Chapter 6 Review (Asterisk Indicates Added Term)

*Learnability, Efficiency, Memorability, Error Management, and Satisfaction

Jakob Nielsen's five identified essential criteria that make something usable

Efficiency

What is the measure of how fast a user can perform tasks after learning how to use the interface?

Breadcrumbs

What term is used metaphorically to describe a feature that prevents users from getting lost in an interface?

*Personalization

When a computer system personalizes your interface, it's using your previous actions (sometimes information you put in a profile) to predict your interests. In other words, it relies on your implicit interests rather than your explicitly expressed ones. Ex: Netflix.com might recommend Avatar based on the fact that you've rented other science fiction and fantasy movies.

*Tailoring

When interfaces adapt to individual users. Two types: personalization & customization

*Menu(s)

______ are the most common navigational tool used in graphical user interfaces. Types: Vertical Dropdown. Horizontal Dropdown, Accordions, Tabs

*Radio Button

(small circles) let users choose among mutually exclusive options (e.g. yes or no; red, green, or orange)

Thumbnail

A __________ is a reduced-size version of a larger image.

*Cascading Style Sheets

CSS stands for ___________________.

*Text Field

Let users type in what they want. Types: Checkboxes, Radio Buttons, Dropdown Lists

*Input Prompt

Provide a visual hint to users entering data into a form field. Prefill a text field with a prompt, telling you what to type.

*Multi-Touch

The ability to simultaneously detect and accept two or more touch points. Ex: The Apple iPad

*Clickstream

A record of your clicks, a way to collect data (data mining) to anticipate what action you might take next.

*Navigation

Good _________ is essential. This provides structure and organization, helps manage information and, more importantly, it guides users through the interface so they know what information is available, where they are, where they have been, and where they can go next. Menus acre the common tool used in this for graphical user interfaces.

*Memorability

If a user has used the interface before, can he or she still remember enough to use it effectively after being away from it for a while? This is an issue of ___________________.

*Secondary Navigation

Organizes the content that is less often visited by users. Ex: Tabs, Footers, Breadcrumbs

*1996 Telecommunications Act

Section 255 of the __________________________ calls for electronic media to be made accessible.

Gestures

x

*Responsive Web Design

Term coined by Ethan Marcotte (2011) in his book "Responsive Web Design" to refer to the practice of building a website that works for every device with optimal display regardless of the screen size. With the rapid adoption of mobile devices this has become a recent trend to increase website usability across all platforms.

*Dropdown Menu

A ________________________ come in many shapes and sizes. A) A vertical one offers simple linear navigation. B) A two-dimensional panel that categorizes navigation options under group headings. C) A horizontal one that branches off the main vertical menu to provide access to additional submenus.

*Above The Fold

A design principle that originated in the age of print media. User interface designers adopted the term _______________ (or above the scroll) to refer to the part of a web page or screen that is visible without scrolling. The "fold" (i.e., the point where users need to scroll) may vary depending on the resolution of a user's monitor or screen. Primary navigation is usually place in the most visible place __________________, such as the top of the interface below the header and the logo. You might have heard people say that all the important text and images should be placed "______________" so users don't have to scroll down a page or a screen to get to it.

*Accessibility

A fundamental principle of user interface design. Defined in terms of making sure users with disabilities can access your content, but this can also help people with technological constraints, making it usable by as many people as possible.

*Parallax Scrolling

A recent trend in web design. The background of the site moves at a slower speed than the foreground elements on the page to create a faux 3D visual effect. The majority of websites with this have only one single long page created by either JavaScript or CSS. Provide great opportunities to encourage online story-telling by guiding you through the site in a linear manner. Provokes curiosity but not conducive to website SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

*Data Mining

A way a system can collect data about its users and the interactions that occur with the website.

*Archives

A way to deal with a large amount of information is to organize it chronologically using _____________. This is only appropriate for information that spans a rather long period of time and that users can logically browse chronologically, such as by date.

*Customization

Allows users to deliberately tailor content, giving them agency. As a user, you can directly choose options or even create new content. As researcher Sampada Marathe explains, customization can be either cosmetic or functional.

*Voice Interface

Allows you to use probably the most natural input method --voice/speech-- to interact with digital devices. Relies on the technology progresses in machine learning of natural language and statistical data-mining techniques. Ex: Siri for iOS

*Carousel(s)

Another way to organize visual content on a user interface. Organizes items on a horizontal line. These effectively direct users to concentrate on a limited number of things at one time. More effective when used for visual items. Ex: Netflix uses stacked ____________ to organize movie and TV show selections thematically according to program genre

*User Interface (UI)

Any system that supports Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) or Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Types: Graphical, Touch, Voice

*Accordion(s)

Are a special form of menu with a vertically or horizontally stacked list of sections. Can give users easy access to other sections without causing information overload.

*User Interface(s)

In _______________, we most commonly find those features that 1) classify categories and create sections, such as menus and tabs; 2) manage the hierarchy, helping users move within the structure of an interface, such as home links, breadcrumbs, and footers; and 3) organize content, such as thumbnails, carousels, pagination, archives, and tag clouds.

User Interface

In the field of information technology, a _______ is any system that supports human-machine interaction (HMI) or human-computer interaction (HCI).

