Abstract:

Although Software Engineering (SE) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) are complementary disciplines, they are frequently taught in isolation within Computer Science (CS) curricula, resulting in a fragmented understanding of the software development process among students. This academic decoupling often results in graduates who perceive requirements elicitation and interface design as sequential rather than intertwined, iterative processes. While traditional SE focuses on functional stability, modern development, especially when addressing complex societal challenges, requires the reflective, human-centered approach of Design Thinking (DT). This paper reports on an interdisciplinary teaching experience that integrated Software Requirements Engineering and HCI within an undergraduate computing program at Federal Institute of São Paulo (IFSP) Hortolândia, Brazil. The study employs an exploratory case study methodology grounded in a DT framework. Forty students, organized into collaborative teams, developed interactive systems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This pedagogical approach exposed students to "wicked problems," forcing a shift from immediate implementation toward deep problem exploration through empathy and negotiation.

The process followed three iterative stages:
(1) Empathize and Define, utilizing desk research and personas;
(2) Ideate and Prototype, creating scenarios and high-fidelity wireframes; and
(3) Test and Modeling, where heuristic evaluations informed the refinement of formal Unified Modeling Language (UML) Use Case and Class diagrams.

Results, derived from the qualitative analysis of project artifacts and instructor observations, indicate that students achieved a holistic view of the lifecycle, specifically recognizing how HCI scenarios directly shape SE functional flows. However, the experience revealed a significant "interdisciplinary cognitive gap": students struggled to maintain consistency between user interface (UI) changes and technical documentation. This suggests that while the synergy is valued, students initially perceive documentation as a static hand-off rather than a living communication tool. These findings offer a scalable model for breaking curricular silos and better preparing students for the collaborative complexity of the global software industry.

Keywords:

Computing Education Research, Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, Design Thinking in Computer Science, Software Requirements, Human-Centered Design, Sustainable Development Goals.