INFO 4340/5440 - App Design and Prototyping (Fall 2026)
Instructor: Dr. Kyle J. Harms
This is the course website for INFO 4340/5440 (Fall 2026). All course content will be posted here.
Announcements
At this end of today's class (9/10/2026), I asked if anyone would like a "group study time" to work on Homework 2 together this Thursday evening.
Hefeng, one of the course assistants, is available from 4:30 to 5:30pm today for the group homework study session.
The study session will be held in the "ramble" (the long hallway that runs the length of the building) on the first floor of the Computing and Information Science Building. You can find Hefeng at the end of the ramble nearest Gates hall. You see a bunch of research labs along the hallway too. Look for "INFO 4340/5440" on the whiteboards in the ramble outside the labs.
If you're unable to make the study session, no worries. The existing help resources are still available.
More information about the first oral exam will become available in the next few weeks. No further information is available at this time.
This course is experimental; all aspects of the course are subject to change.
Course topics, deadlines, and activities are finalized on a rolling basis in response to student needs and feedback. You should feel comfortable interpreting open-ended requirements and learning independently. You should not expect detailed slides for lectures, a fixed semester schedule with all deadlines known, or step-by-step instructions for assignments.
This course requires comfort with uncertainty and rolling deadlines. If a fully fixed semester schedule is important to you, this course is likely not a good fit.
Deadlines
| Assignment | Deadline | Slip Day Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Homework 2, Sprint 1 | Mon Sep 14, 2026, 11:59pm | Wed Sep 16, 2026, 11:59pm |
| Class 6, Preparation | Wed Sep 9, 2026, 11:59pm | N/A |
| Class 5, Preparation | Mon Sep 7, 2026, 11:59pm | N/A |
| Class 4, Preparation | Wed Sep 2, 2026, 11:59pm | N/A |
| Homework 1 | Mon Aug 31, 2026, 11:59pm | Wed Sep 2, 2026, 11:59pm (Max: 2 slip days) |
| Class 2 Preparation: Academic Values, Syllabus Review, Prototype Reading | Wed Aug 26, 2026, 11:59pm | N/A |
Help, Support, & Accommodations
This course is structured to support the diverse needs of all students. It provides built-in accommodations to everyone to help each student succeed in this fast-paced class. Review the syllabus for the details about the course structure and these built-in accommodations.
If you believe that your individual needs and circumstances require additional consideration, email info4340@cornell.edu to contact the instructor.
We do our best to respond to all email requests within 48 hours during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9am to 4pm). However, sometimes it may take us a bit longer to respond due to the volume of requests we receive. Your communication is very important to us, and we will respond as soon as we're able. Your patience is appreciated.
Please note that all accommodations must be arranged well in advance — as per university policy, we are unable to retroactively apply accommodations to late assignments, etc. Further, University policy does not permit accommodations for too much work in other classes, extracurricular activities like clubs, interviews, or being misled my ChatGPT.