Chapter 12 Designing Interfaces and Dialogues

Objectives:

Explain the process of interface and dialogue design.

Contrast and apply methods for interacting with a system.

List and describe various input devices and factors affecting their usability.

Describe guidelines for designing interface layout, data entry field structure, feedback, and system help.

Design graphical user interfaces.

Interface/Dialogue Design

Layout (of widgets, text, and table data) Structuring data entry (tab order) Controlling data input (validation and

format controls) Feedback (prompting, status, warning,

and error messages) Dialogue sequencing

Deliverables and Outcomes

A typical interface/dialogue design specification:

Similar to form design, but includes dialogue sequence specifications

Interface Methods

Interface: the method by which a user interacts with the information system

Common interaction methods

•Command line

•Menu

•Form

•Object-based

•Natural language

Command Line Interaction

Users enter explicit statements into a system to invoke operations

Example from MS DOS:

•COPY C:PAPER.DOC A:PAPER.DOC

•This copies a file from the C: drive to the A: drive

Includes keyboard shortcuts and function keys Experienced users and for rapid interaction with

a system User interface standards

Menu Interaction

A list of system options is provided and specific command is invoked by user selection of a menu option

Two common menu types:

•Pop-up: menu placed near current cursor position

• List of commands or possible values

•Drop-down: access point to menu placed at top line of display, menu drops down when access point clicked

Guidelines for Menu Design

Wording: meaningful titles, clear command verbs, mixed upper/lower case

•Quit prior menu or exit program? Organization: consistent organizing principle

•Related options grouped together

•Same option should have the same wording Length: all choices fit within screen length

•Use submenus to break up exceedingly long menus

Guidelines for Menu Design

Selection: consistent, clear and easy selection methods

•How to select and the consequences of each option – will another menu appear?

Highlighting: only for selected options (check mark) or unavailable options (dimmed text)

Use menu building tools

Poor Menu Design

Good Menu Design

Form Interaction

Allows users to fill in the blanks when working with a system

Measures of an effective design:

•Self-explanatory title and field headings

•Fields organized into logical groupings

•Distinctive boundaries

•Default values

•Displays appropriate field lengths

•Minimizes the need to scroll windows

Object Interaction

Symbols are used to represent commands or functions.

Icons:

•Graphic symbols that look like the processing option they are meant to represent

•Use little screen space

•Can be easily understood by users

Natural Language Interaction

Inputs to and outputs from system are in a conventional speaking language like English

Based on research in artificial intelligence Current implementations are tedious and

difficult to work with, not as viable as other interaction methods

Hardware Options for System Interaction

Keyboard Mouse Joystick Trackball

Make selection during logical design!!!

Touch Screen Light Pen Graphics Tablet Voice

Different interfaces require different devices

Types of Interaction Device Usability Problems

Visual Blocking: extent to which device blocks display when using

User Fatigue: potential for fatigue over long use Movement Scaling: extent to which device

movement translates to equivalent screen movement

Durability: lack of durability or need for maintenance (e.g., cleaning) over extended use

Types of Interaction Device Usability Problems

Adequate feedback: extent to which device provides adequate feedback for each operation

Speed: cursor movement speed Pointing accuracy: ability to precisely direct

cursor

Usability Problems with Hardware Devices

Visual Blocking• touch screen, light pen

User Fatigue• touch screen, light pen

Movement Scaling• keyboard, mouse,

joystick, trackball, graphics tablet, voice

Durability• trackball, touch screen

Adequate Feedback• keyboard, mouse,

joystick, trackball, graphics tablet, voice

Speed• keyboard

Pointing Accuracy• joystick, touch screen,

light pen, voice

Designing Interfaces

Use standard formats similar to paper-based forms and reports

Consistently format across applications Left-to-right, top-to-bottom screen navigation Areas of screen not used for data entry should

be inaccessible to users

Designing Interfaces

Flexibility and consistency:• Free movement between fields, forward and

backward• No permanent data storage until the user requests • Each key and command assigned to one function

and this should be consistent across the entire system and across systems, if possible

Data entry screen functional capabilities (Table 12-5):• Cursor control forward, backward, first, last field,

etc.• Delete the character to the left of the cursor, under

the cursor, etc.

Structuring Data Entry

Entry Never require data that are already online or that can be computed

Defaults Always provide default values when appropriate

Units Make clear the type of data units requested for entry

Replacement Use character replacement when appropriate – look up value in table or automatically fill in

Captioning Always place a caption adjacent to fields

Format Provide formatting examples – show embedded symbols

Justify Automatically justify data entries

Help Provide context-sensitive help when appropriate

Entering Text

Controlling Data Input

Objective: reduce data entry errors Common sources data entry errors in a field:

•Appending: adding additional characters

•Truncating: losing characters

•Transcripting: entering invalid data

•Transposing: reversing sequence of characters

Types of Validation Tests

Class or Composition Combinations Expected Values – match with existing Missing Data Range Reasonableness Self-checking Digits Size - # of characters Values – standard (state codes)

Feedback Messages

Status information: keep user informed of what’s going on, helpful when user has to wait for response

Prompting cues: tell user when input is needed, and how to provide the input• Should be specific

Warning or Error: inform user that something is wrong, either with data entry or system operation:• Specific, no jargon, don’t scold user

• Same format, placement

Providing Help

Place yourself in user’s place when designing help Guidelines:

• Simplicity• Help messages should be short and to the point• Use complete sentences and words that enable

understanding• Organize

• Information in help messages should be easily absorbed by users – bulleted or ordered list

• Show• It is useful to explicitly show users how to perform

an operation Use tools to design system help

• HTML help environment – text editor to construct help pages that can be easily linked

What is a Dialogue?

A sequence of interactions between the system and a user

Dialogue design involves:

•Designing a dialogue sequence

•Building a prototype

•Assessing usability

Guidelines for Dialogue Design

Consistency Shortcuts and

Sequence (natural) Feedback for every

user action (confirm add, delete)

Closure – there are no more screens

Error Handling – detect, report, make suggestions

Reversal – undo a delete

Control Ease of use

Dialogue Diagramming

A formal method for designing and representing human-computer dialogues using box and line diagrams

Dialogue diagrams depict the sequence, conditional branching, and repetition of dialogues

Designing Interfaces and Dialogues in Graphical Environments

Become an expert user of the GUI environment.• Understand how other applications have been

designed. • Understand standards.

Gain an understanding of the available resources and how they can be used.• Become familiar with standards for menus and

forms• File menu is always first• Help is always last• Right arrow shows that item leads to a

submenu

GUI Window Properties That Can Be Turned On or Off

Modality: require user to finish action before proceeding

Resizable: allow user to change size of window Movable: allow user to reposition window Maximize: allow user to make window take

entire screen Minimize: allow user to completely hide window System menu: allow window to have access to

system level functions

GUI Dialogue Design Issues

Goal is to establish the sequence of displays that users will encounter when working with system.

Ability of some GUI environments to jump from application to application or screen to screen makes sequencing a challenge.

One approach is to make users always resolve requests for information before proceeding, although this doesn’t take advantage the GUI’s task-switching capability.

Dialogue diagramming helps analysts better manage the complexity of designing graphical interfaces.