Insertion of HCI Practices in a Usability Engineering Course

Luiz Felipe Cirqueira dos Santos

1 a

, Mariano Florencio Mendonc¸a

1 b

, Edmir Queiroz

2 c

Elisrenan Barbosa da Silva

2 d

, Shexmo Richarlison Ribeiro dos Santos

1 e

Marcus Vinicius Santana Silva

1 f

, Alberto Luciano de Souza Bastos

1 g

Marcos Cesar Barbosa dos Santos

1 h

, Marcos Venicius Santos

1 i

and

Marckson F

abio da Silva Santos

1 j

Federal University of Sergipe, S

ao Crist

ao, Sergipe, Brazil

IT Courses, Estacio University Center, R. Teixeira de Freitas, Salgado Filho, 10, Aracaju, Brazil

Keywords:

Human-Computer Interaction, Usability Engineering, Flipped Classroom, User Experience, HCI Education.

Abstract:

Including Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) practices is crucial for preparing future professionals to design

systems that effectively meet users’ needs. HCI encompasses methods and techniques to improve interactive

systems’ usability, user experience, and effectiveness. This article presents an experience report on teaching

HCI techniques to a Usability Engineering class using the Flipped Classroom methodology. Through these

techniques, it was possible to explore practically and offer a critical and analytical perspective on developing

practical, efﬁcient, and satisfactory user interfaces.

1 INTRODUCTION

Usability is an essential attribute of software qual-

ity, crucial for accepting interactive systems, espe-

cially on the web (Hitz et al., 2006). In Human-

Computer Interaction (HCI), usability combines user

experience with technology, hardware efﬁciency, task

nature, and the environment in which the task is per-

formed (Schneider, 2008). The perspective of soft-

ware designers regarding the problem to be modeled

often differs from the user’s perspective on the solu-

tion to the same problem, which can hinder the in-

teraction between the user and the system interface

(Schneider, 2008).

Recent studies emphasize that Human-Computer

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4538-5410

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0732-3980

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6930-3031

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8890-9718

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0287-8055

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9211-5259

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3911-9757

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7929-3904

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1645-6127

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6479-1900

Interaction (HCI) practices must evolve to include

contemporary approaches that reﬂect technological

advancements and changes in user behavior (Padua,

2019; Jacko, 2012; Stephanidis et al., 2019).

HCI educators must be aware of their role in con-

veying that user experience and experience design are

cross-cutting concepts that should inﬂuence all other

areas involved in designing and developing innovative

digital products and services (Barbosa et al., 2014).

The HCI community has undertaken various ini-

tiatives to address this challenge. There are exam-

ples of such initiatives in Boscarioli et al. (Boscar-

ioli et al., 2013; Boscarioli et al., 2014b; Boscarioli

et al., 2014a). However, when considering the con-

stant evolution of technology and the different inter-

action forms it enables, reﬂecting more deeply on all

signiﬁcant HCI challenges for the 2012-2022 period

(Pereira et al., 2024), one can identify a consider-

able challenge in HCI education: preparing students

to balance research and practice in HCI, integrating

accessibility, human values, and digital inclusion into

the development of innovative and ethical solutions

for smart and sustainable cities (Barbosa et al., 2014).

Given this complexity, Usability Engineering

emerges as a fundamental approach for developing

computational interfaces, aiming to promote ease of

Cirqueira dos Santos, L. F., Mendonça, M. F., Queiroz, E., Barbosa da Silva, E., Ribeiro dos Santos, S. R., Silva, M. V. S., Bastos, A. L. S., Barbosa Dos Santos, M. C., Santos, M. V. and

Santos, M. F. S.

Insertion of HCI Practices in a Usability Engineering Course.

DOI: 10.5220/0013731900003985

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies (WEBIST 2025), pages 553-556

ISBN: 978-989-758-772-6; ISSN: 2184-3252

553

use, learning, and user satisfaction when interact-

ing with system interfaces (Vieira and Baranauskas,

2003). Furthermore, Usability Engineering seeks to

align the mental model of the developer or designer

with the user’s mental model, thus reducing vision

conﬂicts and facilitating more intuitive and efﬁcient

interaction (Schneider, 2008).

