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CS 449Human-Computer Interaction

Units
0.50
Faculty
Mathematics
Subject
Computer Science

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

An introduction to the fundamental theories, methods, and research in the design and evaluation of novel computational artifacts designed to meet real-world human needs.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • SYDE548 - User Centred Design Methods (0.50)

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 001634764 / 70M 11:30–12:50
LAB 101679535 / 35W 11:30–12:50
LAB 102903329 / 35F 11:30–12:50

Resources

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Reviewed on UW Flow

83% liked it83% easy73% useful

From 53 ratings and 17 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • This course was one of my favourite CS courses. I remember yearning about UW not having a proper design course (design processes, methodology, etc) but this is it. This is a design course where what is designed is software products and their interfaces. Some people saw the course as being BS heavy, but IMO if you see it that way you are kinda doing it wrong. The course is a lot of work, but the marks are good and fair. I've found that the greatest thing this course offers is an introduction to a new way of thinking.

    Jul 2014 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Took this course online because of the covid situation. Lots of fun and learned a lot. There was no exam and no quizzes, just a huge group project which has checkpoints every week and two presentations. Remember to pick teammates who actually put in efforts to this course though, otherwise the workload will be so much more than it should be.

    Sep 2020 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • A very fun course to learn about the design process about creating a product (in our case a mobile application). Took with Edith Law and we had no coding nor a midterm or final and the grade was based on weekly milestones regarding the final project.

    Dec 2019 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • It's an english course. Some overlapping topics with CS 349. Attending class is important because there are often in class activities that assist you with parts of the group project worth 50%. The first portion of the course is fairly bland as it focuses on defining the world of the users you are studying rather than actual design. The course got better as we actually got to design prototypes, critique them, etc.
    With our year's offering we weren't required to communicate with professionals to study, we ended up studying other groups in the class - which requires coordination between up to 8 people's schedules. This proved to be a challenge from time to time.
    What you get out of the…

    Jul 2014 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Easy but not low workload. A pretty decent amount of workload per week, especially in the second half, but easy-to-understand straightforward course content

    Sep 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

114 posts and comments in 96 threads mention CS 449, April 2013 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Spring 2024

Interesting courses for CS upper year (3A+) 13 points, 14 comments

“I am in CS, and I am just (after exams) done with with 2B. I only have CS 341 and CS 350 left in the mandatory courses for CS, and I will be on my 3A term in the coming Winter term. …”

u/james_dev_123: “CS 449 Human Computer Interaction was great when I took it a few years ago. You learn stuff most engineers never learn (how to properly think about building user-facing apps). It's project-based, you go physically interview users for your project, etc. …”

u/james_dev_123: “The time commitment for CS 449 is way less than CS 241 or MATH 239. I almost walked in front of the LRT during my studying for MATH 239. Only half joking... CS 449 is more of a "fun course". When I took it, the whole thing was project based. …”

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Should I Transfer? 12 points, 20 comments

“Currently a first yr in Management eng, on coop. Considering that my end goal is to be in tech rather than pm (data science, software eng, etc.), would it be worth it to transfer to computer …”

u/ConsequenceNo3618: “Note: If you stay in MGTE, then I recommend asking for permission to substitute some of our core courses with other departments/faculties since our courses tend to be watered down. …”

u/ConsequenceNo3618: “Yea it's very strict, even MSCI 343 to CS 449 is not approved despite having the same textbook, lectures (mostly), and assessments”

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thoughts on workload 4 points, 1 comment

“would this workload be manageable on top of coop search as 3rd year cs? planning to take them in fall CS 341 Algorithms CS 350 Operating Systems CS 370 Numerical Computation CS 492 The Social …”

u/david8686406: “As someone who took CS 341, CS 350, CS 370 and CS 449 & PSYCH 336 in the same term, not a great idea if you want term average 85+ CS 370 is great and interesting course, for my term I got 88 and I am even lower than class median... …”

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Winter 2024

Cs 4A Course Load 8 points, 5 comments

u/snorawr: “… Cs349 user interfaces Cs449 human-computer interaction Cs456 computer networks Cs489 advanced topics: privacy, crypto, data security Stat231 I’m tryna knock out some credits before going on exchange so they err on the easier side but still wanted interesting courses.”

u/_KareemCheese_: “… CS449: this was a very fun class. It’s just one massive group project where you design (but not implement, so there’s no coding) an app. You do most of your work in class, but expect maybe 2 hours of work outside of class each week to finish your weekly deliverables. …”

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Fall 2023

make up final for cs 246 cs 245 ? 3 points, 4 comments

“Hey does anyone know if I can do a make up final for CS 246, 245 ? because of some medical reasons I can only do 2 out of the 4 finals that I have, ie. I won't be able to do CS 245 and CS 246 final. …”

u/winniejy: “I think they will give you a mark of INC and you will have to take the exam the next term (but you don't necessarily have to take 4 months off).”

u/2kofawsome: “… All the previous ones + CS348, CS360, CS370, CS442, CS449, CS487, CS492 All in all, it won't be the end the world, but it will make things way harder to plan courses.”

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Spring 2023

CS 449 during co-op 1 point, 2 comments

u/Fuzzy-Implement-7230: “Is it possible to take CS 449 during the work term? Do I have to attend the class for this course?”

u/WolfSuperWarrior: “i wouldn’t take it during co-op. you have to attend classes for CS 449. TAs are assigned specific group and they closely monitor them as if their life depends on it. CS 349, CS 370 can be done over co-op. hope this helps :)”

u/Fuzzy-Implement-7230: “you mean for CS 449?”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

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