User Interface Design Study guide

When are project identified and documented?

At the beginning of the project

What are the 6 usability goals?

Effectiveness(Effective to use), Efficiency(Efficient to use), Safety(Safe to use), Utility(Functional or beneficial), Learnability(Easy to learn), Memorability(Easy to remember).

What are examples of user experience goals?

Desirable: Satisfying, helpful, enjoyable, motivating, engaging, challenging, entertaining, exciting.

Undesirable: Boring, patronizing, childish, gimmicky, unpleasant, and annoying.

How do usability goals and user experience differ?

Usability goals are objective

User experience goals are subjective

What type of goals are easier to measure?

Usability goals

What trade-offs can exist between usability and UX goals?

Example: A product may bee fun but not safe.

What is interface feedback?

Alerts users that a task is completed, input is accepted, or an error occurred 

What are the types of feedback?

Audio, tactile, verbal, visual, or a combination

What does visibility in an interface do?

Give users an idea of what to do next through labels, grouped controls, and feedback. 

What are interface constraints?

Restrictions that limit user actions and prevent incorrect options.

Types: Physical, Semantic, Logical

What is consistency in user interface design?

Keeping layout, controls, labels, and operations uniform to ease learning.

What are the two types of consistency?

Internal (within one app/system)

External (across apps/devices)

What are affordances?

Attributes that gives clues on how to use an object (e.g. door handle affords pulling). 

Types: Real(real objects) and perceived (interfaces)

What are the 4 types of interaction?

Instructing, Conversing, Manipulating, Exploring

What is instructing interfacion?

User tells the system what to do (typing commands, menus, buttons)

What is conversing interaction?

System interacts like a conversation (chatbots, phone menus, search engines).

What is manipulating interaction?

Direct manipulation of objects (dragging, zooming, rotating) 

What is exploring interaction?

Moving through an environment (GPS, museums, video games).

What are advantages of Direct manipulation interfaces?

Easy learning, high retention, immediate feedback, reduced anxiety, better user control.

What are disadvantages of DM interfaces?

Can be too literal, space-demanding, slower than keys, not suitable for all tasks.

What interaction type is best?

Depending on task:

Instructing → repetitive tasks

Constructing → novices/disabled

Manipulating → complex actions (drawing, resizing) 

Exploring → physical/virtual environments 

Hybrid → multiple options but harder to learn 

What is attention in UI design?

Selecting what to focus on among stimuli, using audio/visual senses.

What are the 3 types of multitasking?

Batch processing, time-shared processing, Event-driven processing.

How an designers capture attention?

Use colors, spacing, animation, sound, or combinations.

What are the dominant senses for perception?

Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell, Taste

How should interfaces support perception?

Clear icons, grouped info, legible text, appropriate sounds, tactile feedback.

What is recognition vs recall?

Recognition = easier (cued recall) 

Recall = harder (e.g., remembering commands).

How should memory design be supported?

Avoid overload, promote recognition, provide multiple encoding cues.

How do most people learn best?

By doing (interactive training over manuals).

What are the 3 forms of language processing?

Reading Speaking, Listening.

What is external cognition?

Using external aids (notes, diagrams) to reduce memory load.

What is learning?

The acquisition of knowledge or skills by study, experience, practice, learning, seeing, and doing. 

What is problem-solving, planning, reasoning & decision-making?

Process of using reflective cognition to leverage existing information or knowledge.

What was Microsoft’s attempt at friendly interfaces?

Microsoft Bob and Microsoft Agents

Why did Microsoft’s friendly interfaces fail?

Novices felt patronized; experts were annoyed.

What is anthropomorphism?

Giving human traits to objects (e.g., Thomas the train, Geico gecko)

What are pros of anthropomorphism in HCI?

More enjoyable, motivating, reduces user anxiety

What effect does a frustrating interface have?

Narrows focus, reduces creativity, increases frustration.

What effect does a pleasing interface have? 

Widen focus, encourages creativity, reduces frustration. 

What determines the best interface design?

Targeted users, available technology, hardware, and user freedom.