In this course, we investigate the origins of hypermedia and the World Wide Web and discuss current and future developments on the Web. We have a detailed look at the architecture of the Internet and various protocols such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). We further discuss different client and server-side issues in web architectures and have a look at the Web 2.0 and Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) as well as Web Services. The latest HTML5 developments are introduced and various XML technologies and applications are presented. JavaScript is introduced and CSS3 and its application in responsive web design are discussed. Last but not least, we learn about the Semantic Web, web search, security and privacy as well as a number of selected topics (e.g. mobile information systems). The theory is applied in various exercise sessions as well as in a web application that is developed as part of the course.

Students will be introduced to some general HCI principles and guidelines and the relevant aspects of human cognition and perception. They will learn the general principles of interaction design for digital as well as physical products, including different tools and methods for the requirements analysis, prototyping as well as evaluation. Thereby, a special focus will be on user-centred design where users are involved early in the design process and provide feedback during multiple iterations of the interaction design lifecycle model.

After attending the course on Next Generation User Interfaces, the student has an understanding of the interaction principles introduced by new devices such as smartphones, multi-touch tables or gesture-based interfaces as well as the theoretical background behind these interaction principles. The student is able to reflect on the qualities and shortcomings of different interaction styles, while placing the user at the core of the interface design process. The theory is applied in a group project where students design and develop their individual next generation user interface.

In this course students learn about the representation (abstraction) and presentation of data in terms of different visualisation techniques supporting the exploratory analysis for scientific discovery as well as the design of tools for the presentation of large datasets. The theory further covers specific elements of human perception and colour theory and we discuss different design principles and interaction techniques for human-in-the-loop data exploration underlined by various case studies. The theory is applied and further deepened in a group assignment where interactive visualisations are designed and implemented for different rich datasets.

The goal of this seminar is to introduce students to the critical reviewing of research papers. Since each student will not only be assigned a single research paper but also a more general research topic, the students will learn how to independently investigate a specific topic based on studying referenced material as well as other resources. By writing a report about the assigned research topic, the students learn how to critically analyse a research paper and evaluate its contribution in the context of a specific research area.