SENG 310 - MIDTERM 1 + 2 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026
Define human-computer interaction. - Answers A multidisciplinary field focused on designing new
userinterfaces that meet human needs such as being useful,usable, enjoyable, and creative.
What's the difference between HCI and UI? - Answers HCI is the study and design of interactive
computing systems for human use, focusing on usability, experience, and human needs, while UI is
the point of interaction between a user and a system (screens, controls, feedback, workflows).
HCI is broader (people, context, ethics, methods), UI is just the interface layer.
What are the 5 stages of the design process? - Answers Empathy (learn about people), define (frame
and reframe the design/question challenge), ideate (propose and discuss multiple ideas for how the
design challenge can be addressed), prototype (externalize ideas in the form of sketches, mock-ups,
and implementation), test (assess if the design reqs are met)
What are the core ethical principles from the TCPS2 paper? - Answers Respect for Persons - informed
consent, autonomy
Concern for Welfare - minimize harm
Justice - fair participation, no exploitation
What are some differences between the empathy and testing stages? - Answers Empathy focuses on
needs/motivations, while testing focuses on assessing if the tech actually works for people. Empathy
also doesn't involve prototypes, but testing does. The point of the empathy stage is to identify
problems/design challenges, and the testing stage results in knowing to what degree the prototypes
work (and why/why not).
What is the false-consensus effect? - Answers The tendency to think that others share our beliefs and
will behave similarly in a given context. Designers tend to blame people.
What is ethnography? - Answers a type of research in which individuals are observed in their natural
settings
What are the types of ethnography? - Answers Field, virtual/online, auto/self
What are field notes? - Answers They distinguish what you see or observe (factual info recorded as
descriptive content), and what you think is happening and why (interpretive info recorded as
reflective description).
What is descriptive information? - Answers Recorded as exact quotes and time durations, descriptive
information describes the enviroment they participants are interacting in (noisy restaurant, for
example), and participant action. This may include typing, searching, notetaking, frequency of
interactions, communication/working styles
What is reflective information? - Answers Descriptions of why a participant may haven taken an
action (participant uses post it notes because maybe they find it easier to organize themes). It also
includes your thoughts on the environment and its influence, and researcher presence and how it
may affect the participant.
What are the interview types? - Answers Structured - a fixed pre-determined list of questions
Semi-Structured - has pre-determined questions and additional questions can be added for further
clarification
Unstructured - informal conversation with no prepared questions.
What are the 5 why's? What is it? - Answers t's a method used to get to the core of people's reasons
and motivations. • Start by asking a broad overarching question. E.g., how do you manage your
annual budget? • Then narrow down by asking five consecutive five Whys. E.g., why weren't you able
to save the amount you wanted?
I got a low grade on the exam (the problem) Why? - The questions were difficult (First why) Why? - I
thought I would remember the content but I didn't (Second why) Why? - The content had a lot of
nuance that required careful consideration (Third why) Why? - without practice the nuances are
difficult to remember (Fourth why) Why? - I hadn't practiced and only reviewed the notes (Fifth why,
a root cause)
When should you conduct an interview vs an ethnography? - Answers Interview - when you primarily
want to ask questions Ethnography - when you want to primarily observe and not disturb the people
What are the ethics rules for the projects in this course? - Answers Participants 19 years or older
Must be able to consent by themselves
, Recruit people you already know
No deception
Studies in person or remote
Recruits are first come first serve
Keep identifying info confidential
Store collected data in Uvic provided drive only
Delete all collected data at the end of the term
EXAMPLE: What are the ethical problems in this scenario?
Dr. Smith has an experiment he wants to run for his research. Heis currently teaching SENG 310, so to
find participants herecruits students from his class. - Answers Dr. Smith has power over his students.
