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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for

To see the detailed Instructor Class Description, click on the underlined instructor name following the course description.

HCDE 100 Introduction to Human Centered Design and Engineering (5)
Topics may include: virtual communities, human-computer interaction, web design, usability testing, visual design, and others. Explores course content through individual and group hands-on projects. Offered: A.

HCDE 231 Introduction to Technical Writing (3)
Reviews the fundamentals of writing, designing, and conveying technical information to various audiences. Using a process-centered approach, explores technical communication conventions such as organization, style, tone, illustration, and layout focusing on audience, purpose, and use to design and construct a variety of documents for academic and professional settings. Required of all engineering majors. Prerequisite: either C LIT 240, both ENGL 109 and ENGL 110, ENGL 111, ENGL 121, ENGL 131, ENGL 182, ENGL 197, ENGL 198, ENGL 199, or ENGL 281. Offered: AWSpS.
Instructor Course Description: Kathryn A Mobrand

HCDE 310 Communication Design and Rationale (5)
Examines functions of, and relationships among, major software tools in the context of common human centered design problems. Students practice explaining and justifying design solutions in terms of key features and user characteristics. Offered: A.

HCDE 333 Advanced Technical Writing and Oral Presentation (4)
Emphasizes the principles of written and oral communication for the engineering workplace. Designs solutions to professional communication problems: technical reports, proposals, correspondence, resumes, and oral presentations. Focuses on needs assessment and designing solutions that call for effective selection and integration of verbal and visual components. For engineering majors. Prerequisite: HCDE 231. Offered: AWSpS.
Instructor Course Description: Kathryn A Mobrand

HCDE 400 Foundations of Human Centered Design and Engineering (5)
Examines principles and practices of human centered design and engineering. Includes overview of conceptual problems in human centered design and engineering, issues related to communicating scientific and technical information to a variety of audiences, and human centered design approaches. Includes attention to social contexts and environments (legal, ethical, cultural).. Prerequisite: HCDE 231. Offered: A.

HCDE 401 Style in Scientific and Technical Writing (5)
Grammatical structures and stylistic strategies within specific professional contexts. Achieving clarity and conciseness through word choice and placement, using a variety of sentence structures for appropriate emphasis, handling details, establishing effective tone. Prerequisite: HCDE 231. Offered: A.

HCDE 402 Scientific and Technical Editing (5)
Editorial responsibilities and practice in the communication of scientific and technical information; the editor's role both as editor and as supervisor of publication groups. Addresses managing collaborative teams and basic XML concepts and metadata. Prerequisite: HCDE 400 with a minimum grade of 3.0; HCDE 401 with a minimum grade of 3.0. Offered: W.

HCDE 403 Project Management (3)
Responsibilities and practice in managing publication projects in scientific and technical organizations. Project design, coordination, production, and evaluation, including planning, organizing, staffing, and directing. Required of human centered design and engineering majors. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 407 Software User Assistance (5)
Concepts, skills, and industry practices for designing the full spectrum of information resources that users need to master complex interfaces. Includes interface text, embedded and standard help, manuals, wizards, tutorials, SDK documentations and troubleshooting (Knowledge Base) content, and the role of social media and user-generated content. Prerequisite: HCDE 310. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 408 Public Documents: Proposals, EISs, Assessments (3)
Analyzing special documents of public character: proposals, EISs, questionnaires, technology assessments. Understanding socio-political milieu in which they are planned, organized, written; the specialized audiences (e.g., agencies with their missions, guidelines, constituencies; citizen groups; commercial interests) they serve. Documents, the decision-making process. Offered: odd years; Sp.

HCDE 411 Visual Communication (5) I&S/VLPA
Use of information graphics and visuals in print and electronic communication. Topics include vision, perception, color, cognitive and aesthetic design principles, and graphics comprehension. Offered: W.

HCDE 412 Print Production (5) s
Introduction to print production for technical communicators. Topics include digital pre-press, printing, binding, and finishing. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 415 Production Editing (4)
The editorial role in the preparation of text and visual materials for production. The editor's responsibilities and prerogatives as they relate to those of other professionals in the production phase of the publications field.

