Strategic Approach for Designing User Interfaces

Design

Presented by Sandeepthi Karra

Contents

Introduction Interface Design Failures Design Failure explained Interaction Techniques Conclusion

User Interface Design

It is process of creating an interaction, in a way to allow human-computer interaction.

Most common ways of achieving interface design is by using screen, mouse, keyboard, touchpads etc.

Successful Design

Easier to use. Accomplish the users goals. Usage should be understood with

minimum effort. Does not draw unnecessary attention

to itself. Balance technical functionality and

visual elements.

Why is it important to design a successful design?

In general, everyone in the UX community believes that the user experience is the Brand.

Without adequate planning and testing prior to launch, a bad first impression of a system will result in bad perceptions about the Brand. 

Worst design failures of all time:

Motorola ROKR w/ iTunes (2004)

Only 100 songs were visible in iTunes, even though we could put 1GB of micro SD card inside the device.

Eyetop Wearable DVD Player (2004):

Glasses with LCD Screen attached to one side lets you walk and watch DVDs.

Google X(2005)

Google introduced online interface in Apple’s OS X style dock above the search bar.

Macintosh

Long before charming Apple TV, Apple launched a mix of TV and computer in one body.

Nokia N-Gage:

Although, phone combined with gaming console was proved to be a winner, clumsiness of the design doomed Nokia’s plans.

Looking at Design Failure:

About Healthcare.gov: Healthcare.gov is a health insurance

exchange website operated under the United States federal government designed to serve residents of thirty six states in US.

It received 2 out of possible 10 score from usability testers, and Users gave a very low satisfaction rating

Usability testing plan:

Find the health care plan you think best suits your purpose.

Determine how much the suitable plan will cost.

Start the application process and finding out the difficulties in application process.

Test Results:

Trying to find information about plans and costs was virtually impossible

Inadequate planning of usage by the team at HealthCare.gov is the prime culprit.

Chat system experiences slow or no response time.

Slow response time with no information created confusion.

Login instructions are confusing.

There is no detailed description to let the user know the steps in the process to create a login.

Popular Design Rules:

Eight golden rules of the Interface Design

by Shneiderman. Jakob Neilsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics. 7 unbreakable laws of user interface

design by Peter Vukovic. Golden rules of user Interface Design

by Theo Mandel.

Most specific interaction techniques:

Navigation Standardization Consideration Input Control

Navigation:

No directing to pages without links. Grouping the similar elements. Provide subject with clear navigation

link. Matching descriptive part and subject

part . Navigation tabs and walk through the

interface.

Standardization: Be consistent. Use standard notations. Follow sequence order. Minimize the download time Compatible data display and data entry

format.

Consideration:

Usage of Terminology. Use the simple and elegant features. Provide necessary help Clear Design documentation. Comment/Feedback section.

Input Control: Minimal input tasks Provide flexibility for input entry. Provide conversion units Allow editable input fields. No multitasking operations.

Conclusion:

The proposed 4 guidelines will help the UI designers to overcome design issues.

This strategic approach will lead to successful user interface design.

References:Websites: https://www.healthcare.gov/ http://

adage.com/article/digitalnext/lessons-user-experience-healthcare-gov/244933/

http://www.nngroup.com/articles/affordable_care_act_usability_issues/

http://blog.uxpin.com/2837/10-worst-design-failures-of-all-times/

http://www.usefulusability.com/top-7-healthcare-gov-ux-failures/