Designing Interfaces and Dialogues Flashcards
The deliverable and outcome from system interface and dialogue design
design specification document 1. Narrative overview 2. Sample design 3. Testing and usability assessment 4-a section outlining the dialogue sequence
Interface
A method by which users interact with an information system.
human-computer interfaces must have
1- have an interaction style, and
2- use some hardware device(s) for supporting this interaction.
Methods of Interacting
- Command line
- Menu
- Form
- Object-based
- Natural language
Command language interaction
A human–computer interaction method whereby users enter explicit statements into a system to invoke operations.
Command language interaction places a substantial burden on the user to remember names, syntax, and operations.
Menu interaction
A human–computer interaction method in which a list of system options is provided and a specific command is invoked by user selection of a menu option.
user only needs to understand simple signposts and route options to effectively navigate through a system.
common methods for positioning menus.
1- Pop-up menu: a menu-positioning method that places a menu near the current cursor position
2- Drop-down menu is a menu-positioning method that places the access point of the menu near the top line of the display.
When accessed, menus open by dropping down onto the display.
Guidelines for Menu Design
- Wording — meaningful titles, clear command verbs, mixed upper/lower case
- Organization — consistent organizing principle
- Length — all choices fit within screen length
- Selection — consistent, clear and easy selection methods
- Highlighting — only for selected options or unavailable options
Form interaction
a highly intuitive human-computer interaction method whereby data fields are formatted in a manner similar to paper-based forms
Allows users to fill in the blanks when working with a system.
Object-based interaction
a human-computer interaction method in which symbols are used to represent commands or functions
Use little screen space and are easily understood by users
Icons
graphical pictures that represent specific functions within a system
Natural language interaction
a human-computer interaction method whereby inputs to and outputs from a computer-based application are in a conventional spoken language such as English
Based on research in artificial intelligence
Current implementations are tedious and difficult to work with, not as viable as other interaction methods.
Hardware Options for System Interaction
Touch screen Light Pen Graphics Tablet Voice Keyboard Mouse Joystick Trackball
Usability Problems with Hardware Devices
Visual Blocking
Extent to which device blocks display when using
User Fatigue
Potential for fatigue over long use
Movement Scaling
Extent to which device movement translates to equivalent screen movement
Durability
Lack of durability or need for maintenance (e.g., cleaning) over extended use
Adequate Feedback
Extent to which device provides adequate feedback for each operation
Speed
Cursor movement speed
Pointing Accuracy
Ability to precisely direct cursor
Common sources of data entry errors in a field
Appending: adding additional characters
Truncating: losing characters
Transcripting: entering invalid data
Transposing: reversing sequence of characters
types of system feedback
- Status information
- Prompting cues
- Error or warning messages
Guidelines for designing usable help:
Simplicity — Help messages should be short and to the point.
Organize — Information in help messages should be easily absorbed by users.
Show — It is useful to explicitly show users how to perform an operation.
Dialogue
the sequence of interaction between a user and a system
Dialogue design involves:
Designing a dialogue sequence.
Building a prototype.
Assessing usability
Guidelines for Designing Human-Computer Dialogues
Consistency Shortcuts and Sequence Feedback Closure Error Handling Reversal Control Ease
Dialogue diagramming
A formal method for designing and representing human–computer dialogues using box and line diagrams.
sections of the box used in dialogue diagramming
- Top: Contains a unique display reference number used by other displays for referencing it.
- Middle: Contains the name or description of the display.
- Bottom: Contains display reference numbers that can be accessed from the current display.
to becoming an effective GUI designer
1- Become an expert user of the GUI environment.
Understand how other applications have been designed.
Understand standards.
2- Understand the available resources and how they can be used.
Become familiar with standards for menus and forms.
Cookie crumbs
the technique of placing “tabs” on a Web page that show a user where he or she is on a site and where he or she has been