HCDE 417 Usability Research Techniques (5)
Introduces usability research methods used in the product-development process; contextual inquiry, surveys and interviews, focus groups, user profiling, usability testing, cognitive walkthroughs, heuristics, and others. Prerequisite: HCDE 310. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 418 User Experience Design (5)
Provides a project-based introduction to the user interface design process and is oriented toward practical methods for approaching a design problem. Focuses on developing conceptual designs based on user need. Prerequisite: HCDE 310. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 419 Concepts in Human-Computer Interaction (5)
Studies the social, cognitive, behavioral and contextual aspects of information systems and informational dimensions of the human-computer interface, and other user-centered design concepts. Surveys research literature of human information behavior, as well as ethical standards. Prerequisite: HCDE 310. Offered: W.

HCDE 421 Intro to Technical Communication (3)
Examines principles and practices of writing in order to communicate scientific and technical information to a variety of readers. Participants learn to write for the expert, general scientific and technical reader, manager and general public.

HCDE 422 Style in Technical Writing (3)
Grammatical structures and stylistic strategies. Achieving clarity and conciseness through word choice and placement, using a variety of sentence structures for appropriate emphasis, handling details, establishing effective tone.

HCDE 423 Introduction to Technical Editing (3)
Explores editorial responsibilities and practice in the communication of scientific and technical information including the editor's role both as editor and as supervisor of publication groups

HCDE 424 The Computer in Technical Communication (4)
Introduces a variety of programs and technologies that are typically used in developing web sites, online and print graphics, online help, and complex documents. Examines functions of, and relationships among, computer applications, systems software, and computer hardware in technical publications and communication

HCDE 426 Introduction to Software User Assistance (3)
Concepts, skills, and industry practices for designing the full spectrum of information resources that users need to master complex interfaces. Includes interface text, embedded and standard help, manuals, wizards, tutorials, SDK documentations and troubleshooting (Knowledge Base) content, and the role of social media and user-generated content. Prerequisite: HCDE 310

HCDE 427 Production Editing (4)
Covers both the editorial role in the preparation of text and visual materials for production, and editors' responsibilities and prerogatives as they relate to those of other professionals in the production phase. Emphasizes typesetting, layout, printing, binding, and distribution

HCDE 435 Introduction to Content Management (3)
Principles and practices of building, managing. and using content management systems in the workplace. Examines both the intricacies of collaborative workflow technologies and the organizational contexts that surround them.

HCDE 436 Design and Authoring of CAI (3)
Introduction to the design of computer-assisted-instructional programs. Types of learning, characteristics of effective instruction. Students design and produce CAI programs using authoring systems for computers. Offered: jointly with EDC&I 436; A.

HCDE 437 Web Design and Web Publishing (5) I&S/VLPA
Design principles and skills including navigation, functional design, visual design, and content development. Includes the ongoing process of Web publishing. Addresses societal issues pertaining to the Web and Internet. Students build a website and plan for ongoing Web publishing. Prerequisite: HCDE 310. Offered: W.

HCDE 438 Web Technologies (5)
Markup languages and styles, JavaScript, Flash, Photoshop, and the fundamentals of digital sound and video. Includes an introduction to server-side technologies. Students expand their existing design skills to encompass the use of these Web technologies. Prerequisite: HCDE 310; HCDE 437. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 455 User Interface Design (4)
Design oriented to cover fundamentals of user interface design; models on human computer interaction, software psychology, input devices, usability, cognitive and perceptual aspects of human-computer interaction, advanced interface, and research methodologies are discussed. Offered: jointly with IND E 455; A.

HCDE 461 Japanese for Technical and Business Professions I (5) VLPA Kato
Strengthens knowledge of grammar and vocabulary and applies this to basic technical business communication situations. Covers cultural concepts underlying these situations. Reviews authentic materials on technology-related topics. Teaches skills to analyze sentence structure for accurate interpretation. Lab work required. Placement test before admission. Offered: A.

