subject: Understanding User Interface Design And Why It Matters [print this page] User interface design a subset of field of study called human-computer interaction (HCI).
Human-computer interaction th study, planning, and design f hw people nd computers work tgther s that person's ned r satisfied n th most effective way. HCI designers must nidr variety f factors: wht people wnt nd expect, wht physical limitations and abilities people possess, how their perceptual and information processing systems work, and wht people find enjoyable and attractive. Designers must lo considr technical characteristics and limitations of the computer hardware and software.
The user interface is th part f computer and its software that people cn se, hear, touch, talk t, r thrwse understand or direct. The user interface has essentially tw components: input nd output. Input hw person communicates h or hr nd r desires to the computer. Sme common input components ar th keyboard, mouse, trackball, n's finger (fr touch-sensitive screens or pads), and one's voice (fr spoken instructions). Output is how the computer conveys the results f ts computations and requirements t th user. Today the mt common computer output mechanism th display screen, followd by mechanisms that tak advantage of person's auditory capabilities: voice nd sound. The use of th human senses f smell and touch output n interface design tll remain largely unexplored. Proper interface design wll provide mix f well-designed input nd output mechanisms that satisfy th user's ned, capabilities, nd limitations in the mst effective wy sible. Th bt interface s ne tht not noticed, and n tht permits the user t focus on the information and task t hand ntad of th mechanisms ued t present the information nd perform the task.
The Importance of Good Design
With today's technology nd tools, nd ur motivation t create rll effective nd ubl interfaces and screens, wh do we continue t produce systems that ar inefficient and confusing r, at worst, ut plain unusable? I t bause:
1. W don't care?
2. W dn't possess common sense?
3. W don't have th time?
4. We stll dn't knw what rall makes good design?
5. We have know idea on outcome of effective User Testing?
I tk the view tht the root au r Number 4, wth a good deal f Number 3 thrown n. W d care. But we nvr em to hv time t find out what makes good design, never have capacity or the budget for user testing, nr t properly apply t. Aftr ll, mn of u hav thr things to d in addition t designing interfaces and screens. S we tke our best shot gvn the workload nd time constraints imposed un u. The result, t often, s woefully inadequate.
I discounted the "we don't possess common sense" alternative years g. If, a I hv hrd thousands f times, interface and screen design wre rell matter ofcommon sense, developers would hav produced lmot identical screens for similar applications nd functions fr mn years. Whn w the lat time yu aw tw designers create lmot identical screen solutions, based on the m requirements, withut th aid of design guidelines r standards (r with thm s wll)?
A wll-designed interface and screen are terribly important t users. The ar thir window to view the capabilities f th system, th bridge t th capabilities f the software. To many users it i th system, becu t s ne of the fw visible components f th product t developers create. It also th vehicle thrugh whh many critical tasks ar presented. Th tasks oftn hav a direct impact n n organization's relations with t customers, nd ts profitability.
A screen's layout nd appearance nd system's navigation affect person in a variety f ways. If the are confusing and inefficient, people wll have greater difficulty ding ther jobs nd will make more mistakes. Poor design m even chase ome people wa from system permanently. It n l lead t aggravation, frustration, nd increased stress.
On user relieved his frustrations with hs computer thrugh couple f well-aimed bullets frm a gun. Anthr user, n a moment of extreme exasperation, dropped hs PC ut f hi upr-floor office window. Poor interface design can ls hv a huge financial cost t users and organizations. A critical system, uch as n ud in air traffic control r n a nuclear power plant, my compromise th safety f it users and/r the general public.
