Usability
Usability aims at designing products that are efficient, elegant, and suitable for user's tasks. Good usability is achieved through user centered design, in which the user takes part the whole design process. The importance of usability is on the increase, since a majority of users value a good user experience over novelty value when a new technology or product is introduced.
Usability studies are suitable for students who are interested in the interaction between human and technology. Minor studies provide a general multidisciplinary view of the design and development of successful interactive products. Major studies give a deeper understanding on how to combine the users' requirements in product development projects to the multitude of opportunities software systems have to offer.
Tampere University of Technology degree students may study usability as a major or minor. More information about the study modules can be found in the study guide.
All IHTE's courses and their prerequisites are presented in the picture below. Compulsory prerequisites are described with a continuous line and recommended prerequisites with a dash line. Courses that appear in gray are other courses organized by Department of Software Systems. Usability in Software Engineering Project -course (Kapro) is meant to be taken simultaneously with Software Engineering Project -course (OHJ-proj).
Click courses in the picture to go to their web pages.
TUT's usability courses in the academic year 2009-2010
Recommended study module combinations
The major study module in usability gives important skills and readiness to participate in various research and development projects. Recommended study module combinations with usability:
- Usability and Software Systems
- Usability and Industrial Management
- Usability and Business Information Management
- Usability and Signal Processing
- Usability and Personal Electronics