*Collaborative Filtering

One of the best ways to personalize an interface. This technology examines both your profile and the action you're taking, such as viewing a book on Amazon.com. It then bases feedback on what similar people who took that same action did. The group of like-minded people you are being compared to constantly changes based on what you're doing .

*Primary Navigation

Organizes the content that users are interested in by major topical headings or labels (e.g., Home, About Us, Products, Contact Us, etc.) Usually placed in the most visible place above the fold. The most commonly used ________ element is a menu.

Interactivity

Our book defines _________ as the reciprocal communication between the media and the users facilitated by various technology features; in other words, it's the user and the media communicating with one another.

*Touch Interface

Use touch screens as combined input and output devices. They let users directly interact with what is displayed on screen by using one or more fingers. These interfaces can also sense passive objects other than fingers, such as a stylus.

*Breadcrumbs

Usually used for complicated interfaces and hierarchically arranged layers. On websites these are typically right below the navigation menu in a horizontal line. They are often styled so they are plain and don't take up too much space, as a result they have little impact on users' processing of interface content. Can also be a good way to invite first-time users to further explore the interface after viewing a landing page. May effectively reduce the number of clicks a user needs to reach a higher structure on an interface.

*Usability, Accessibility

Whereas _____________ refers to designing an effective, efficient, and satisfying interface, ______________ focuses on allowing more people, especially those with disabilities, to use that interface under more circumstances.Chapter Summary

Pagination

_____ is an interface component or technique that gives users an idea about how much information to anticipate on a site and makes it easier for users to navigate through multiple screens of information. (*Might be used for a large set of organized info such as a long article, batch of customer reviews, etc.)

Parallax Scrolling

______ is a website technology that allows the foreground and background elements of a webpage to move at different speeds during vertical scrolling of the page.

Responsive Web Design

______ web design is an approach to web design whereby sites automatically conform to the user's device and screen size across a wide range of digital devices carousel.

Web User Interafaces (WUIs)

_______, which accept input and generate output in the form of web pages, are probably the most widely used GUIs.

Touch Interfaces

________ use touch screens as combined input and output devices and let users directly interact with what is displayed on screen by using one or more fingers.

*Augmented Reality (AR)

__________ is about superimposing the computer-generated text, graphics, audio, GPS (Global Positioning System) data, and other sensory elements atop your view of the real-world environment in real time. Different from virtual reality that entirely replaces the real world with a simulated one, this type of reality is more of a mediated reality. Ex: Google Glass, Baidu Eye (the Google Glass rival from China)

*Checkbox

(small squares) let users select multiple options, even all of them, if they'd like (e.g., interests: reading, playing music, playing sports, cooking)

*Web User Interface (WUI)

Accepts input and generates output in the form of web pages, probably the most widely used graphical interfaces. Use HTML, CSS, scripting, programming, and applications such as Flash to enhance user interaction.

Radio Buttons (small circles)

On a form, a _____________ is used to allow a user to make a single choice from among mutually exclusive options.

Graphical User Interface

GUI stands for _____

*Motion Tracking Interfaces

Natural graphical user interfaces that directly monitor and respond to users' body movements.

*Rehabilitation Act

Section 508 of the _______________________ requires federal agencies to make their information technology, such as websites, accessible to people with disabilities; this is frequently a requirement of organizations receiving federal funding or doing business with the federal government.

*Dropdown List

(text followed by a triangular down arrow) also let users choose among mutually exclusive options, but you can reasonably include more options in a dropdown list than with radio buttons (e.g., a list of states to let you identify the state you live in).

*Learnability

How fast a user can accomplish the basic tasks on an interface they have never used before.

*Agency

In social science, _______________ is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. Here this could mean the ability to have more control over the content they are interacting with.

*Footer

In the __________ of a website, you can add links to the frequently used sections of the site, RSS feeds, social media sites, recent updates, or sign-up forms for newsletters.

Voice

The rise of __________ relies on technology progresses in machine learning of natural language and statistical data-mining techniques.

Usability

As we have noted before, _____ is the measure of people's experience with a user interface.

*Fat Footer

Provides continuous access to shortcuts to highly used sections, as well as major functions that are important to users regardless of where they are in the site or application.

Motion Tracking Interfaces

The wireless controller on a Wii system is an example of what type interface?

Graphical User Interfaces

A ___________ includes elements of windows, icons, menus, buttons, and scrolling bars.

*Media Stickiness

An increased sense of agency can boost "_____________" and better engage users with the interface.

*Tab Menu

Designers use tabs when an interface needs to provide access to different content modules or sections. This technique is similar to labeling folders and organizing them in a file cabinet. Tabs provide an easy way to show a large amount of information by category.

The speed at which they can complete tasks on an interface is affected due to their minimal knowledge/interaction with that interface. Their ability to interact with the interface is effected if it is not memorable or efficient in its workings.

How do issues like learnability and memorability affect users with an interface?

*Functional Customization

Lets you change the functionality of your interface. Ex: MyYahoo.com

*Cosmetic Customization

Lets you control presentation, such as the background, color, font, layout, graphics, and your profile photo. Ex: the Wii

Form

x