INTECH 3101

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CHAPTER 3: GUIDELINES, PRINCIPLES, &
o Develop pages that will print
THEORIES properly
o Use thumbnail images to preview
 GUIDELINES – specific and practical larger images
o Cures for design problems
o Cautions for potential danger B. Organizing the display
o Reminders based on experience 5 high-level goals of display organization
 PRINCIPLES – mid-level o Consistency of data display
o Analyze and compare competing o Efficient information assimilation by
designs the user
 THEORIES – high level (includes models) o Minimal memory load on the user
o Limited application o Compatibility of data display with
o Specific design rules data entry
o Flexibility for the user control of data
GUIDELINES display

 Best practice, based on practical C. Getting the users attention

experiences or empirical studies 7 issues that can be used to draw user’s
 Written guidelines help to develop a attention
“shared language” and based on it o Intensity: Use high intensity to draw
promote consistency among multiple attention
designers and designs/products o Marking: e.g. underlining, using
 They build a good starting point but need arrows, boarders, etc.
management processes to facilitate their o Size: use large fonts to draw
enforcement. attention
 Terminology, appearance, action o Choice of fonts: Use exceptional font
sequences, input/output formats and Do’s styles to draw attention
and Don’ts of graphic styles. o Blinking: Use blinking to draw
 Examples: attention (careful!)
o Navigating the interface o Color: Use exceptional colors to draw
o Organizing the display attention
o Getting the user’s attention o Audio: Use harsh sounds for
o Facilitating data entry exceptional conditions
WEB DESIGN GUIDELINES
D. Facilitating data entry
A. Navigating the interface 5 high-level objectives should be pursued
6 rules (examples) of how to enhance the in order to best facilitate data entry:
ease of interface navigation o Consistency of data-entry
o Standardize task sequences transactions
o Ensure that links are descriptive o Minimal input actions by user
o Use unique and descriptive o Minimal memory load on users
headings o Compatibility of data entry with data
o Use radio buttons for mutually display
exclusive choices o Flexibility for user control of data
entry
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INTECH 3101
@aeysev
PRINCIPLES o Some specific guidelines for this group are:
 Provide instructions, dialog boxes,
 Are more fundamental, widely applicable online help
and enduring than guidelines  Restrict the vocabulary to a small
 Problem: Clarification is more important number of familiar and consistently
in order to ensure consequent used terms
interpretation  Use only a small number of actions
 Task/Principles that may be (simple task)
performed/followed as part of most UI  Provide sufficient informative and
projects: feedback about accomplished tasks
o Determine user’s skill levels  Provide user manuals, video
o Identify the tasks demonstrations, and task oriented
o Choose an interaction style online tutorials
o The Eight Golden Rules of Interface
Design KNOWLEDGEABLE INTERMITTENT USERS
o Prevent errors
o They have stable task concepts and broad
o Ensuring human control while
knowledge of interface concepts, but they
increasing automation
may have difficulty retaining the structure
1. Determine user’s skill levels of menus or the location of features
o Every designer should start with o Some specific guidelines for this group
trying to understand the intended are:
user  Reduce burden on memory
o Specifying the intended user is a very  Orderly structure menus
important yet very difficult task  Use consistent terminology and
o Determining the user skill level is sequences of actions
especially important  Use meaningful messages
1. Skills in regard to interface  Provide guides to frequent pattern of
usage in general usage
2. Skills in regard to the  Provide context dependent help
particular application or task  Use well-organized reference manuals
domain
o Start with classifying your users into EXPERT FREQUENT USER
one of 3 groups: o Are thoroughly familiar with the task
1. Novice or first-time users
concept and general interface concepts
2. Knowledgeable intermittent
o Main goal of such “power users” is to get
users
work done fast and efficiently
3. Expert frequent user
o Some specific guidelines for this group
are:
NOVICE OR FIRST-TIME USERS  Ensure rapid response times
 Provide brief and non-distracting
o Know neither the interface concepts nor the
feedback
task domain (novice users)
 Provide shortcuts to carry out
o Familiar with interface concepts but are new
frequent actions
to the task domain (first-time user)

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INTECH 3101
@aeysev
 Provide string commends and  Skill Level: Novice and intermittent
abbreviations users, possibly experienced frequent
users
What makes good design so important?

 Ratio completion time of novice to expert c. FROM FILL-IN

users can be as high as: 100 to 1  The user enters data into text
 Not any other fields or problems have this fields, text areas etc.
disparity  Pros: Makes data entry easier
than with menus
2. Identify the task  Cons: The user is required to
o Answer the question: What tasks are understand the field labels
carried out by the user?  Skill Level: Knowledgeable
o This process often involves interviewing intermittent users and expert
and observing the user, which also helps frequent users
to understand the task frequencies and
sequences d. COMMAND LANGUAGES
o Start with high-level tasks, decompose  The user types commands in order
them into smaller steps and finally atomic to accomplish the required task
actions  Pros: Very flexible, supports user
initiative, puts the user into
3. Choose an Interaction control
a. DIRECT MANIPULATION  Cons: High error rates, poor error
 Creates a visual representation of the handling, requires substantial
“world of action” training and memorization
 Pros: Users work with familiar objects in a  Skill Level: Expert frequent users
familiar way, reduced time-to-learn,
reduced error rate, high retention over e. NATURAL LANGUAGES
time, encourages exploration  Use natural language in order to
 Cons: Not suitable for every scenario, accomplish the required task
may be too complicated and slow, may  Pros: Users do not need to learn a
be hard to realize (program), requires syntax
pointing devices  Cons: Clarification dialog required
 Skill Level: Novice and intermittent users, (What to do next?)
possibly experienced frequent users  Skill Level: Possibly everyone, in
particular intermittent users that
b. NAVIGATION AND MENU SELECTION are not able to learn complex
 Users are provided with a list of times, syntax
may select an item appropriate to their
task and observe the effect 4. The Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design
 Pros: Tasks can be accomplished with 1. Strive for consistency
little learning 2. Seek universal usability
 Cons: Danger of clutter (too many 3. Offer informative feedback
options, menus), may slow down 4. Design dialogs to yield closure
frequent users 5. Prevent errors
6. Permit easy reversal of actions
7. Keeps users in control
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INTECH 3101
@aeysev
8. Reduce short-term memory load  Explanatory
o Describe sequences of events with
causal relationship
5. Prevent errors  Prescriptive
a. General issues that should be o Offers guidelines for designers to
considered in order to prevent errors: make decisions
o Improve the error  Predictive
messages provided by the o Enables comparison of design
interface alternatives based on numeric
o Use functionally organized predictions of speed or errors
screens and menus
o Design menu choices and
commands to be By Human Capacity
distinctive
o Consider universal usability  Motor
 Other more specific issues: o Skill in pointing, clicking, dragging,
o Correct actions or other movements
o Complete sequence  Perceptual
o Visual, auditory, tactile, and other
6. Ensuring human control while increasing human sensory inputs
automation  Cognitive
a. Automation o Problem solving with short- and
1. Increases familiarity long-term memory
2. Increases over time
3. Improves speed
b. Why have humans if we can automate CLASSES OF THEORIES
tasks?
1. Real world is an open system 1. Design-by-levels theories
2. Computers are closed system 2. Stages-of-action theories
c. Humans are there for: 3. Consistency theories
1. Unexpected situations 4. Contextual theories
2. Preserve safety 5. Dynamic theories
3. Avoid failures
4. Increase product quality

THEORIES

 Tested, reliable, broadly acceptable

TYPES OF THEORIES

By Theory Type

 Descriptive
o Describe user interfaces and their
uses with consistent terminology
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