Human Computer Interface (CSC 409)

The User Interface Design Process

Adedoyin I. OYEBADE
sacnet2015@[Link]

Bowen University,
Iwo, Nigeria

November 14, 2023

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Presentation Overview

1 The User Interface Design Process

Obstacles and Pitfalls in the Development Path
Designing for People
Usability

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Obstacles and Pitfalls in the Development Path

1 The path is littered with obstacles and traps, many of them

human in nature
2 General condition designers must know
• Nobody ever gets it right the first time
• Development is chock-full of surprises
• Good design requires living in a sea of changes.
• Making contracts to ignore change will never eliminate the need
for change.
• Even if you have made the best system humanly possible,
people will still make mistakes when using it.
• Designers need good tools
• You must have behavioral design goals like performance design
goals.

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Obstacles and Pitfalls in the Development Path
1 Pitfalls in the design process exist because of a flawed design
process, including a failure to address critical design issues, an
improper focus of attention, or development team
organization failures.
2 Common pitfalls in design process are
• No early analysis and understanding of the user’s needs and
expectations.
• A focus on using design features or components that are “neat”
or “glitzy.”
• Little or no creation of design element prototypes.

• No usability testing.

• No common design team vision of user interface design goals.

• Poor communication between members of the development

team.
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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Obstacles to design will always exist, pitfalls can be eliminated

if the following design commandments remain foremost in the
development process

2 Provide a multidisciplinary design team: Provide a balanced

design team, including specialists in:
• Development, including system analysis and software design

• Interface Design

• Visual design

• Usability assessment

• Usability assessment

• Training

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Solicit early and ongoing user involvement: Involving the

users in requirements determination and/or testing from the
beginning provides a direct conduit to the knowledge they
possess about jobs, tasks, system goals, and needs.

2 Different types of users may exist:

• End users: Sometimes simply called users, these are the people
who actually use the system to perform tasks and jobs.
• Customers: These are the people within the using organization
who pay for and usually specify the overall objectives and goals
of the system.
• Other interested parties: These are people within the user
organization who also have an interest in the development of
the system.

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Solicit early and ongoing user involvement: Benefits

• A more accurate set of requirements will be obtained.

• In some situations there may be improved user acceptance of

the system.
• There is little evidence that systems are either more effective or
efficient when users are closely involved in making design
decisions
• During testing, users can be effectively used as participants.
Emphasis should be on obtaining quantitative data

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments
1 Solicit early and ongoing user involvement: It is helpful for
users to be involved at every stage in the interface design,
development, and implementation cycle:
• Early in the design process when requirements are being
determined: Users can help by providing design requirements
and specifications, testing early design prototypes, and by
allowing themselves to be observed performing their current
tasks.
• Throughout prototyping to test designs and options:
Feedback and suggestions can made for each prototype tested
in the development process.
• During training: Opinions can be gathered and any additional
problems described.
• After system delivery: Opinions can be gathered and feedback
concerning any additional problems encountered during actual
system use can be provided.
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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Gain a complete understanding of users and their tasks:

All users, including customers and other interested parties
expect a level of design sophistication from all user interfaces

2 The software must be geared toward people’s need

3 Failure to understand the users and their task will lead to

system failure and rejection

4 Set performance goals such as success rates and the time it

takes to complete tasks.
5 Set preference goals that address satisfaction and acceptance
by users.

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Create the appropriate design: The total user experience

must be created, including an appropriate allocation of
function between the user and the system.

2 Use parallel design for design: Involving many developers or

designers

3 This will lead to multiple developers independently evaluate

design requirements and issues and propose design solutions.

4 individual solutions are presented to, and discussed among all

developers.

5 More design ideas are presented and considered, and

developers responded to good ideas no matter who had
proposed them.

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Perform rapid prototyping and testing: Prototyping and

testing the product will quickly identify problems and allow
solutions to be developed

2 Prototyping and testing must be continually performed during

all stages of development to uncover all potential defects.

3 If thorough testing is not performed before product release,

the testing will occur in the user’s office

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Modify and iterate the design as much as necessary:

Design will be an iterative process

2 Design prototypes will be developed and tested, and changes

will be made on the basis of the test results

3 The process will be repeated, fine-tuning occurring, until all

usability goals are achieved

4 Test, modify, and retest has been proven to work well. This
process is repeated until all usability goals are achieved

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Designing for People: The Seven Commandments

1 Integrate the design of all the system components: The

software, the documentation, the help function, and training
needs are all important elements of a graphical system or Web
site and all should be developed concurrently

2 Concurrent development of all pieces will point out possible

problems much earlier in the design process, allowing them to
be more effectively addressed

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Usability

Usability
Usability refers to ensuring that interactive products are easy
to learn, effective to use, and enjoyable from the person’s
perspective.

1 Characteristics of Usability
• Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks
the first time they encounter the design?
• Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can
they perform tasks?
• Memorability: When users return to the design after a period
of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
• Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these
errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
• Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?
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Usability
Usability
Usability refers to ensuring that interactive products are easy
to learn, effective to use, and enjoyable from the person’s
perspective.
1 Usability Goals
• Effective: The completeness and accuracy with which users
achieve their goals.
• Efficient: The speed (with accuracy) with which users can
complete their tasks
• Engaging: The degree to which the tone and style of the
interface makes the product pleasing or satisfying to use.
• Error tolerant: How well the design prevents errors and helps
with recovery from those that do occur.
• Easy to learn: How well the product supports both initial
orientation and deepening understanding of its capabilities.
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Common Usability Problems

1 Common usability problems in graphical systems

• Ambiguous menus and icons
• Languages that permit only single-direction movement through
a system
• Input and direct manipulation limits
• Highlighting and selection limitations
• Unclear step sequences.
• More steps to manage the interface than to perform tasks.
• Complex linkage between and within applications.
• Inadequate feedback and confirmation.
• Lack of system anticipation and intelligence.
• Inadequate error messages, help, tutorials, and documentation.

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