Brief Full Advanced Search Search Tips To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles. User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design (Publisher: CRC Press LLC) Author(s): Larry E. Wood ISBN: 0849331250 Publication Date: 12/02/97 Search this book: Preface Contributors Chapter 1—Introduction: Bridging the Design Gap Chapter 2—Bridging User Needs to Object Oriented GUI Prototype via Task Object Design Chapter 3—Transforming Representations in User-Centered Design Chapter 4—Model-Based User Interface Design: Successive Transformations of a Task/Object Model Chapter 5—Lightweight Techniques to Encourage Innovative User Interface Design Chapter 6—Interaction Design: Leaving the Engineering Perspective Behind Chapter 7—Mind the Gap: Surviving the Dangers of User Interface Design Chapter 8—Transforming User-Centered Analysis into User Interface: The Redesign of Complex Legacy Systems Go! Keyword Go! Chapter 9—Systematic Creativity: A Bridge for the Gaps in the Software Development Process CHAPTER 10—The UI War Room and Design Prism: A User Interface Design Approach from Multiple Perspectives Chapter 11—Transforming User-Centered Analysis into User Interface: The Design of New-Generation Products Products | Contact Us | About Us | Privacy | Ad Info | Home Use of this site is subject to certain Terms & Conditions, Copyright © 1996-2000 EarthWeb Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Read EarthWeb's privacy statement. Brief Full Advanced Search Search Tips To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles. User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design (Publisher: CRC Press LLC) Author(s): Larry E. Wood ISBN: 0849331250 Publication Date: 12/02/97 Search this book: Table of Contents Preface This book grew out of a workshop held at CHI’97 in Vancouver in April 1997 on “Transforming User-Centered Analysis into Concrete Design”. The workshop was motivated by the lack of published accounts of how experienced designers use the results of user work/task analyses and other tools and resources to produce Graphical User Interface (GUI) designs (i.e., to bridge the gap between analysis and interface design). Interface designers with a wide variety of experience were invited to share their methods for addressing the problem. This book is a result of our collective efforts. Several themes became apparent in our workshop discussions, such as representations and models of work, scenarios (examples of user tasks), and high- and low-fidelity prototyping; designing for heterogeneous vs. homogeneous user populations; designing “breakthrough” systems vs. supporting existing work or redesigning legacy systems; and the virtues of objected- vs. task-oriented interfaces. Authors of individual chapters elaborate the role of these issues as appropriate to their own methods and work context. The book should be useful to anyone involved in or interested in the issues surrounding user-centered design of software applications. However, it was our intention to provide information that will be particularly useful to practitioners who have a role in designing GUI’s. The emphasis on examples from real GUI design projects will hopefully accomplish that goal. PARTICIPANTS There were fourteen people who participated in the workshop, among whom there was a wide variety of design experience. Including the organizers, there were three from academia, ten from large software development companies, Go! Keyword Go! and one who operates her own consulting firm. The participants included the following individuals: • Larry Wood, Brigham Young University, USA (organizer) • Ron Zeno, Intuitive Design, USA (organizer) • Tom Dayton, Bellcore, USA • Joseph Kramer, Bellcore, USA • Tom Graefe, Digital Equipment Corporation, USA • Frank Ludolph, SunSoft, Inc., USA • Andrew Monk, University of York, U.K. • Peter Nilsson, Linné Data, Sweden • Martin Rantzer, Ericsson Radio Systems AB, Sweden • Allan Risk, IBM SWS Toronto Laboratory, Canada • Sabine Rohlfs, IF Interface Consulting Ltd., Canada • Jean Scholtz, Intel Corp., USA • Kevin Simpson, University of Guelph, Canada • Colin Smith, Northern Telecom, Canada Acknowledgments I express my appreciation to the workshop participants for their willingness not only to share their knowledge and experience in interface design at the workshop, but especially for their efforts in writing the chapters that make up the substance of this book. I regret that after his enthusiastic participation in the workshop, Allan Risk was unable to complete a chapter to be included in the book. Likewise, following his efforts at organizing the workshop, Ron Zeno was unable to contribute to the book, which is unfortunate. I also want to thank our CRC publisher, Ron Powers, and his assistant, Cindy Carelli, for their patience and flexibility in working with us to produce this volume. Finally, I express my gratitude to Shannon Ford, who “found” us and was willing to provide helpful feedback on the chapters, expecially the introduction (Chapter 1). The Editor Larry Wood is a professor of cognitive psychology at Brigham Young University, who has taught human-computer interaction and interface design courses and consulted on design projects for 10 