This article reports on teaching usability evalua-

tion techniques in HCI within the Usability Engineer-

ing course. Heuristic evaluation, interaction testing,

and checklist-based interface inspection covered the

methods covered. These techniques were used dur-

ing the 2024/1 semester in live remote classes on Mi-

crosoft Teams. The adoption of usability practices in

HCI provided an opportunity to teach and prepare stu-

dents to explore and apply evaluation techniques, en-

couraging a critical and analytical approach to design-

ing interfaces that enhance effectiveness, efﬁciency,

and user satisfaction.

2 EXPERIENCE REPORT

This section presents an experience report describing

the application of usability evaluation techniques in

the Usability Engineering course during the 2024/1

semester for students from various technology pro-

grams. The course delivered remotely via Microsoft

Teams, employed the Flipped Classroom method-

ology to teach ergonomics, usability, and human-

computer interaction principles. The focus was on

interface evaluation, including techniques such as

heuristic evaluation, checklist inspection, and interac-

tion tests, with practical activities documented by the

students.

2.1 The Usability Engineering Course

The course focuses on information presentation and

user interaction principles, covering interaction, inter-

face, ergonomics, usability, and HCI in software de-

velopment. It emphasizes applying ergonomics and

usability to ensure tasks are performed effectively,

efﬁciently, and satisfactorily, considering users’ ca-

pabilities and limitations. The course also explores

creating scenarios, personas, and conceptual mod-

els, using design and modeling techniques to enhance

user communication. It includes evaluating inter-

face projects based on user needs and goals, aim-

ing for high-quality, usable designs. Additionally,

it promotes the development of accessible web so-

lutions for people with disabilities, ensuring ﬂexible

and widely usable interfaces. Table 1 summarizes the

topics covered.

Table 1: Human-Computer Interaction Topics.

Content

Ergonomics in Human-Computer Interaction

Human-Computer Interface Development

Human-Computer Interface Evaluation

Web Accessibility

2.2 Context and Class Proﬁle

This experience report refers to the 2024/1 semester

of a live remote Usability Engineering course deliv-

ered via Microsoft Teams. The class included 26 un-

dergraduate students from various computing-related

programs: 12 from Systems Analysis and Develop-

ment, nine from Software Engineering, two from In-

formation Systems, and three from Computer Sci-

ence. The students ranged from 18 to 45 years old,

representing a diverse cohort regarding academic ma-

turity and prior experience. Most students were in

their 3rd or 4th semester, with varying levels of fa-

miliarity with HCI concepts.

2.3 Teaching Usability Evaluation

Techniques in the Usability

Engineering Course

The content on usability evaluation techniques was

addressed in Topic 3 of the course syllabus, which fo-

cuses on human-computer interface evaluation. This

content initially requires theoretical knowledge of the

methods to enable their practical application during

assessments. Thus, it was necessary to provide stu-

dents with adequate resources to acquire the founda-

tional theoretical knowledge before applying the us-

ability evaluation techniques outlined in the syllabus.

The Flipped Classroom (FC) methodology was

utilized even in the live remote model. This method-

ology proposes a shift from the traditional teaching

paradigm, allowing students to access theoretical con-

tent at home through materials provided by the in-

structor. During live classes, students practice what

they have learned, participating in practical activities

led by the instructor (Silveira et al., 2018). The FC

model makes classes more productive, transforming

the instructor from a content expositor to a learn-

ing process mediator. Classes become more prac-

tical, featuring signiﬁcant activities such as discus-

sions, problem-solving, and debates (Martins and Vil-

lela, 2021).

Table 2 describes the practical activities related to

each technique applied during the learning of usabil-

ity evaluation in HCI. Students completed three prac-

tical assignments, documenting and applying the con-

WEBIST 2025 - 21st International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies

554

cepts studied while accessing theoretical content.

Table 2: Evaluation and Practical Activity.