What is task centered system design? - Answers A method to identify meaningful tasks that people
want to or have to accomplish using a system
What are the requirements you should get from tasks? - Answers 1. Says what the user wants to do
but does not say how they would do it
2. Are very specific
3. Describes a complete job/action being performed by the user from start to end
4. Says who the users are and reflects their real interests.
5. The tasks cover a range of responsibilites
How do you write a task description? - Answers A good task description:
Says what the user wants to do, not how
Is very specific (real data, real goals)
Describes a complete job (start → end)
Says who the user is (skills, experience, context)
As a set, covers a range of users and tasks
What's a good task description template? - Answers When you see "Write a task description", use
this structure:
[Name] is a [who they are] who wants to [goal].
They want to accomplish this in order to [why it matters / motivation].
Currently, [current situation or pain point], which makes it difficult to achieve their goal.
They want to complete this task from [start of task] to [end of task].
[Relevant skills, experience, constraints, or context].
What are some UX methods we've learnt in this course? - Answers Empathy mapping, journey
mapping, experience mapping, and service blueprints.
What is an empathy map? - Answers - a chart based on 5 labels about users: says, thinks, feels, does,
goals
- should include insights like what users want to know, notes about mismatched mental modes,
benefits of product, pain points
What are journey maps? - Answers A visualization of the process that a person goes through in order
to accomplish a goal
What are the zones of journey maps? - Answers Zone A: The lens providesconstraints for the map
byassigning (1) a persona ("who")and (2) the task to be examined("what")
Zone B: The heart of the map is the visualized experience, usually aligned across (3) steps or the end-
to-end actions included in the task description. Also includes (4) elaboration for the actions, (5)
thoughts, and (6) emotional experience of the user, documented as quotes from the interview or
videos and photos from an elicitation study.
Zone C: describe the positive and pain points discovered, and the (7) opportunities to focus on going
forward, as well as (8) internal ownership
What are the general steps in specifying user requirements? - Answers Collect data - interview and
ethnography • Analyze data - using the empathy map method • Develop tasks - follow the 5 rules of
TSCD • Initial set of requirements • Use the tasks to develop journey maps • Refine the requirements
Define human-computer interaction. - Answers A multidisciplinary field focused on designing new
userinterfaces that meet human needs such as being useful,usable, enjoyable, and creative.
What's the difference between HCI and UI? - Answers HCI is the study and design of interactive
computing systems for human use, focusing on usability, experience, and human needs, while UI is
the point of interaction between a user and a system (screens, controls, feedback, workflows).
HCI is broader (people, context, ethics, methods), UI is just the interface layer.
What are the 5 stages of the design process? - Answers Empathy (learn about people), define (frame
and reframe the design/question challenge), ideate (propose and discuss multiple ideas for how the
design challenge can be addressed), prototype (externalize ideas in the form of sketches, mock-ups,
and implementation), test (assess if the design reqs are met)
What are the core ethical principles from the TCPS2 paper? - Answers Respect for Persons - informed
consent, autonomy
Concern for Welfare - minimize harm
Justice - fair participation, no exploitation
What are some differences between the empathy and testing stages? - Answers Empathy focuses on
needs/motivations, while testing focuses on assessing if the tech actually works for people. Empathy
also doesn't involve prototypes, but testing does. The point of the empathy stage is to identify
problems/design challenges, and the testing stage results in knowing to what degree the prototypes
work (and why/why not).
What is the false-consensus effect? - Answers The tendency to think that others share our beliefs and
will behave similarly in a given context. Designers tend to blame people.
What is ethnography? - Answers a type of research in which individuals are observed in their natural
settings
What are the types of ethnography? - Answers Field, virtual/online, auto/self
What are field notes? - Answers They distinguish what you see or observe (factual info recorded as
descriptive content), and what you think is happening and why (interpretive info recorded as
reflective description).
