CSE 440 - Introduction to HCI - Autumn 2026

Course Overview

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to human-computer interaction and the design process. Students will learn methods and skills for designing and prototyping interactive systems. The course covers a design process from the initial formulation of a design problem to creation of digital prototypes. Importantly, the course does not emphasize development but instead fully focuses on design.

The course structure is a mix of lectures, hands-on activities, and design critiques by peers and course staff. The course is overwhelmingly organized around a group project, in which students:

  • Ideate and Propose Design Problems
  • Study Existing Practices and Challenges
  • Explore Potential Design Opportunities and Tradeoffs
  • Evaluate and Iterate Upon a Design
  • Communicate a Problem and Resulting Design

Learning Objectives

  • Process-Focused Perspective on Interaction Design
  • Design Research Methods and Skills
  • Task-Focused Scenario Development, Sketching, and Storyboarding
  • Rapid Prototyping and Iteration
  • Critical Perspective on Design Solutions

Course Staff

Katharina Reinecke

she/her

Leijie Wang

he/him

Jae Lee

he/him

Course Coordination

  • Contact

    Email course staff at <cse440-staff [at] cs.washington.edu>.

    Please do not email individual course staff. Course staff will try to respond to emails within 24 hours. If you have an urgent matter, please place “URGENT” in the subject line of the email. We cannot guarantee that we will respond immediately to urgent emails, but we will do our best.

  • Course Time & Location

    Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00-11:20, CSE2 Room G10.

    The Calendar will provide any non-standard times, locations, or staffing.

  • Section Times & Location

    • Session A: Fridays, 11:30-12:20, MGH Room 251.
    • Session B: Fridays, 1:30-2:20, MGH Room 287.

    The Calendar will provide any non-standard times, locations, or staffing.

  • Office Hours with TAs

    Autumn office-hour times and locations: . Scheduled office hours require that you email beforehand (i.e., at least one day beforehand). If nobody has emailed regarding an office hour, course staff will not be available.

  • Canvas

    Link TBD.

    Course information and material will primarily be provided on this website.

    Canvas will be used for submissions and for necessary limitation of access to course materials.

Assignments

The project is organized into five milestones, each grouping assignments around a stage of the design process. The assignments build on one another as you develop and refine your project. The project culminates in a poster, digital mockup, and project pitch.

Course assignments consist of:

Grading

The overall course grade will be computed as follows:

Each assignment will also provide a point breakdown intended to convey how it will be graded. Design is an inherently subjective practice, and grading necessarily involves judgment. The stated requirements establish expectations while leaving room for thoughtful and well-developed work.

We expect you to use feedback from course staff and peers to refine your designs throughout the project. Each assignment builds on earlier work, providing opportunities to act on feedback, revisit design decisions, and strengthen subsequent assignments and final deliverables.

We expect groups to take collective responsibility and to resolve any coordination issues. The course staff is always happy to make suggestions with regard to your effort and coordination. If an issue needs to be raised with the course staff, we expect it to be raised early enough to be addressed. If necessary, we reserve the ability to adjust an individual’s participation and assignment grades based on their demonstrated contribution.

Late Policy

We generally expect all assignments will be submitted according to the deadline in Canvas and the assignment description. This is a fast-paced course, with many elements of the project depending on prior elements. The course staff's ability to give feedback also relies on timely submissions (e.g., course staff will often review submissions soon after they are submitted to be ready for course activities).

If your group feels that you would really benefit from an extension, or if there is an emergency impacting your ability to submit an assignment, contact the course staff before the submission deadline.

We will do our best to be flexible and work with you so that your group stays on track. Extensions of a few hours can often be facilitated. Except in extreme circumstances, we will typically not be able to give an extension of more than 1 day.

Regrade Policy

Any request for grade clarification or a re-grade must be submitted via the course staff email list. Requests will only be considered within 7 days of the release of a grade.

Upon calculation of final grades, we will explicitly check for any particularly unfortunate effects of rounding (e.g., adjusting a pre-rounding final grade of 3.649 to instead give a 3.7). This is intended to provide peace of mind that final grades were not defined by any minor point deduction.

Participation and COVID-19 Safety

Our goal is for this course to provide an opportunity for learning without undermining wellness or safety. Active participation in activities is central to this course, and we all share responsibility for preserving safety of this learning environment. Please review and adhere to related policies, including UW COVID-19 Illness and Exposure Guidance.

Expectation of In-Person Participation

The course heavily emphasizes a group project and participation in associated in-class activities. In-person participation is expected for both lecture and section, is part of participation grading, and can also impact grading of your contribution to the group project.

Remote Participation and Recordings

There may be reasons you cannot or should not attend in-person (e.g., COVID exposure, COVID symptoms). In these circumstances, contact the course staff for permission to attend remotely. If you are unsure whether you should attend, please reach out and know that we will do our best to be accommodating. Our goal is to encourage and support you in decisions that preserve everybody's safety.

Students with permission may attend via the Zoom link provided in Canvas. A member of the course staff will also aim to monitor the Zoom chat for questions. If class splits into project group activities, the Zoom meeting will end and remote students should join their group via a video call with a member of their group.

Accommodations and University Policies

Additional university policies apply (e.g., regarding Academic Integrity, Conduct, Disability Resources, Face Coverings, Religious Accommodations):

https://registrar.washington.edu/curriculum/syllabus-guidelines/

Please do not hesitate to contact the course staff regarding these or any other accommodations. We are happy that you are here and want to support your engagement in this learning environment.