User Interface Design
Course Objectives
To understand the need of a good User Interface (UI)
To be aware of the general UI design principles.
Dos and Dont s List for UI design.
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User Interface (UI)
What is User Interface (UI)?
The man-machine interaction
Man-machine interaction involves how people use and communicate with
the systems
It is the front end of the system
Users interact with the computers with the help of
Video screens
Keyboards
Pointing device
The Goal of a UI
Easy to learn
Easy to use
A Good UI helps to tailor the system to the users needs
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Importance of User Interface
Can spell the difference between acceptance of a software
product and its failure in the marketplace
It is the look and feel of a software package
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User Interface Development Life Cycle
Requirement
Analysis
Design
Construct
Test
Deploy
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User Interface Development Life Cycle Flow
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Requirement Analysis
Users Profile
Task Profile
Environment
Profiles
Analyze
Users, Task
Use Case
and Environment
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Design Phase
Build Conceptual Model
Design Model
User Model
Identify the main components
Main windows
Major control points
List the main features of each component
Document main features of identified component
Sequence of events
Events required to complete the different tasks
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Design Phase
Prototypes
The prototyping of a user
interface and its subsequent
testing with real users is the
only accurate means of
measuring the usability of
an interface
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Construction Phase
Working screens are developed
Fully functional screens are developed
It is a complete visualization of the high-level design
Review of the screens is done and feedback or
suggestions for improvement are considered for
rework
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Usability Testing
Usability testing begins as early as the design phase
The three levels of usability testing are:
Concept Testing
Structured Walkthrough
User Observation
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Deployment
Working models are delivered to end users
It includes providing
Help desk support
End user training
Documentation
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Elements of User Interface Design
Windows
Events
An "event", with respect to user interfaces, is any function initiated by the user.
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Elements of User Interface Design
Push Buttons
Radio Buttons
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Elements of User Interface Design
Scroll list
Drop Down/Combo Box
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Spin Boxes
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Elements of User Interface Design
POP UP MENU/CONTEXT SENSITIVE MENU
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Elements of User Interface Design
Pull-down Menus / Drop-down Menus
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Elements of User Interface Design
Single Line / Multi Line Text Field
Check Box
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Elements of User Interface Design
Tabbed Pane
Icons
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Metaphors
Implied comparison between two things by implying that one is the
other
Ex: Desktop metaphor used in Windows and the Macintosh
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Metaphors
Deleted files
TRASH CAN
PRINTER CONSOLE
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Metaphors
Tips on choosing metaphors
Match major user objects
Simple is better
Metaphors need not be unique
Look at users real world
Be flexible
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Ergonomics
Definition
A branch of science, an approach which puts human needs and
capabilities at the focus of designing technology systems.
Objectives
Most productive use of human capabilities
Maintenance of human health and well being
Usage
Deals with the interaction of technological and work situations with the
human beings
Basic human sciences involved are
Anatomy
Physiology
Psychology
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Usability Heuristics
Use Simple and Natural dialog box
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Usability Heuristics
Speak the users language
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Usability Heuristics
Minimize the users memory load
Human weakness
Memory
Understanding complex math
Applying logic
Recognizing items is much easier than Recalling
Operation should be obvious to the user. Simple tasks should be kept
simple, and complex tasks made possible
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Usability Heuristics
Be Consistent
Ensure that the user interface works consistently
Place all buttons in consistent places on all the windows
Use the same wordings
Actions should be consistent ex: Double Click action to open folder
Same color combinations and interface styles are used across the
set of screens
Make objects consistent with its behaviour. Objects which act
differently should look different
Reduces training and support costs
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Usability Heuristics
Provide feedback
Obvious and Immediate
Example:
Acknowledge all button clicks by visual or aural feedback within 50
milliseconds
Display an hourglass for any action that will take from to 2
seconds
Animate the hourglass so they know the system is working in the
background
Display a message indicating the potential length of time (that the
user may have to wait) for any action that will take longer than 2
seconds
Offer engaging text messages to keep users informed and
entertained while they are waiting for long
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Usability Heuristics
Explorable Interface
Give users well-marked roads and landmarks
Make actions reversible
Always allow a way out
Support both novices and experts
Cater to both the inexperienced and the experienced user
Provide good error messages
Expressed in plain language (no technical jargon)
Precise
Constructively suggest solution
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Usability Heuristics
Error Prevention
Prevent a problem from occurring in the first place
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Usability Heuristics
Provide help and documentation
Easy to search through
Focused on the users task
A list of concrete steps that must be followed
Concise and precise
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Tips and Techniques
Navigation between screens
Navigation within a screen
Use colors sparingly
Follow the contrast rule
Minimal number of appropriate fonts
Items are unavailable gray (disable) them out, do not
remove them
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Tips and Techniques
Left align edit fields and right align their labels
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Tips and Techniques
Right align Integers
Peter Anderson
Sydney
Left align Strings
Australia
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Tips and Techniques
Decimal-align floating point numbers
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Tips and Techniques
Cluttering: Do not create busy/crowded screens. Reduce
cluttering.
