Human-computer interface

Human-computer interface

1. GUI (WIMP)

   • Advantages
     • Easy to use
     • Easy to explore and find your way around the system
     • Do not have to learn complicated commands
     • Usually good help facilities provided
     • Get benefits of WYSIWYG
     • Allows the exchange of data between different software applications
   • Disadvantages
     • Takes up a much larger disk space than other interfaces
     • Need significantly more memory
     • Uses more processing power than other interfaces
     • Can be slow for experienced programmers to use

2. Menu interface

   • Advantages
     • Extremely easy to use
     • No commands to learn
     • step by step options given
     • Can guess your way through the options
     • Dont have to be visual (can be spoken)
     • Dont need huge amounts of power
     • easy to create same menus in different languages
   • Disadvantages
     • If poorly designed, can be hard to use
     • Can be irritating of too many menus
     • You camt go right to where you want to be, have to go from start
     • Menu can take up a large part of screen
     • Menu could be hard to read

3. Command Line

   • Advantages
     • If using correct commands , faster than any other interface
     • Needs much less memory than onther interfaces
     • Does not use as much CPU as other interfaces
     • Lower resolution, cheaper monitor can be used
     • CLI does not require windows to run
   • Disadvantages
     • Can be confusing for a first time user
     • Commands must be typed precisley
     • If an instruction is typed wrong, you may have to start from scratch
     • Large number of commands need to be learnt
     • Cannot just guess instructions, cant just 'have a go'

4. Speech and sound

   • Advantages
     • User doesnt have to be trained to use
     • More flexible than dialogue interface
     • Suitable for physically handicapped people
   • Disadvantages
     • Not very reliable- only responds to programmed commands
     • Highly complex to program
     • Not widely avaliable on other interfaces
     • Voice interface might need training in order to get the software to recognise what the user is saying

5. Touch interface

   • Advantages
     • Intuitive to use
     • Can see all options avaliable
     • Dont need good ICT skills
     • Uually fixed to larger device, less chance of them being stolen or removed
     • Can be adapted for many things
   • Disadvantages
     • Need to understand the language or the meaning of things
     • Only limited options
     • If screen damaged, might not work
     • If screen dirty, might not see all options
     • Not so good in bright sunlight, cant see screen

6. Biometrics

   • Finger prints
   • Voice patterns
   • Retina scanner
   • Facial Features
   • Palm Prints