OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum number of credits required to earn minor: 21
GPA requirements to earn minor: : Students graduating with a minor in a CLAS field must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better in the courses in the minor field that are credited toward completion of the minor.
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward minor: C-
Other requirements: A minimum of 9 credit hours must be completed at the University of Maine. (acceptance of transfer credits is determined on a case by case basis)
Contact Information: Velma Figgins, School of Computing and Information Science, 348 Boardman Hall, (207) 581-4358, vfiggins@maine.edu
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field that aims to enhance the interaction between humans (users) and computing technologies. HCI primarily focuses on designing, creating, and improving interfaces and interactions between people and computers. It studies how humans interact with technology and how they make decisions by conceptualizing, prototyping, and evaluating computer-based systems to enhance user experience. HCI has roots in computing, design, and cognitive sciences, spanning over 50 years. It has emerged as a dynamic area of study that merges concepts and methodologies from human factors and ergonomics, information sciences, sociology, and industrial and product design with the technical concerns of computing and engineering product development. In today’s world, where computing devices are pervasive, and consumer technologies are advancing rapidly, HCI is a key discipline that emphasizes making computing technologies more user-friendly.
Key concepts, Skills, and Methods:
- Design concepts, processes, and HCI toolkits
- Develop problem-solving skills for creating effective HCI environments
- Perform fieldwork to understand user needs and the influence of context
- Learning about how to conduct user-centered, participatory, and inclusive design
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Critiquing design ideas effectively by building scenarios and iterative refinement of designs
- Implementation of interactive prototypes
- Rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing techniques
- Evaluation techniques, including empirical evaluation methods
Benefits of the Minor:
- An interdisciplinary minor that prepares students to conceptualize, design, and develop solutions for complex problems
- Expose students to creative and innovative problem-solving and entrepreneurial activities
- Increase knowledge base beyond common core and enhance current degree focus
- Introduce students to cutting-edge design methods and technology
- Teach job-ready UI and UX design skills
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