Disciplines, including Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), consist of knowledge supporting practices which solve general problems (Long & Dowell, 1989). A disci pline thus requires knowledge to be acquired which can be applied by practitioners to solve problems within the scope of the discipline. In the case of HCI, such knowledge is being acquired through research and, less formally, through the description of successful system development practice. Some have argued that knowledge is further embodied in the artefacts. HCI knowledge is applied to solve user interface design problems. Such applica tion is facilitated if the knowledge is expressed in a conception which makes explicit the design problems of practitioners. A conception has been proposed by Dowell & Long (1989). The conception provides a framework within which to reason about the implications of designs for system performance. The framework is concordant with the trend towards design, discernible in recent HCI research. It is further compatible with notions of top-down design, fundamental to software engineering practice. 2 Teaching and the HeI Research and Development Gap 2.1 An Assessment of Current HCI Education Teaching is one means by which practitioners learn to specify discipline problems. It is also a means by which they acquire knowledge to enable the problems to be solved."

Python for Rookies is designed to help students learn how to program. Using the Python language as a tool, the approach taken teaches students the fundamentals of programming and re-enforces good programming practice. Written for students studying a variety of degree subjects such as Games Technology, Creative Computing and Multimedia (where core Computer Science is applied to the Arts) the pace and breadth would also be suitable for a one semester introductory programming course for all computing undergraduates. We hope that the example programs, chosen to enliven and motivate will also be very relevant to a range of courses and the varied ambitions of people who need to acquire programming skills. The book covers programming from small script-style applications to larger pieces of software. The emphasis remains on problem-solving, even through the introduction of common libraries and object-oriented programming. Test-oriented development is an integral part of programming and learning how to incorporate a unit test early on will take away the frustrations of producing buggy software that doesnat run. It will provide a framework to support your learning of programming.