Chapter 9 - User Interface Design

Question 1

What is interface design?

Answer 1

Interface design is the process of determining and defining how the system will interact with external entities.

Question 2

What is a user interface?

Answer 2

A user interface is an interface that is designed to interact with the users.

Question 3

What is a system interface?

Answer 3

A system interface is an interface that is used to exchange information with other systems.

Question 4

What are the three fundamental elements of a user interface?

Answer 4

The three fundamental elements of a user interface are:

• Navigation Mechanisms
• Input Mechanisms
• Output Mechanisms

Question 5

What is a graphical user interface?

Answer 5

A graphical user interface is an interface that uses windows, menus, icons and such to allow the user to more easily interact with the application.

Question 6

What is the goal of interface design?

Answer 6

The goal of interface design is to make the interface pleasing to the eye and simple to use, while minimizing user effort.

Question 7

What is layout?

Answer 7

Layout is the organizing of areas of the screen/document for different purposes, and using these areas consistently throughout the user interface. The areas should have an intuitive flow from one area to the next, and should remain constant in size, shape, and so on.

Question 8

What are the three areas in which a screen is usually divided?

Answer 8

The three areas that a screen is divided into are usually:

• The top, for navigation
• The middle, for displaying the user’s work
• The bottom, for status information

Question 9

What is content awareness?

Answer 9

Content awareness is the ability of an interface to make the user aware of the content it contains, using elements such as titles, location menus, and clearly defined fields and field labels.

Question 10

What is aesthetics?

Answer 10

Aesthetics refers to the properties of an interface being pleasing to the eye, involving elements such as color, white space, form, font, patterns and more.

Question 11

What is user experience?

Answer 11

User experience refers to designing the user interface with the users’ level of computer experience in mind.

Question 12

What are the two main factors within user experience?

Answer 12

The two main factors within user experience are Ease of Learning and Ease of Use. Ease of Learning is important to novice users attempting to become familiar with the system. Ease of Use is important for expert users, who need to use the system quickly.
The two can be complementary, but aren’t always.

Question 13

What does consistency refer to?

Answer 13

Consistency, within user interface design, refers to making all similar parts of a system operate in the same way, to aid learning.

Question 14

What is “minimizing user effort”?

Answer 14

Minimizing user effort means taking measures to reduce the number of mouse-clicks and keystrokes the user uses to get to a part of the system.

Question 15

What is the “three clicks rule”?

Answer 15

The three clicks rule is a principle that states that a user should be able to go from the main menu/start area of a system to the information they need in three clicks/keystrokes or less.

Question 16

What are the steps in interface design?

Answer 16

There are five steps in user interface design, and they are iterative:

• Use Scenario Development
• Interface Structure Design
• Interface Standards Design
• Interface Design Prototyping
• Interface Evaluation

Question 17

What is use scenario development?

Answer 17

Use scenario development is creating a use scenario, an outline of the steps that a user performs to accomplish as part of their work.

Question 18

What is interface structure design?

Answer 18

Interface structure design is defining the basic components of the interface, and how they work together to provide functionality to the users.

Question 19

What is an interface structure diagram?

Answer 19

An interface structure diagram is a tool used to show how all the screens, forms, and reports are related and how the user moves from one to another. Very similar to Data Flow Diagrams, in that it uses boxes and lines to show the structure.

Question 20

What is interface standards design?

Answer 20

Interface standards design are the basic design elements that are common across all the individual screens, forms, and reports inside the system.

Question 21

What is an interface template?

Answer 21

An interface template defines the general appearance of all screens and the paper-based reports and forms.

Question 22

What is an interface design prototype?

Answer 22

An interface design prototype is a mock-up or simulation of a computer screen, form, or report.

Question 23

What is an HTML prototype?

Answer 23

An HTML prototype is a prototype of a screen or a part of the system built in HTML.

Question 24

What is a language prototype?

Answer 24

A language prototype is an interface design prototype built in the language that will be used to build the system.

Question 25

What is interface evaluation?

Answer 25

Interface evaluation is when you attempt to understand how to improve an interface.

Question 26

What are the most common approaches for heuristic evaluation?

Answer 26

There are four common approaches for heuristic evaluation:

• Heuristic Evaluation - Looking over a checklist of design principles.
• Walk-Through Evaluation - A meeting conducted with the users to walk through the interface
• Interactive Evaluation - Users try out the interface.
• Formal Usability Testing - Formal testing process.

Question 27

What are the basic software approaches for defining user commands?

Answer 27

There are three basic approaches for user commands:

• Languages - Command language (CMD) and natural language
• Menus
• Direct Manipulation - Entering commands through interface objects (buttons, etc).

Question 28

What is input design? What’s its goal?

Answer 28

Input design is designing the screen used to enter information and forms on which the users write and type information. Its goal is to capture accurate information simply and easily.

Question 29

What are the two formats for entering inputs?

Answer 29

The two formats for entering inputs are:

• Online Processing - Items are entered into the system immediately as they are input.
• Batch Processing - All inputs are collected over some period and entered in the system at one time. This simplifies communications and reduces comms cost.

Question 30

What is the most important principle of input design?

Answer 30

The most important principle of input design is to capture the data in an electronic format at the original source. This reduces duplication work, processing time, cost, and probability of error.

Question 31

What is source data automation?

Answer 31

Source data automation is the act of using special hardware to automatically capture data without needing it to be typed (barcode readers, etc).

Question 32

What is input validation?

Answer 32

Input validation is the act of ensuring that data being entered into the system is correct and accurate.

Question 33

What is output design?

Answer 33

Output design is the art of presenting information to the user in such a way that it is accurately understood with the least amount of effort.