years. His research interests include all aspects of user-centered design. Table of Contents Products | Contact Us | About Us | Privacy | Ad Info | Home Use of this site is subject to certain Terms & Conditions, Copyright © 1996-2000 EarthWeb Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Read EarthWeb's privacy statement. Brief Full Advanced Search Search Tips To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles. User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design (Publisher: CRC Press LLC) Author(s): Larry E. Wood ISBN: 0849331250 Publication Date: 12/02/97 Search this book: Table of Contents Contributors Tom Dayton Bellcore Piscataway, New Jersey Thomas M. Graefe Digital Equipment Corporation Littleton, Massachusetts Joeseph Kramer Bellcore Piscataway, New Jersey Frank Ludolph Sun Microsystems, Inc. Mountain View, California Al McFarland Bellcore Piscataway, New Jersey Andrew Monk Department of Psychology Go! Keyword Go! University of York York, United Kingdom Peter Nilsson Linn‚ Data Frolunda, Sweden Ingrid Ottersten Linn‚ Data Frolunda, Sweden Martin Rantzer Systems Engineering Lab Ericsson Radio Systems Link”ping Sweden Sabine Rohlfs IF Interface Consulting Ltd. Ottawa, Canada Tony Salvador Intel Corporation Hillsboro, Oregon Jean Scholtz National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Maryland Kevin Simpson Financial Models Company Mississauga, Canada Colin Smith Corporate Design Group NorTel Technology (Northern Telecon) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Larry Wood Brigham Young University Department of Psychology Provo, Utah Table of Contents Products | Contact Us | About Us | Privacy | Ad Info | Home Use of this site is subject to certain Terms & Conditions, Copyright © 1996-2000 EarthWeb Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of EarthWeb is prohibited. Read EarthWeb's privacy statement. Brief Full Advanced Search Search Tips To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles. User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design (Publisher: CRC Press LLC) Author(s): Larry E. Wood ISBN: 0849331250 Publication Date: 12/02/97 Search this book: Previous Table of Contents Next Chapter 1 Introduction: Bridging the Design Gap Larry E. Wood Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah email: WoodL@byu.edu TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Good Interface Design 2. The Gap: Or Then a Little Magic Happens 3. Bridging the Gap: Major Issues/Considerations 4. Individual Chapter Descriptions 4.1. Dayton, McFarland, and Kramer (Chapter 2) 4.2. Graefe (Chapter 3) 4.3. Ludolph (Chapter 4) 4.4. Monk (Chapter 5) 4.5. Nilsson and Ottersten (Chapter 6) 4.6. Rantzer (Chapter 7) 4.7. Rohlfs (Chapter 8) 4.8. Scholtz and Salvador (Chapter 9) 4.9. Simpson (Chapter 10) 4.10. Smith (Chapter 11) 5. Conclusion 6. References Go! Keyword Go! 1. GOOD INTERFACE DESIGN Design is both a product and a process. The product is an artifact designed for a specific purpose, given a set of components, resources, and constraints within which a designer has to work. The process consists of techniques and procedures for constructing the desired product. While there are principles and laws that guide effective design, there is usually a certain amount of craft and creativity involved in producing effective designs. Whether or not the design is effective obviously depends on the criteria used to define effectiveness. In his book The Design of Everyday Things, Norman (1990) makes a strong case for the need to emphasize usability (in addition to functionality and aesthetics) through the design of artifacts that we frequently encounter in our everyday lives (e.g., doors, VCRs, and automobiles). He does so by providing many examples of good and bad designs (from a usability perspective) and in listing attributes of artifacts that make them usable (e.g., providing visible affordances, providing feedback regarding actions performed, and preventing users from making errors). The same principles and guidelines outlined by Norman can also be applied to the design of a software application, particularly the user interface, which is the focus of this book. To be usable, a user interface must provide access to the functions and features of an application in a way that reflects users’ ways of thinking about the tasks that a potential application will support. This requires that the application not only provide support for necessary aspects of the users’ work, but must also provide the means for them to interact with the application in ways that are intuitive and natural. Great improvements in the effectiveness of a user interface have been made during the last 15 years, through (1) the improved components and resources available in Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), pioneered by such systems as the Xerox Star, precursor to the Apple Macintosh desktop and in Windows (Smith et al., 1982) and (2) in the transition from “system-centered” to “user-centered” design methods (Norman and Draper, 1986). The Star and related GUI systems introduced new hardware resources and components, while the user-centered design orientation focused design methods on the potential users of an application. In essence, the