Understanding and improving the user interface design process

Abstract

Over the past few years user interfaces, especially graphical ones, have been emphasized in the design of computer systems [1]. Users often take for granted the interfaces of today's computer systems. The person entering data or typing up a report does not even consider the work that has gone into making the system and its applications as easy to use as a pen and paper. The difficulty that does go into creating the "perfect" user interface begins from the systems inception and does not end until the system becomes obsolete. Even then, the lasting effects of the interface on its users will make future designers work more laborious. This paper will discuss the design process of the user interface. It concludes with some suggestions that future designers may wish to consider to make their jobs easier.

References

1. 1. Curtis, Bill, Engineering the "Look and Feel": User interface Technology & Human Factors Engineering, MCC Technical Report STP-318-89, August 22, 1989.
2. 2. Tetzlaff, Linda and Schwartz, David R., The Use of Guidelines in Interface Design, CHI'91 Conference Proceedings, ACM Press, March 1991, pp. 329-333.
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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • Interaction devices

      • Touch screens

  • Interaction design