3-5 but we rec-
ommend that they should read these chapters since they provide important founda-
tional material. This book does not cover how to develop business cases or marketing.

Suggestions for psychology and cognitive science students

Chapters 3-5 cover how theory and research findings have been applied to interac-
tion design. They discuss the relevant issues and provide a wide range of studies
and systems that have been informed by cognitive, social, and affective issues.
Chapters 1 and 2 also cover important conceptual knowledge, necessary for having
a good grounding in interaction design.

Practitioner and short course route
Many people want the equivalent of a short intensive 2-5 day course. The best
route for them is to read Chapters 1,6,10 and 11 and dip into the rest of the book
for reference. For those who want practical skills, we recommend Chapter 8.

Plan your own path
For people who do not want to follow the "beginning-to-end" approach or the sug-
gestions above, there are many ways to use the text. Chapters 1,6,10 and 11 provide
a good overview of the topic. Chapter 1 is an introduction to key issues in the disci-
pline and Chapters 6 and 10 offer introductions to design and evaluation. Then go
to Chapters 2-5 for user issues, then on to the other design chapters, 2-9, dipping
into the evaluation chapters 10-14 and the case studies in 15. Another approach is to
start with one or two of the evaluation chapters after first reading Chapters 1, 6, 10
and 11, then move into the design section, drawing on Chapters 2-5 as necessary.

Web designer route

Web designers who have a background in technology and want to learn how to de-
sign usable and effective websites are advised to read Chapters 1, 7, 8, 13 and 14.