Chapter 12 - Interaction Issues Flashcards
User Friendly
Easy to learn and use-
must be defined in terms of the users,
novice or expert
Acceptance Factors
- Experience with computer systems.
- Type of work a person is doing and how the computer assists them.
+ perform faster, fewer errors, greater satisfaction. - Enthusiasm level of potential users.
- Age
Worst Case Scenario
Person with no experience, who works in sales, thinks learning the computer is a waste of time, nearing retirement (60’s).
Number of User Interfaces
Ex. Automatic Teller Machine
- Customers
- People who load the money
- People who do software repairs
- People who do hardware repairs
Input Methods
- Alphabetic Keyboards
Over 100 years- qwerty
*Left hand-56% of total strokes
*Reach from home row for 68% of key strokes (possible to stay on home row 70% of the time) - Mouse, touch panel, speech recognition, etc,
Types of Languages
Command- Special languages developed for a particular system.
Quasi-Natural- Designers allow the use of two or more words to describe a particular action.
Natural Language- users input to the computer those words that come to mind.
Interactive Procedures
Procedures relates to a series of actions or transactions that are carried out to accomplish some objective.
Transactions are a single exchange between the human and the computer.
Procedures should be natural and efficient.
Natural – Fits neatly into user’s expectations.
Efficient- Minimizes the time.
Procedure decisions for efficient data entry:
- User should not enter the same data twice.
- Users should not enter data the computer already has or can generate.
- Users should not reenter a series of data items to correct the info in a single data item.
- The order of entering data items should be consistent with the source document.
User Guidance
Asking others preferred way
Help facilities
context sensitive
Computer-based documentation
more detailed info than the help facility.
Computer-based training
one or more training modules embedded in the system.
short tutorial
exercises where computer checks answers
Check Box
Definition: A control used to display a choice that has two clearly distinguishable states, such as “on” or “off.”
Check boxes can be used individually or in a group to provide users with multiple choices. An example is shown in Figure 12-34.
Typical Uses of Check Boxes
Use individually, when choices only need to be set to “on” or “off,” “yes” or “no,” and so on.
Use as a set (group) when choices are not mutually exclusive.
Guidelines for Check Boxes
Assign a mnemonic to each check box choice.
Capitalize the first letter of only the first word of a label (unless the item contains another word that would normally be capitalized).
Capitalize the first letter of all major words in the choices.
Avoid using check boxes (check marks) in menus.
Use instead of two radio buttons if the choice can only be set to “on” or “off”.
If all the objects or data items have that property turned on, display a mark in the check box.
If some, but not all, of the selected objects or data items have that property turned on, fill the box with shading.
Entry Field
Definition: A control into which users type one or more text characters. The entry field can contain one or more lines. Also known as the text entry field, text field, text region, or text box. An example is shown in Figure 12-35.
Spin Lists
Definition:
A control used to display in sequence a series of items, such as days of the week. Users press a small pushbutton to cycle through the options and find the desired selection. Some spin lists are combo spin lists that allow users to either spin through the options or type into entry field.
Typical use of Spin Lists
When potential selections have logical consecutive order
