{"id":128,"date":"2015-03-31T10:19:17","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T10:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.soton.ac.uk\/onep\/?p=128"},"modified":"2015-04-28T13:27:16","modified_gmt":"2015-04-28T13:27:16","slug":"design-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.soton.ac.uk\/onep\/2015\/03\/31\/design-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"Design Theory"},"content":{"rendered":"

In preparation for the\u00a0next blog post, the group wanted to take a look at the academics behind designing the user interfaces that people encounter every day, to\u00a0see why these principles are important. In the\u00a0next blog post, the group will\u00a0be showing the\u00a0prototype designs to see\u00a0how well the\u00a0guidelines have been followed.<\/p>\n

Design Theory<\/strong><\/p>\n

One commonly used theory in UI (User Interface) design is “Sheniderman’s Eight Golden Rules” [1], which was\u00a0created to improve the usability of an application by having a well designed UI and good interaction design. The rules\u00a0are as follows:<\/p>\n

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  1. Strive for consistency – consistent layouts, colours, terminology, commands and sequences of action<\/li>\n
  2. Enable frequent users to use shortcuts – abbreviations, function keys, hidden commands<\/li>\n
  3. Offer informative feedback<\/li>\n
  4. Design dialog to yield closure – sequences of actions should have a beginning, middle and end, and the completion of groups of actions should provide closure<\/li>\n
  5. Offer simple error handling – design the system to prevent error, and if there is an error provide simple ways to handle it<\/li>\n
  6. Permit easy reversal of actions – encourages exploration of the interface by reducing anxiety about what could happen as the error can be undone<\/li>\n
  7. Support internal locus of control – design the system so the user feels that they are controlling it, not responding to it<\/li>\n
  8. Reduce short-term memory load – keep displays simple, consolidate multiple displays and provide sufficient training<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Another design theory commonly used is Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design [2], and these are:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Visibility of system status – keep the user informed with what is happening by providing appropriate feedback within a reasonable time<\/li>\n
    2. Match between the system and the real world – the system should speak the users’ language with familiar words, phrases and concepts rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions to make information appear in a natural and logical order<\/li>\n
    3. User control and freedom – provide “emergency exit” for leaving unwanted actions and support undo and redo<\/li>\n
    4. Consistency and standards – follow platform conventions for words, situations and actions to prevent misunderstanding<\/li>\n
    5. Error prevention – use careful design to prevent errors by eliminating error-prone conditions or check for them and provide users with a confirmation option before they commit to that action<\/li>\n
    6. Recognition rather than recall – minimise memory load by making objects, actions and options visible, make sure the user doesn’t have to remember information between dialogs and ensure that instructions are visible or easily retrievable<\/li>\n
    7. Flexibility and efficiency of use – allow users to tailor frequent actions<\/li>\n
    8. Aesthetic and minimalist design – dialogs should not contain irrelevant or rarely needed information<\/li>\n
    9. Help users recognise, diagnose and recover from errors – error messages should use plain language, indicate the problem and suggest a constructive solution<\/li>\n
    10. Help and documentation – whilst it’s best if systems don’t require documentation to be used, any information should be easy to search, focused on the task, not too large and list concrete steps to be completed<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      As shown, most of these rules match up in some way and are simply there to make life easier for the user, such as preventing frustration when they – \u00a0can’t find what they are looking for, or something goes wrong and it simply says, “An error has occurred!”. Good interface design is important in everything – for example, if a user is\u00a0shopping online, it can be argued that \u00a0they are not going to keep visiting a site that makes it difficult to find what they are\u00a0looking for and creates an error every time\u00a0they attempt an action.<\/p>\n

      Whilst these design theories are not the law, simply guidelines, it is still best practice and is becoming continually more championed in the technology world, with big organisations creating their own guidelines and providing accreditation for both usability and accessibility. Further work is also being done to see how these apply specificially to mobile devices, and Gong and Tarasewich [3] look into how Shneiderman’s rules need to be modified, as well as stating their own specific guidelines, (some of which are similar to Nielsen) and these are:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Design for multiple and dynamic contexts \u00e8 allow user to configure to their needs and preferences, including text size and brightness, as well as double, single or no-handed operation<\/li>\n
      2. Design for small devices – word selection vs text input<\/li>\n
      3. Design for limited and split attention – sound and tactile output options<\/li>\n
      4. Design for speed and recovery – allow for applications to be stopped, started and resumed with little or no effort<\/li>\n
      5. Design for “top-down” interaction – present high-level information and let the user decide whether to view the details<\/li>\n
      6. Allow for personalisation – provide the users with the ability to change settings to their needs or likes<\/li>\n
      7. Design for enjoyment – applications should be visibly pleasing and fun as well as usable<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Further Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n

        As well as design heuristics for interface design, there are also legislation and principles governing usability and accessibility, particularly on the Web, but lots of it can be applied across the board.For example:<\/p>\n