Chapter 11
What are hardware options for system interaction?
Keyboard, mouse, joystick, trackball, touch screen, stylus, graphics tablet, voice
Common issues in website design
Opening new browser window Breaking/slowing down the back button Complex URLs Orphan pages Scrolling navigation pages Lack of navigation support Hidden links Links that don't provide enough information Buttons with no click feedback
What are the deliverables for this design stage?
Similar to form and report design Narrative overview, sample design, test/usability assessment AND: dialogue sequence -- ways a user can move from one display to another
What are some guidelines for designing usable help?
Simplicity Organize: use lists to break into manageable info Show: provide examples of proper use and its outcomes
What are some designs of dialogue sequences?
Single menu, Linear sequence, Multilevel tree
What is hypertext-based help?
Standard and helps user training Selectively accesses level of help they need Easy and effective for beginners and advanced users
What are the parts of dialogue diagramming?
Top: Unique reference number Middle: Name/description of display Bottom: Reference numbers of displays that can be accessed from current display
Define the details of becoming an expert user of the GUI environment?
Understanding how other applications have been designed Understand standards
Object-based interaction
human-computer method in which symbols are used to represent commands or functions
Natural language interaction
human-computer method where inputs and outputs from a computer application are in a conventional spoken language
Menu interaction
human-computer method: list of options is provided and specific command is invoked by a user selection of a menu option
Command language interaction
human-computer method: users enter explicit statements into a system to invoke operations
What are pros of object-based interaction?
icons take up little space, transcend language barriers, and are quickly understood and interpreted
Which devices were most preferred for text correction?
light pen
What are pros of form interaction?
effective for input and presentation of information; most commonly used method for data entry and retrieval
What are the other device usability problems?
user fatigue, durability, adequate feedback, speed, and pointing accuracy
What are the steps of the prototyping approach?
1. Collect information 2. Construct prototype 3. Assess usability 4. Make refinements
What are common sources of data entry errors?
Appending, truncating, transcripting, transposing Transcripting: entering invalid data Transposing: Reversing sequence of characters
How do you solve graphical interface design issues?
Become expert user of the GUI environment Understand available resources
Define the details of becoming an expert user of understanding available resources
Become familiar with standards for menu/form Understand how available resources can be used
Pros of menu interaction
Most widely used, easy to navigate, the variation of design is good for usability
Cons of natural language interaction
Can be tedious and frustrating for users
What does dialogue design involve?
Designing dialogue sequence, building prototype, assess usability
Icon
Graphical picture that represents specific functions within a system
Common properties of windows and forms in a GUI environment
Modality: cancel/save before leaving a window Resizable Movable Max/Minimize System menu
What are some facts about providing help?
One of the most important and complex design issues Consider the user's pov After leaving help screen, users should return to previous page
Cookie crumbs
Placing tabs on a webpage to show a user the current location on a site in relation to the homepage
Dialogue
Sequence of interaction between a user and system
What are types of system feedback?
Status information, prompting cues, error/warning messages
Interface
The method by which users interact with an IS
What are the two main device usability problems?
Visual blocking: device blocks display when used Movement scaling: How well device movement translates to screen movement
What are the guidelines for menu design?
Wording, organization, length, selection, highlighting (minimized)
What is command language interaction best used for?
experienced users, systems with limited command set, and rapid interaction with the system
Dialogue diagramming
formal method for designing and representing human-computer dialogues using box and line diagrams
Form interaction
highly intuitive human-computer method where data fields are formatted in a manner similar to paper-based forms
Which devices were most preferred for menu selection?
keyboard, touch screen
Which devices have movement scaling problems?
keyboard, mouse, joystick, trackball, graphics tablet, voice
Pop-up menu
menu-positioning method that places a menu near the cursor
Drop-down menu
menu-positioning method that places access point of menu near the top of the line of display
Cons of command language interaction
places burden on user to remember names, syntax and operations
Which devices were most preferred for target selection?
touch screen and light pen
Which devices have visual blocking problems?
touch screen, stylus