User Interface Design and Implementation
MIT's 6.831/6.813 covers human-computer interaction in the design and implementation of graphical user interfaces. Topics include human perceptual and motor capabilities, interaction design principles, prototyping methods, and techniques for evaluating usability. Coursework includes short programming assignments that build toward a semester-long group project in which students design, prototype, and implement a working interface. The graduate version adds readings from current HCI research literature and additional assignments. Materials on MIT OpenCourseWare include lecture notes, assignment specifications, and project guidelines, offered free under a Creative Commons license with no certificate attached. The course treats interface design as an engineering discipline grounded in cognitive science, covering topics such as Fitts's Law, direct manipulation, and formal evaluation methods alongside practical implementation using standard GUI toolkits.