What is descriptive information? - Answers Recorded as exact quotes and time durations, descriptive
information describes the enviroment they participants are interacting in (noisy restaurant, for
example), and participant action. This may include typing, searching, notetaking, frequency of
interactions, communication/working styles
What is reflective information? - Answers Descriptions of why a participant may haven taken an
action (participant uses post it notes because maybe they find it easier to organize themes). It also
includes your thoughts on the environment and its influence, and researcher presence and how it
may affect the participant.
What are the interview types? - Answers Structured - a fixed pre-determined list of questions
Semi-Structured - has pre-determined questions and additional questions can be added for further
clarification
Unstructured - informal conversation with no prepared questions.
What are the 5 why's? What is it? - Answers t's a method used to get to the core of people's reasons
and motivations. • Start by asking a broad overarching question. E.g., how do you manage your
annual budget? • Then narrow down by asking five consecutive five Whys. E.g., why weren't you able
to save the amount you wanted?
I got a low grade on the exam (the problem) Why? - The questions were difficult (First why) Why? - I
thought I would remember the content but I didn't (Second why) Why? - The content had a lot of
nuance that required careful consideration (Third why) Why? - without practice the nuances are
difficult to remember (Fourth why) Why? - I hadn't practiced and only reviewed the notes (Fifth why,
a root cause)
When should you conduct an interview vs an ethnography? - Answers Interview - when you primarily
want to ask questions Ethnography - when you want to primarily observe and not disturb the people
What are the ethics rules for the projects in this course? - Answers Participants 19 years or older
Must be able to consent by themselves
, Recruit people you already know
No deception
Studies in person or remote
Recruits are first come first serve
Keep identifying info confidential
Store collected data in Uvic provided drive only
Delete all collected data at the end of the term
EXAMPLE: What are the ethical problems in this scenario?
Dr. Smith has an experiment he wants to run for his research. Heis currently teaching SENG 310, so to
find participants herecruits students from his class. - Answers Dr. Smith has power over his students.
What is task centered system design? - Answers A method to identify meaningful tasks that people
want to or have to accomplish using a system
What are the requirements you should get from tasks? - Answers 1. Says what the user wants to do
but does not say how they would do it
2. Are very specific
3. Describes a complete job/action being performed by the user from start to end
4. Says who the users are and reflects their real interests.
5. The tasks cover a range of responsibilites
How do you write a task description? - Answers A good task description:
Says what the user wants to do, not how
Is very specific (real data, real goals)
Describes a complete job (start → end)
Says who the user is (skills, experience, context)
As a set, covers a range of users and tasks
What's a good task description template? - Answers When you see "Write a task description", use
this structure:
[Name] is a [who they are] who wants to [goal].
They want to accomplish this in order to [why it matters / motivation].
Currently, [current situation or pain point], which makes it difficult to achieve their goal.
They want to complete this task from [start of task] to [end of task].
[Relevant skills, experience, constraints, or context].
What are some UX methods we've learnt in this course? - Answers Empathy mapping, journey
mapping, experience mapping, and service blueprints.
What is an empathy map? - Answers - a chart based on 5 labels about users: says, thinks, feels, does,
goals
- should include insights like what users want to know, notes about mismatched mental modes,
benefits of product, pain points
What are journey maps? - Answers A visualization of the process that a person goes through in order
to accomplish a goal
What are the zones of journey maps? - Answers Zone A: The lens providesconstraints for the map
byassigning (1) a persona ("who")and (2) the task to be examined("what")
Zone B: The heart of the map is the visualized experience, usually aligned across (3) steps or the end-
to-end actions included in the task description. Also includes (4) elaboration for the actions, (5)
thoughts, and (6) emotional experience of the user, documented as quotes from the interview or
videos and photos from an elicitation study.
Zone C: describe the positive and pain points discovered, and the (7) opportunities to focus on going
forward, as well as (8) internal ownership
What are the general steps in specifying user requirements? - Answers Collect data - interview and
ethnography • Analyze data - using the empathy map method • Develop tasks - follow the 5 rules of
TSCD • Initial set of requirements • Use the tasks to develop journey maps • Refine the requirements
