Overview of the Undergraduate Major in Human-Computer Interaction

or

What Is My Daughter/Son Doing for a Second Major and Why?

Jason Hong(Temporary) Director of Undergrad HCI Program

Our lives are increasingly surrounded by and integrated with computation and communication

Healthcare

Finance

Commerce

Transportation

Information

Communication

Collaboration

Play

Housework

Interactions can be Successful

Interactions can also Fail

What is the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII)?

Our Department’s Mission• Understand and create technology that

harmonizes with and improves human capabilities, goals, and social environments through interdisciplinary research and education in design, computer science, and behavioral and social sciences

Human-Robot Interaction

CognitiveTutors

AssistiveTechnologies

HelpingFamilies

In-CarDisplays

Protecting PeopleFrom Online Scams

Leveraging Social Networksto Fight Global Warming

Programming asStorytelling

Human-Computer Interaction Major 

• HCI Institute formed 1995• HCI Undergraduate Major formed 1998

– 1st Inter-University Major – 2nd Major Only - 25 Students / Graduating Year– Average GPA ~ 3.5/4.0

• About 70 HCI Majors, 20 different majors, 6 colleges (until tomorrow!)– College of Fine Arts – Humanities & Soc. Sciences– School of Computer Science– Mellon College of Science– Carnegie Institute of Technology– Tepper School of Business

Our Educational Philosophy at HCII

Take excellent students with depth in one discipline relevant to HCI and give them the educational opportunity to “walk in the shoes” of the other disciplines relevant to HCI.

Make graduates leaders in industries where these technologies and applications are made and used

User-Centered DesignThe User is Not Like Me

Human FactorsCognitive PsychologyMotivationGroup behavior

ColorLayoutGraphic DesignInteraction Design

Interviews Surveys Experiments Think alouds Heuristic evaluation Focus groups Cognitive walk-throughs Statistical analysis

Flash, Director, Visual Basic, HTML, Databases, Java, C++, GUI toolkits, UI architectures

Curriculum

Intro toDesign

VisualInterfaceDesign

ResearchMethods

CognitivePsychology

InterfaceProgramming

2 Electives

Statistics

Methods

Intro toProgramming

Capstone Project Course

Capstone Project Course Goals

• Apply HCI skills on a large project• Work in interdisciplinary teams (3-4 people)• Work with clients

• Learn to write reports• Learn to give presentations

2008 Capstone Projects

• Digital Oral History Archives• Outpatient Mobile Information• PeopleFinder - Designing for Privacy• TheraPlay - Gaming Technology in

Health Care

Careers In HCI

• Undergraduates get good jobs & job offers

Degree Median salary offer

Bachelors, HCI $73,000

Computer $72,000

Psychology $40,000

Information Systems $58,600

Communication Design $32,000

Masters, HCI $83,000

This Year’s BHCI Graduates

Devin Blais * Lee Byron Christine Chang Jason Choi Stephanie Chu David Farkas Allison Gallant * Sam Hashemi * Jing Jin * Bonnie Lee Hannah Lee

Jared Luxenberg Anna Ly Gregory Peng Justin Rheinfrank * Nitasha Singh Scott Smith Jeffrey Thoene Emily Tong Matthew Williamson Sungjoon Won * Zhen Zeng *

* students in accelerated Master’s program

Congratulations!

Recent Job Opportunities(Since Feb 1, 2007)(from Usability Professionals' Association)

• Siemens Medical – User interaction designer• Marriott International – Senior user researcher• Digitas – Interaction designer• PayPal – User experience researcher• The KOHL Group – User interaction designer• Tec-Ed – User Experience Project Manager & Researcher • Insight Enterprises – Customer experience manager• College Center for Library Automation – Usability analyst• Google – User researcher• Lands End – User interface designer• Amazon – User interface designer• Electronic Arts – Interface designer• Travelocity – Information architect• Microsoft – Human factors/Interaction designer• Whirlpool – Voice user interface designer• GE Healthcare – User interface/graphic designer• Verizon – User experience manager

Companies Where B/MHCI Alumni Work• Accenture• Adobe• Aduna• Agitar Software• Allstate Insurance• Amazon.Com• Apple• Autodesk• Boeing• Brulant• Carnegie Mellon• Citadel Investment • Citrix Systems• Colorado State University• Cook Vascular • Corel• Doubleclick• The Wall Street Journal

Online• Duda Paine Architects• Electronic Arts

• Endeca Technologies• Friendfeed• Frog Design• General Dynamics• Google• Guidewire Software• Hewlett-Packard• Hillcrest Labs• Hindustan Times, New Delhi• Honeywell Labs• Humancentric• IBM• Intel• Johnson Controls• Keane Federal Systems, Inc.• Linden Lab• Linkedin• Logical Design Solutions• Microsoft• Motorola• NASA

• Oracle Corp• Pitney Bowes• Pixar• Qualcomm• Ricoh Americas • Sapient• Scholastic• Soar Technology• SRI International• T-Mobile • Tellme Networks• The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust• The University Of Pittsburgh• University Of Michigan• UPMC• Verizon• Wellspring Worldwide, A

Company I Co-Founded Before Hcii

• Yahoo!• Yahoo!• Zeta Associates• Zühlke Engineering

Plus ~15% have started their own companies