new hardware and software resources provided the building blocks of more usable computer applications, while the user-centered orientation provided the impetus to develop methods to insure that the building blocks were used in ways that fit the users’ way of thinking about and performing their work. In this way an interface could be made more natural and intuitive than had previously been the case. 2. The Gap: Or Then a Little Magic Happens By definition, user-centered design techniques focus on potential users (including their characteristics, their tasks, and their environment) whose work is to be supported by an application (i.e., functional requirements were developed from a user’s perspective and are referred as user requirements). Typical activities of a user-centered design development process are listed in Figure 1.1. It should be noted that, while an order is implied in Figure 1.1, a [...]... with the development of product goals and a definition from a marketing point of view Designers then work closely with potential users to determine the work related goals this product could support Designers also identify both the obstacles users face in their current work tasks and the facilitators that are present to assist them to accomplish their goals The information gathered from users is then... prototypes), which can easily be compared to the user requests and objects to make certain that design ideas are capturing the important aspects of the users’ work These are produced after the user objects have been organized in diagrams showing their relationships Having a wall on which to place the sketches helps to encourage a variety of alternative design ideas from which to choose, as the design. .. statement To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design Go! Keyword q Brief Full Advanced Search Search Tips (Publisher: CRC Press LLC) Author(s): Larry E Wood ISBN: 0849331250 Publication Date: 12/02/97 Search this book: Go! Previous Table of Contents Next - 3 BRIDGING THE GAP: MAJOR ISSUES/CONSIDERATIONS The bridging. .. equipment On the requirements side of the gap, the Delta method begins with a system definition where the goal is to set the scope of the project and to gather some preliminary customer requirements The next phase consists of gathering user profiles and generating descriptions of user work tasks and the work environment This also includes creating user scenarios describing at a high level the work that... final product The scenarios are presented as low-fidelity (paper) prototypes to design and verify the high-level dialogue model of the interface High-fidelity prototypes (computer simulations) are then used to further refine the interface details In the Orbitor project, a composite metaphor was chosen from the various types of tasks that were being combined into the final product At the highest level,... metaphors In particular, the Bubbling technique is designed to get a quick start on the design process by putting one key issue from the design space in a bubble in the middle of a piece of paper The designer (or designers) associate freely to that issue, drawing connecting bubbles The next step is to find ideas on how to create one or more designs for each of the associated words The Bubbling technique... much of the their discussion focuses on creative activities, they point out the need for a designer to have a clear and defensible rationale for each design decision For Nilsson and Ottersten the final phase of the bridging process begins with a conceptual design, describing at a high level how the various parts of the user s work fit together in a way that matches the user s mental model These conceptualizations... Rantzer’s design methodology is called the Delta method, which expands the concept of user interface to include not only functions provided by the system and the graphical presentation, but also the enabling information (i.e., user documentation) It thus raises usability requirements to the same status as the technical and functional requirements Rantzer discusses the Delta method in the context of the development... potential users (e.g., Dumas and Redish, 1993) As indicated above, while there are some excellent sources of information on user interface design, none contains specific descriptions of how a designer transforms the information gathered about users and their work into an effective user interface design This is indicated in Figure 1.1 by the question mark between User Requirements and Interface Designs... transforms the user s model into the user interface presentation and interaction elements It is this series of transformations that allows the designer to bridge the gap between user requirements and the finished design The context for Ludoph’s discussion is the development of an application builder, where a developer constructs an application, using reusable chunks of software as building blocks The user . Search Tips To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles. User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design (Publisher:. Search Tips To access the contents, click the chapter and section titles. User Interface Design: Bridging the Gap from User Requirements to Design (Publisher: