Experimentation & Evaluation

The class teaches the basic process of evaluation, in particular for evaluating computer systems. Evaluation is a core skill for both practitioners and researchers: software designers must understand the drawbacks and benefits of an existing or planned system, while scientists have to properly deduce the relationships between assumed causes and perceived effects. Students learn the basic goals, components, and procedures of an evaluation, and apply this knowledge in several hands-on group-based evaluation sessions. The "scientific method" provides the core concept around which various techniques are described and applied, in particular experimental design, data measurement, qualitative and quantitative evaluation, and evaluation with and without users. The class not only lays the foundations for any kind of scientific work (e.g., a Master's Thesis), but also introduces basic skills that are needed in both industry (e.g., project management, UX design) and academia (e.g., HCI, software performance).