This course introduces students to practical methods for creating graphics and user interfaces for web sites. Topics include:

• User-centred design
• Planning and designing web page layouts
• Graphic production techniques
• Design conventions and patterns and how to utilize them

Upon successful completion, the student will be able to:

• Understand the various elements of user experience design
• Use Visio to create site structure diagrams and other site documentation
• Translate planning and design elements into functioning web prototypes
• Understand the relationship between interface design, navigation design and information design
• Use Photoshop or similar software to create web page composite documents
• Evaluate websites and applications and recommend user experience improvements

The course outline is updated three times annually in January, April and September.

COMP 1955 takes place at BCIT's Burnaby campus in room SE12 324.
Download a campus map [PDF, 316K]

Wednesday nights:
6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

The textbook for COMP 1955 is The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web by Jesse James Garrett.
Read more about the textbook here.

Dave Tanchak
bcit1850@gmail.com

Dave Tanchak is an award-winning web professional with more than thirteen years experience providing creative web-based communications strategies to national and international organizations. He has led the design and development of more than 100 web projects for clients such as Placer Dome, West Fraser Timber, CreoScitex, Lawson Lundell Barristers and Solicitors and the Working Opportunity Fund of British Columbia.

A graduate of Simon Fraser University, with a BA in Communications, Dave is the Manager, Web Services, in BCIT's IT Services department. Some of his freelance work (as runwithscissors design - warning: old!) was featured in Redesigning Web Sites, by Stefan Mumaw.

Feel free to follow/friend Dave on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

Assignments: Late assignments will not be accepted for marking. Assignments must be done on an individual basis.

Attendance: The attendance policy as outlined in the current BCIT calendar will be enforced.

Course Outline Changes: The material specified in the course outline may be changed by the instructor. If changes are required, they will be announced in class.

Ethics: BCIT assumes that all students attending the Institute will follow a high standard of ethics. Incidents of cheating or plagiarism may, therefore, result in a grade of zero for the assignment, quiz, test, exam or project for all parties involved and/or expulsion from the course.

Illness: A doctor's note is required for any illness causing you to miss assignments quizzes, tests, projects or exams. At the discretion of the instructor, you may complete the work missed or have the work prorated (i.e., an average is given according to your performance throughout the course).

Makeup Tests, Exams or Quizzes: There will be no makeup tests, exams or quizzes. If you miss a test exam or quiz, you will receive zero marks. Exceptions may be made for documented medical reasons or extenuating circumstances.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out myBCIT and access your free email and calendaring applications. If you're a student at BCIT, your myBCIT account should already be set up.

Also, be sure to read up on the following relevant policies:

• 5002 BCIT Student Regulations Policy (PDF, 816K)
• 3501 Responsible Use of Information Technology at BCIT (PDF, 137K)

By attending this course, every student acknowledges that they have been made aware of these policies and the actions that will be taken if students fail to comply.