ITU 08215

MOBILE COMPUTING
LEARNING UNIT-

Dr. Bonny Mgawe

 2 LEARNING OUTCOMES

• After completing this topic you should be able to:

— Discuss about user interface design guideline
 3 MOBILE SOFTWARE

• Mobile applications/software have become essential in our daily lives, providing us with convenient
access to various services and functionalities.
• To develop mobile apps, developers often utilize frameworks tailored to specific mobile platforms.
• There are various mobile app development frameworks available in the tech world that you can
consider learning to build your own mobile application.
 4 MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

• Mobile App Development Framework is a library that offers the required fundamental structure to
create mobile applications for a specific environment. In short, it acts as a layout to support mobile
app development.
• Moreover, mobile application frameworks can be classified majorly into 3 categories:
1. Native Apps: designed for a particular platform or device
2. Web Apps: designed to deliver web pages
3. Hybrid Apps:
 5 FLUTTER

• Developed by Google, Flutter is an open-source UI software development kit (SDK) used to build
natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop from a single codebase.
• It uses the Dart programming language and offers high-performance, customizable UI components.
 6 USER INTERFACE DESIGN

• Effective software design encompasses a variety of factors to ensure that the end product meets both
business requirements and user needs.
• One crucial aspect of software design is the user interface (UI), which serves as the primary channel
of interaction between users and mobile systems.
 7 USER INTERFACE DESIGN

• The goal of UI design is to develop interfaces that are not only visually appealing but also functional
and easy to use.
• A well-designed UI should facilitate two-way communication between users and the mobile system,
allowing users to interact with data and perform tasks efficiently.
• Therefore, user interface has essentially two components: input and output.
 8 USER INTERFACE DESIGN

• The use of the human senses of smell and touch output in interface design still remain largely
unexplored.
• Proper interface design will provide a mix of well-designed input and output mechanisms that satisfy
the user's needs, capabilities, and limitations in the most effective way possible.
 9 EVOLUTION OF USER INTERFACE DESIGN

• Traditionally, UI design focused primarily on output, with users interacting with character-based
screens and command-line interfaces.
• However, modern UI design has evolved into a two-way channel, with powerful output capabilities
and user-driven customization options.
• Today, successful applications are designed with a user-centered approach, prioritizing user needs
and preferences.
 10 SEVEN HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL INTERFACE DESIGNERS

1. Understand the Business - Designers should have a thorough understanding of business

requirements and objectives.
2. Maximize Graphical Effectiveness
3. Think Like a User
 11 MAXIMIZE GRAPHICAL EFFECTIVENESS

• Utilize graphical elements effectively to enhance the visual appeal and usability of the interface.
• A well-designed interface can help users learn a new system rapidly and be more productive.
• Also, in a graphical environment, a user can display and work with multiple windows on a
single screen and transfer data between programs.
• If the interface supports data entry, it must follow the guidelines for data entry screen design.
 12 MAXIMIZE GRAPHICAL EFFECTIVENESS

• A good data entry form design can be discussed in these four categories:
1. Structure
2. Text
3. Technical design
4. Data validation
 13 STRUCTURE

• Consider the following when designing the overall structure of a form:

1. Structure everything vertically
2. Rely on one column
3. Don’t split numbers
4. Break up long forms
 14 TEXT

• The way you present text and write copy on your forms can have a big impact on overall conversion
rates. Here are some tips to follow:
1. Clear and concise labels
2. Use action words for buttons
3. Use first-person
4. Separate placeholder text and label text
 15 TECHNICAL DESIGN

• Some of the most important technical aspects of form design are:

1. Autofill
2. Keyboards
3. Predictive search
 16 DATA VALIDATION

• There are two important concepts to cover with data validation.

1. Validate data inline
2. Autocorrect format errors

• For more tutorial about data entry form design visit:

GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNING USER INTERFACE SOFTWARE : 1. Data Entry (hcibib.org)
 17 THINK LIKE A USER

• Designers should empathize with users and anticipate their needs and behaviors.
1. Flexibility for Different User Capabilities--cisco
2. Thinking Like a User--crdb app check balance
3. Using Familiar Terms and Metaphors--file management system
4. Providing Useful Feedback--doudle tick whatApps
 18 SEVEN HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL INTERFACE DESIGNERS

4. Use Models and Prototypes - Develop models and prototypes to test and refine the interface design.
5. Focus on Usability - Prioritize usability to ensure that the interface is intuitive and easy to navigate.
6. Invite Feedback - Seek feedback from users and stakeholders to identify areas for improvement.
7. Document Everything - Maintain thorough documentation of the design process, decisions, and
revisions.
 19 A CASE TO DISCUSS

• Suppose you are a systems analyst studying the order processing system at certain company. You know
that many data entry users have complained about the input screens. Some users would prefer to
rearrange the order of the fields; others would like to change the background color on their screens;
still others want shortcuts that would allow them to avoid a series of introductory screens.
1. What if users could customize their own data entry screens without assistance from the IT staff by
using a menu-driven utility program? What would be the pros and cons of such an approach?
 20 A CASE TO DISCUSS

2. How is the increased use of smartphones and tablets, with their smaller screen size, affecting
user interface design practices?
3. Explore the emerging area of wearable computing, such as the Apple Watch and Android Wear,
and comment on the impact of these devices on user interface design.