6.1. Physical Computing

This course builds on the foundations of Designing Interactive Systems I, and provides an understanding of how interactive multimedia systems are built from a computer science point of view. It covers the principles of event-based operating systems, window system architectures, input and output device technology for multiple modalities, as well as User Interface Management Systems and UI development toolkits and their relative merits. In the labs, you will develop a minimalistic window system yourself, but also learn to work with various real-life development environments, including window systems such as Java Swing and multimedia development environments, to develop user interfaces.

After this class, you will know how the technology behind interactive systems works. You can analyze, design, and implement graphical and other user interfaces for existing and emerging technologies, both for the desktop and beyond, and including interfaces for multimedia contents. Group-based, project-centered assignments and lab activities convey hands-on experience building user interfaces and foster project management and teamwork skills.

The class consists of weekly lectures, labs, reading assignments, project-based group assignments, and graded written midterm and final examinations.