HCDE 462 Japanese for Technical and Business Professions II (5) VLPA Kato
Covers the functional/situational conversation skills necessary in technical and business communication situations, plus the cultural concepts underlying these situations. Reviews skills (such as prediction) for more effective reading and improves skills for analyzing complex sentence structure. Additional grammar, vocabulary, and kanji are introduced. Lab work required. Prerequisite: HCDE 461. Offered: W.

HCDE 463 Japanese for Technical and Business Professions III (5) VLPA Kato
Covers the functional/situational conversation skills necessary in technical and business communication situations, plus the cultural concepts underlying these situations. Further improves skills introduced in previous courses and reviews skills for understanding inter-sentence structure. Additional grammar, vocabulary, and kanji introduced. Lab work required. Prerequisite: HCDE 462. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 493 Senior Study (5)
Integration of knowledge and skills acquired during major program into one paper or project. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 495 Professional Practice (3-10, max. 10)
Supervised internship in a publications organization approved by the faculty adviser. A minimum of one internship is required of students majoring in Human Centered Design and Engineering. Credit/no credit only. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 496 Directed Research in Human Centered Design and Engineering (1-5, max. 10)
Students, working in teams under the supervision of individual faculty members, review relevant literature, pose research questions, design and conduct studies, and present the results in papers prepared either for submission to a professional journal or for presentation at a professional conference. Credit/no credit only. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 497 Study Abroad: Human Centered Design and Engineering (3-5, max. 15)
Upper-division human centered design and engineering courses, for which there are no direct University of Washington equivalents, taken through the Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering's Study Abroad Program. Offered: S.

HCDE 498 Special Topics (1-5, max. 15)
Special topics in human centered design and engineering to be offered occasionally by permanent or visiting faculty members.

HCDE 499 Special Projects (1-5, max. 10)
Individual undergraduate projects in human centered design and engineering. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 501 Theoretical Foundations of Human Centered Design and Engineering (4)
Examination of the theories that inform work in human centered design and engineering, focusing particularly on communication and interaction design theories. Topics include the complexities of communication as it is configured in different theoretical frameworks, the implications of these different configurations, and why these differences matter to people engaged in professional practice or research. Prerequisite: admission to an engineering master's program or permission of instructor. Offered: A.

HCDE 502 Empirical Traditions in Human Centered Design and Engineering (4)
Introduction to empirical traditions that inform research and practice in field of human centered design and engineering. Topics include epistemological assumptions underlying empirical research, empirical methods, and survey of results of empirical research on effects of text and visual media on comprehension, recall, and performance. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of instructor. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 505 Computer-Assisted Communication (4)
Explores computer-assisted communication from three perspectives: (1) cultural roles of communication technologies; (2) relationships between communication and information including information technologies in the workplace, academe, and other settings; and (3) application to design including models for audience analysis, task analysis, and cognitive systems engineering. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of instructor. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 509 Writing the Scientific Article (3)
Examination of principles and practice of writing research manuscripts, articles, abstracts, and oral presentations. Detailed examination of scientific publication process includes issues of style, organization, and ethics. Students draft, critique, and revise their own manuscripts and learn to review the manuscripts of others. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 510 Information Design (4)
Examination of the design principles and procedures underlying the creation of both print and electronic information presentations. Topics include: print vs. electronic media, designing for the page and screen, information topologies, and hypermedia. Seminar includes a design project. Prerequisite: HCDE 501 or permission of instructor. Offered: A.

HCDE 511 Visual Communication (5)
Use of graphics and visuals in print and electronic communication. Topics include vision, perception, semiotics, color, cognitive and aesthetic design principles, and graphics comprehension. Offered: W.

HCDE 512 Localization in Human Centered Design and Engineering (4)
Examines theory, research, and practice in the internationalization and localization of paper and electronic documents. Topics include cultural models and schemata, contrastive rhetoric, controlled languages, translation, visuals, and usability testing. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of instructor. Offered: W.

HCDE 515 Ecological Information Systems (4)
Introduction to cognitive work analysis framework. Prepares for active role in design and evaluation of information systems. Familiarization with basic concepts of cognitive systems engineering and practice in field study, data analysis, and transforming field findings into requirements for the design of an information system. Offered: jointly with LIS 515.

