Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Unit-IV INDEX S.NO. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

TOPIC Screen designing Screen planning and purpose Organizing screen elements Screen navigation and flow Visually pleasing composition Focus and emphasis Information retrieval on web Statistical graphics Technological consideration in interface design

1. Screen designing:
How to distract the screen user? Barnett (1993) has compiled a list of factors: Unclear captions Improper type and graphic emphasis Misleading headings Irrelevant and unnecessary headings Inefficient results Clustered and cramped layout Poor quality of presentation Legibility Appearance arrangement Howlett (1995) based upon her experiences at Microsoft suggests the most common problems in visual interface design are: Visual inconsistency Lack of design features Over use of 3D presentations Overuse of too many bright colors Bad typography Web screens, as were recently described, also present to the user a variety of distractions. Numerous audio and visual interruptions Extensive visual clutter Poor information readability In comprehensible screen components Confusing and inefficient navigation Inefficient operations Excessive or inefficient page scrolling Information overload Design in consistency Outdated information Stale design caused by emulation of printed documents and past systems. What screen users want? an orderly clean clutter free appearance B.Srinivas, Assoc Prof., PEC, Surampalem Page 1

Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV An obvious indication of what is being shown and what should be done with it. Expected information located where it should be. A clear indication of what relates to what. Plain and simple English A clear indication of when an action can make a permanent change in data What screen users do? Identifies a task to be performed or need to be fulfilled. Decides how the task will be completed or need fulfilled. Manipulates the computers controls. Gathers necessary data. Forms judgments resulting in decisions relevant to task Interface Design goals Reduce visual work Reduce intellectual work Reduce memory work Reduce mentor work Eliminate burdens or instructions

2. Screen meaning and Purpose:

Each screen element Every control All text Screen organization All emphasis Each color Every graphic All screen animation All forms of feedback Must have meaning to screen users serve a purpose in performing tasks

3. organizing screen elements:

Visual clarity is achieved when the display elements are organized and presented in meaningful and understandable ways. A clear and clean organization makes it easier to recognize screens essential elements and to ignore its secondary information when appropriate. Clarity is influenced by a multitude of factors: consistency in design a visually pleasing composition a logical and sequential ordering the presentation of the proper amount of information groupings, and alignment of screen items What must be avoided is visual clutter created by indistinct elements random placement confusing patterns Consistency in design Page 2

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Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Provide real world consistency: Reflect a persons experiences, expectations, work conventions, and cultural conventions.

Provide internal consistency: Observe the same conventions and rules for all aspects of an interface screen, and all application or Web site screens operational and navigational procedures visual identity or theme Component organization Presentation Usage Locations Follow the same conventions Deviate only when there is clear benefit to user Ordering of screen data & content Divide information into units that are logical, meaningful and saensible. Organize by interrelationships between data or information. Provide an ordering of screen units of elements depending on priority. Possible ordering schemes include Conventional: Elements should always be ordered in the customary way. Examples are by days of the week, by months of the year, by ones name and address, or along a timeline. Sequence of use: Arranging information items in the order in which they are commonly received or transmitted, or in natural groups. An address, for example, is normally given by street, city, state, and zip code. Frequency of use: Information items used most frequently should be grouped at the beginning, the second most frequently used items grouped next, and so forth. Function: Information items are grouped according to their purpose or by some common parameter. for example, may be placed in one location. Transportation vehicles may be grouped within the categories of planes, trains, and automobiles. Importance: Importance grouping is based on the informations importance to the users task or need. Items may be organized from best to worst or largest to smallest. General to specific: the general elements should precede the specific elements. This will usually occur when there is a hierarchical relationship among data elements. This is a common Web site organization scheme. Form groups that cover all possibilities. Ensure that information is visible. Ensure that only information relative to task is presented on screen. Organizational scheme is to minimize number of information variables. UPPER LEFT STARTING POINT provide an obvious starting point in the screens upper left corner.

4. Screen navigation and flow:

Provide an ordering of screen information and elements that: is rhythmic guiding a persons eye through display encourages natural movement sequences. minimizes pointer and eye movement distances. Locate the most important and most frequently used elements or controls at top left. Maintain top to bottom , left to right flow. assist in navigation through a screen by Page 3

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Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Aligning elements Grouping elements Use of line borders Through focus and emphasis, sequentially , direct attention to items that are critical Important Secondary Peripheral Tab through window in logical order of displayed information. locate command button at the end of the tabbing order sequence, when groups of related information must be broken and displayed on separate screens, provide breaks at logical or natural points in the information flow. In establishing eye movement through a screen, also consider that the eye trends to move sequentially , for example From dark areas to light areas From big objects to little objects From unusual shapes to common shapes. From highly saturated colors to unsaturated colors. These techniques can be initially used o focus a persons attention Maintain top to bottom, left to right through the screen. This top to bottom orientation is recommended for information entry for the following reasons Eye movements between items will be shorter. Control movements between items will be shorter. Groupings are more obvious perceptually. When ones eyes moves away from the screen and then back, it returns to about same place it left, even if it is seeking next item in sequence. Most product style guides recommend a left to right orientation. Our earliest display screens reflected this left to right entry orientation. Top to bottom orientation is also recommended for presenting displays of read only information that must be scanned.

5. Visually pleasing composition:

Provide visually pleasing composition with the following qualities balance Symmetry Regularity Predictability Sequentiality Economy Unity proportion Simplicity Groupings.