Evaluation Practical Activ-

ity

Heuristic Evaluation of

Human-Computer Inter-

faces

Choose an ap-

plication and

conduct a us-

ability evaluation

using Nielsen’s

heuristics

Inspection Evaluation Us-

ing a Human-Computer

Interface Checklist

Four teams of

ﬁve and one team

of six students

chose a prototype

and evaluated its

usability using a

checklist

Interaction Testing of

Human-Computer Inter-

faces

The same groups

selected some ap-

plications among

themselves and,

through interface

interaction, re-

ported usability

improvement

points

2.4 Assessment and Evaluation Criteria

Students were evaluated by completing three practi-

cal assignments on usability evaluation techniques:

heuristic evaluation, checklist-based inspection, and

interaction testing. Each activity had deﬁned objec-

tives and a corresponding evaluation rubric. The cri-

teria included: (1) correct application of the tech-

nique, (2) clarity and depth in reporting usability is-

sues, (3) appropriateness of suggested improvements,

and (4) teamwork and collaboration. While no sum-

mative grade was assigned, qualitative feedback was

provided to each group. Future course iterations will

incorporate pre- and post-intervention surveys to as-

sess learning gains and gather student perspectives.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

It was observed that, through these activities, the

Usability Engineering students could gain a practi-

cal and in-depth understanding of usability principles

and Nielsen’s heuristics (Nielsen, 2005). By evalu-

ating different applications, students learned to iden-

tify common usability issues and recommend imple-

menting effective solutions, thereby improving user-

system interaction. The analysis using checklists al-

lowed students to acquire critical skills in the struc-

tured evaluation of interfaces, fostering a detailed and

analytical perspective.

Direct interaction with applications and the sub-

sequent reporting of improvement points allowed stu-

dents to experience usability in practice, understand-

ing design elements and how their variations inﬂuence

user-system interaction. This collaborative evaluation

exercise also encouraged teamwork and fostered ef-

fective student communication. Across all these ac-

tivities, students were able to build a solid foundation

of knowledge and practical skills, preparing them for

future challenges in the usability and interface design

domains.

Table 3 shows the number of assignments submit-

ted, highlighting students’ progress in identifying us-

ability issues and proposing improvements based on

principles like Nielsen’s heuristics (Nielsen, 2005),

fostering a critical and analytical perspective. The

Accessibility assignment raised awareness of inclu-

sion issues, addressing the needs of users with di-

verse abilities and promoting digital equity. The De-

sign Processes in HCI assignments provided insights

into the user-centered development cycle, encourag-

ing creativity and methodology application for inno-

vative solutions. These assignments equipped stu-

dents with technical, ethical, and collaborative skills

to tackle real-world challenges.

Table 3: Completed Assignments and Quantities.

Assignment Quantity

Heuristic Evaluation 10

Accessibility 6

Design Processes in HCI 18

4 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE

WORK

Adopting the Flipped Classroom in teaching HCI

proved to be a practical approach to engage students

and promote critical skills in the ﬁeld of usability. The

experience described in this paper reinforces the im-

portance of aligning pedagogical practices with con-

temporary guidelines, contributing to the develop-

ment of well-trained professionals who are sensitive

to users’ needs.

The analysis of student submissions, as shown in

Table 3, highlights signiﬁcant engagement with the

Usability Engineering course practices. The 18 sub-

missions on Design Processes in HCI demonstrate a

strong interest in creative and complex tasks. The 10

Heuristic Evaluation submissions show that students

Insertion of HCI Practices in a Usability Engineering Course

555

developed critical skills in identifying usability issues

and proposing solutions. The six submissions on Ac-

cessibility mark an essential step in raising awareness

of digital inclusion, though further reinforcement is

needed to boost engagement. Overall, the methodol-

ogy sparked student interest and promoted a diverse

education that was aligned to prepare reﬂective and

efﬁcient professionals for the job market.

Future work includes adopting complementary

approaches to expand the scope of pedagogical prac-

tices. One approach is participatory design, which

engages students in developing solutions with real

users, fostering a deeper understanding of the target

audience’s needs. Additionally, a greater focus on

accessibility is proposed, aiming for more thorough

evaluations of interfaces to promote digital inclusion

and accommodate users with diverse abilities. Fi-

nally, longitudinal studies are recommended to as-

sess the long-term impact of the methodology on pro-

fessional training, providing a broader view of teach-

ing effectiveness in terms of skills and competencies

developed.

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