Creating User Interfaces

User-centered design. Government sites comparisons. Visualizations.

Homework: Post sources on accessibility.

General advice on User centered design

• [Give user or user groups names!]• Use language of the user/customer/client.• Better way: Do NOT assume user knows your

language– Business– Technical

• Do not assume your organization is foremost in mind of users.

Stories

• Citibank household account• DIY form for small estates– https://www.nycourts.gov/forms/surrogates/

smallestate.shtml– Reflection?

My reflections

• Sacrifices efficiency for effectiveness– Trade off just presenting form with guiding

applicant through process• Did make mistakes and needed to re-do but

it's okay.• I wonder if system is self-correcting– Making survey part of document bad idea.– Are questions (e.g., size of estate) recorded for

possible change in form.

Example

• Consumer Reports Health Care Helper– https://tools.healthlawhelper.org/index.html#tool

programs/defac9c0-15d8-4fd5-a6b5-258c16385bdf

– What is Consumer Reports?– Why / What is this?

Compare

• DIY small estates• Health care helper

Example

• Organization of colleges• Purchase College– Combined mathematics/computer science– New media major is NOT in School of the Arts but

in School of Film and Media Studies– There is School of Liberal Studies– ?

Example

• Problems with hybrid statistics course• Is there a way to communicate – what the course is– Force students to consider if it is for them

• Note: Bill Junor has agreed to come to class after registration– So we need to have good questions and

comments!

Your example relating to language and/or organization

• ?

New challenges

• Expectation of application working on multiple devices– Even if it may not be appropriate.• Need to educate / guide user.

• Expectation of application working on multiple devices, possibly doing different things– State of the Union– others?

Government sites

• Your example

Accessibility

• Making applications accessible to the widest variety of people

• Including people with disabilities such as– Visual– Auditory– Motor– Cognitive– Seizures

Aside

• Don't assume all attempts at increasing accessibility are good.

• Accessibility [probably] carries a cost and there can be alternatives– Election Plan B machines– Extra credit

Extra credit

• Some years back, a game was reputed to cause seizures.– Find source, summarize, comment.

Note

• Many government sites have specific requirements to be accessible.

• SUNY has requirement.

Visualizations

• Showing information, generally multi-dimensional– May or may not be 'right' and what does that mean

• My favorite: http://gapminder.com Click on Gapminder world for wealth and health of nations. There are others.– Note: user does not input any information. The

interactions does make the data give stronger impression.

– This probably doesn't pass test of accessibility for visually impaired.

Homework

• Find a unique source of accessibility, including certification, SUNY requirements. Post a summary and your comments.

• Next class: visually impaired person from CTS will visit.– Prepare questions!