Component 1

Component 1

1. 3 Basic User Interface

   • Text
     • Fast response
     • No fancy graphics
     • User needs to know commands
   • Menu
     • Gives the user a list of options to select
     • All options listed within a single menu are usually related
     • Can be cascading, meaning another sub menu can appear
   • Form
     • Usually takes up a small amount of screen space
     • Allows user to enter information
     • Uses controls such as buttons, tick boxes and drop down lists

2. Choosing a user interface

   • Performance
   • User requirments
   • Ease of use
   • User experience
   • Accessibility
   • Storage space

3. Hardware and software

   • Platform
   • Display
   • CPU
   • Operating system
   • Input
   • RAM

4. User accessibility needs

   • Visual
     • May have limited vision, or colour blind etc.
   • Hearing
     • May have limited hearing
   • Cognitive
     • May need more time when completing tasks
   • Speech
     • May take longer to talk, or find it harder to pronounce certain words
   • Motor
     • May not be able to move certain parts of their body

5. Design principles

   • Text
     • Serif
       • Serif fonts are best for onscreen text
     • San-serif
       • Sans-serif fonts are best for on-screen text
   • Keeping the user engaged
     • Pop-up messages
     • Animations
     • Uncluttered screen
     • Flashing graphics
     • Sound

6. Improving speed of U.I.

   • Keyboard shortcuts
     • CTRL + C = Copy selected items to the clipboard
     • ALT + F4 = Closes application
     • WIN + M = Minimises all applications
   • Total interaction time
     • Time to think about what to select
     • Time to move cursor or finger
     • Time to select the object
     • Time for U.I. to respond