HCDE 516 Experimental Research Methods (4)
Introduction to experimental research methods in human centered design and engineering. Examines the relationship between theory and research, hypothesis testing, experimental designs, modes of observation, sampling, validity, and data analysis and interpretation. Prerequisite: introductory statistics course. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 517 Usability Testing (4)
Discusses the human-computer interface (HCI) as the communicative aspect of a computer system. Analyzes usability issues in HCI design, explores design-phase methods of predictability, and introduces evaluative methods of usability testing. Prerequisite: substantial experience with computers and graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Offered: A.

HCDE 518 User-Centered Design (4)
Explores the user-centered design paradigm from a broad perspective, emphasizing how user research and prototype assessmenHCDEan be integrated into different phases of the design process. Students learn to think like a user-centered designer and carry out activities that are key to user-centered design. Offered: jointly with IND E 545; W.

HCDE 520 Design and Management of Complex Information and Communication Systems (4)
Emphasizes the role and function of communication as a key to understanding organizational frameworks and managerial practices. Traditional and innovative approaches to viewing and managing information and communication. Roles, responsibilities, impact of technology. Offered: W.

HCDE 521 Seminar: Current Issues in Human Centered Design and Engineering (1-2, max. 3)
Presentations on current issues in human centered design and engineering. Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: HCDE graduate student status or permission of instructor. Offered: AW.

HCDE 523 Seminar: Issues in Human Centered Design and Engineering Scholarship and Professional Activity (1, max. 3)
Exploration of advanced issues in human centered design and engineering scholarship and practice. Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: HCDE PhD student status or permission of instructor. Offered: AWSp.

HCDE 537 User-Centered Web Design (5)
Theory and practice of the user-centered web development process. Principles and processes for documenting and implementing various development stages, including requirements analysis, user needs analysis, information architecture, prototyping, mockups, and production.

HCDE 561 Advanced Japanese for Technical and Business Professions 1 (4) Tsutsui
Focuses on reading skills (e.g., vocabulary, phrases, grasping main ideas and paragraph structure) and familiarizes students with Japanese web sites and web reading tools. Students also develop the skills necessary for giving oral reports on technical/business articles. Teaches skills for writing summaries. Prerequisite: HCDE 463. Offered: A.

HCDE 562 Advanced Japanese for Technical and Business Professions 2 (4) Tsutsui
Further develops reading skills. Students read more extensively, expand their technical/business vocabulary, and improve skills for grasping main ideas quickly. Students also improve oral skills for report giving and discussion and writing skills for emails and summaries. Lab work is required. Prerequisite: HCDE 561. Offered: W.

HCDE 563 Advanced Japanese for Technical and Business Professions 3 (4) Tsutsui
Integrates the reading, oral, and writing skills acquired through the first-year and second-year technical/business Japanese sequences. Students work on research projects, give formal presentations, and submit project reports. Substantial individual readings are involved as well as individual conferences with the instructor on research methods, readings, and report drafts. Prerequisite: HCDE 562. Offered: Sp.

HCDE 596 Directed Research in Human Centered Design and Engineering (1-5, max. 18)
Students, working in teams under the supervision of individual faculty members, review relevant literature, pose research questions, design and conduct studies, and present the results in papers prepared either for submission to a professional journal or for presentation at a professional conference. Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 597 Approaches to Teaching Technical Communication (1-2, max. 2)
Examines theory and practice of teaching engineering undergraduate students written and oral technical communication competencies, strategies for developing teaching skills and philosophies. Teaching seminar for instructors of HCDE 231 and HCDE 333. Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: concurrent teaching appointment or permission of instructor. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 598 Special Topics (1-5, max. 6)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

HCDE 599 Special Projects (1-5, max. 5)
Written report required. Prerequisite: permission of graduate adviser or committee chair. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 601 Internship (2-10, max. 10)
Written report required. Prerequisite: permission of committee chair. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 700 Master's Thesis (*)
Prerequisite: permission of thesis adviser. Offered: AWSpS.

HCDE 800 Doctoral Dissertation (1-10)
Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: permission of thesis advisor. Offered: AWSpS.