Time Schedule:
Jacob O Wobbrock
INFO 470
Seattle Campus
Introduction to the research process investigating information needs, creation, organization, flow, retrieval, and use. Stages include: research definition, questions, objectives, data collection and management, data analysis, and data interpretation. Techniques include: observation, interviews, questionnaires, and transaction-log analysis. Prerequisite: either STAT 220, STAT 311, or QMETH 201.
Class description
Now more than ever, our society depends on the discovery of generalizable knowledge and the invention of useful solutions to our problems. Although stories of accidental discoveries make occasional headlines, the vast majority of breakthroughs come as a result of conscientious, careful, determined research effort applied over many years by many people—scientists, engineers, and inventors. Research is therefore no product of happenstance—it requires the skillful application of research methods, diligent attention to detail, awareness of what has been done and where the high-impact problems lie. Top-tier research always combines three things when identifying, selecting, and solving problems: (1) novelty—that the problem has not been solved already; (2) importance—that solving the problem matters to someone; and (3) achievability—that one can actually solve the problem or at least contribute to its solution. This class is about learning what research is, how to pick good research problems that meet the above criteria, and about expanding your skill-set so that the third criteria becomes less of an obstacle to your research success.
Student learning goals
This course has an applied focus and gives students research skills they can use in both scientific and commercial settings to answer questions and make discoveries relevant to the development of information and technology products and services. The field of human-computer interaction (HCI) will provide the backdrop for the course, although the concepts will easily translate to other areas of informatics, such as information management, information services, and so on. Most of the research methods used in HCI are borrowed from psychology, anthropology, sociology, and education, as well as the hard sciences and engineering.
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