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Tips and Techniques
Clustering: Use group boxes and white-space to group
logically related items on the screen. Enhance clustering.
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Tips and Techniques
Menu and button labels should have the key word(s) first.
Bad Choice
Insert page break
Add Footnote
Update Table of
Contents
Good Choice
Insert
Page Break
Footnote
Table of Contents
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Tips and Techniques
Always look at the users productivity, not the computers
Which of the following takes less time?
Heating water in a microwave for one minute and ten
seconds
Heating it for one minute and eleven seconds
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Tips and Techniques
Use explicit destruction
When an action has irreversible negative
consequences, it should require the user to take an
explicit action to perform it
Example:
Deleting a worksheet should require clicking on an
erase pushbutton and answering a warning question
such as Are you sure you want to erase this
worksheet? with a button click in the warning dialog
box
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Tips and Techniques
Robustness
Interface should prevent errors from occurring, but if
they do occur, it should allow users to quickly recover
Autonomy
Users are most comfortable in an environment that is
neither confining nor infinite, an environment that can be
explored and is not hazardous
Simple
A good design requires a good balance between
maximizing functionality and maintaining simplicity
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Good vs. Bad
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Good vs. Bad
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Good vs. Bad
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Good vs. Bad
This is a demo to show the visual elements
like color, fontfont-style and font size affects
the user interface.. Make the things
pleasant to the user rather than causing
eye strain and headache while reading the
text.
This is a demo to show the visual
elements like color, font-style and
font size affect the user interface.
Make the things pleasant to the
user rather than causing eye strain
and headache while reading the
text.
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Just Bad
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Just Bad
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Good Ones
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Good Ones
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Good Ones
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Reports
A Report is an integral part of any industrial strength software. We can
define reports in any of the following ways:
A set of data that is organized and formatted according to specific criteria.
Output that has been formatted for quick reading.
A display (on the screen or printed onto paper) of the records or parts of
the records of a database that satisfy a particular search or sort.
The presentation of a formatted collection of information; can be presented
on paper, on the web, on diskette, or online.
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Types of Report
Form Report
List Report
Cross Tab Report
Pivot Report
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Form Report
A form report displays one record per page.
Field values are inserted to the right of field labels.
An Example ( Prepared in Report 6i tool by Oracle)
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List Report
A List report is the most basic type of report.
List report is a columnar report.
Each column corresponds to a column selected from the database.
An Example ( Prepared in Report 6i tool by Oracle)
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Cross Tab Report
A cross tab (matrix) report contains one row of labels, one column of labels,
and information in a grid format that is related to the row and column labels.
To create a matrix report, you need at least four groups: one group must be a
cross-product group, two of the groups must be within the cross-product group
to furnish the "labels," and at least one group must provide the information to
fill the cells.
An Example ( Prepared in Report 6i tool by Oracle)
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Pivot Report
A pivot table is a great reporting tool that sorts and sums independent of the
original data layout in the spreadsheet.
An interactive report that automatically extracts, organizes, and summarizes
your data.
You can then use the report to analyze the data - for example, make
comparisons, detect patterns and relationships, and analyze trends.
An Example ( Prepared in MS Excel)
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Tools for generating reports
Crystal Reports by Seagate
Reports 6i by Oracle
Excel by Microsoft
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To Summarize
Use Simple and Natural Dialog
Speak the Users Language
Minimize the Users Memory Load
Be Consistent
Provide Feedback
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To Summarize
Provide Clearly Marked Exits
Provide Shortcuts
Provide Good Error Messages
Prevent rather than cure
Provide Help and Documentation
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Thank You!
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