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The simplest of proportions, it has an attention-getting quality and suggests stability and permanence. When rotated it becomes a dynamic diamond, expressing movement and tension. A divisible rectangle yielding two pleasing proportional shapes. The square root of two has been adopted as a standard paper size in many countries of the world.

The golden rectangle also has another unique property. A square created from part of the rectangle leaves a remaining area with sides also in the golden rectangle .proportion. Used less frequently than the other proportions, its a narrowness gives it a distinctive shape.

Rectangles more elongated than this one have shapes whose distinctiveness is more difficult to sense.

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Use visual organization to create functional groupings The incorporation of adequate spacing between groups of related elements enhances the togetherness of each grouping. Space should always be considered a design component of a screen. Combine visual organization principles in logical ways Visual organization principles can be combined to enhance groupings. Proximity, a very strong perceptual principle, can guide the eye through an array of information to be scanned in a particular direction. Scanning direction can also be made obvious through similarity. (color, intensity, and so on) or matching patterns (lines or borders). Avoid visual organization principles that conflict: Principles may not always be compatible, however. When the viewer encounters incompatibilities, confusion results.

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inefficient and may tax a persons memory as information contained on multiple screens may have to be remembered. there will be greater competition among a screens components for a persons attention. Visual search times will be longer, and meaningful structure will be more difficult to perceive. Density, by definition, is a calculation of the proportion of display character positions on the screen, or an area of the screen containing something. A measure of local density, derived by Tullis, is the percentage of characters in the 88-character visual acuity circle. From a practical standpoint, if the guidelines for alignment and groupings are adhered to, screen density will usually be reduced to an acceptable level.

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6. Focus and Emphasis:

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Typography
In typography, by definition a typeface is the name of a type, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, or Helvetica. A font is a typeface of a particular size, such as Times Roman 16 point or Arial 12 point.

A family of styles is designed to complement one another, creating unity in design. An example of a family is that of Times illustrated in Figure:

Similar typefaces are grouped into what are called races. One kind of race is called roman, which contains the Times typeface illustrated here as well as the Bookman, Schoolbook, and Palatino typefaces.

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Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Recommended paper document type sizes and styles:

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Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Screen Elements: Elements of a screen include control captions, the data or information displayed on the screen, headings and headlines, instructional information, and the screens title. The following guidelines address these screen components.

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7. Information retrieval on web:

The most sought after web commodity is content. Behavior is often goal driven. Reading is no longer a linear activity. Impatience. Frequent switching of purpose. Web users access site for different reasons: a focused search for a piece of information or an answer less focused for browsing or surf. High tech capabilities , fancy graphics do not compensable for inefficient or poor content. Initial focus on attention Page perusal Scanning guidelines Browsing Browisng guidelines Searching Problems with search facilities Search facility guidelines Express the search Progressive search refinement Launch the search Present meaningful results Scanning guidelines Organization Minimize eye movement Provide groupings of information Organize contenet in a logical and obvious way. Writing Provide meaningful headings and subheadings. Provide meaningful titles Concisely write the text. Use bullets/ numbers Array information in tables Presentation Key information in words or phrases Important concepts Browsing guidelines Facilitate scanning Provide multiple layers of structure Make navigation easy Respect users desire to leave Upon returning help users reorient themselves. Users can browse deeply or simply move on. Provide guidance to help reorientation Understand terms to minimize te need for users to switch context. Problems with searching Not understanding the user. Difficulties in formulating the search. Difficulties in presenting meaningful results. Identify the level of expertise of user. Know the search user B.Srinivas, Assoc Prof., PEC, Surampalem Page 22

Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Plan for users switchig purposes during search process. Plan for flexibility in the search process. Anticipate nature of every possible query Kind of information desired How much information will result the search.

8. Statistical graphics:
A statistical graphic is data presented in a graphical format. A well designed statistical graphic also referred to as chart or graph. Use of statistical graphics - reserve for material that is rich, complex or difficult. Data Presentation emphasize the data Minimize non data elements Minimize redundant data Fill the graphs available area with data. Show data variation Provide proper context for data interpretation Scales and shading - place ticks to marks scales on the outside edge of each axis. - employ a linear scale. - mark scales at standard or customary intervals - Start a numeric scale at zero. - display only a single scale on axis. - provide aids for scale interpretation. - clearly label each axis. - Provide scaling consistency - consider duplicate axis for large scale data. - Proportion - Lines - Labeling - Title - Interpretation of numbers Types of statistical graphs curve and line graphs Single graph Four or five maximum Label identification Legend Tightly packed curves Important or critical data Comparing actual and projected data Data differences Surface charts Ordering Coding schemes Labels Scatter plots two dimensions B.Srinivas, Assoc Prof., PEC, Surampalem Page 23

Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Consistent intervals multiple data sets Significant points Bar graphs consistent orientation Meaningful organization Bar spacing Differentiation Important or critical data Related bar ordering Reference index labeling Segmented or stacked bars. Data category ordering Large segments Coding schemes labeling Flow charts Order of stps Orientation Coding conventions Arrows Highlighting One decission at each step Consistently order and word all choices Pie chart

9. Technological consideration -interface design:

Graphical systems Screen design must be compatible with the capabilities of the system system power Screen size Screen resolution Display colors Other display features Screen design must be compatible with the capabilities of the Platform compatibility development and implementation Platform style guide browser compatibility monitor size and resolution fonts Color Bandwidth Version other considerations Downloading, Page printing, Currency, Maintainability B.Srinivas, Assoc Prof., PEC, Surampalem Page 24

Human Computer Interaction Unit-IV Summary of Unit-4:

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