Two courses are offered in the area of human-computer interaction (HCI): CS 570 and CS 770. Students with interests in doctoral study in HCI or in applying HCI principles or techniques to other areas of research should begin with CS 770 (typically offered in the fall). CS 770 covers a comprehensive overview of research topics and prior work, an introduction to human subjects research methods, and a semester-long research project. Students interested in the practical aspects of HCI should take CS 570 (typically offered in the spring). CS 570 covers applications of HCI in designing software products, including techniques to understand user needs, develop design alternatives, and evaluate usability; CS 570 involves month-long group projects to apply HCI techniques to real-world software design problems. Students may take CS 570 and CS 770 in any order. Students with prior background in HCI or interested in taking supplemental courses from other areas or departments should discuss their plan with faculty. The PhD qualifying exam in HCI includes material from CS 570 and CS 770.