- From: Gregg Vanderheiden <po@trace.wisc.edu>
- Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 09:27:34 -0600
- To: "GL - WAI Guidelines WG (E-mail)" <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
Nice to see Gregg -- ------------------------------ Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. Professor - Human Factors Dept of Ind. Engr. - U of Wis. Director - Trace R & D Center Gv@trace.wisc.edu, http://trace.wisc.edu/ FAX 608/262-8848 For a list of our listserves send "lists" to listproc@trace.wisc.edu -----Original Message----- From: Newsletter-owner@www.humanfactors.com [mailto:Newsletter-owner@www.humanfactors.com] On Behalf Of hfi@humanfactors.com Sent: Friday, December 24, 1999 11:04 AM To: Newsletter@humanfactors.com Subject: UI Design Update newsletter - December, 1999 USER INTERFACE DESIGN UPDATE - December, 1999 Insights from Human Factors International, Inc. (HFI) Providing consulting and training in software ergonomics. (http://www.humanfactors.com/home/) Every month HFI reviews the most useful developments in UI research from major conferences and publications. __________________________________________________ In this issue Dr. Bob Bailey reviews: What research-based guidelines are available for designing websites? In the "User Interface Update -- 1999" class, one of the in-class exercises was to have students identify the design guidelines that came from studies that were discussed in the class. The focus was on using research-based information to improve the user interfaces of websites. Each of the following guidelines can be related to a research reference. These guidelines are summarized below. __________________________________________________ GENERAL DESIGN DO use 'parallel design' methods DO use multiple tools to design websites __________________________________________________ USERS AND TASKS DO know clearly the intended use of the website by typical users -- what features do they need (not want) DO NOT design for 'first time users' -- unless that is your primary audience DO use 'frequency of use' of tasks as a major guide to appropriate decisions DO optimize high frequency (high priority) tasks -- use 'tiering' DO design for 'ease of use' not 'ease of learning' DO clearly understand the profile of typical users, and make appropriate design decisions DO listen to users on functionality issues, but do not let users make design decisions -- do not rely on users for good design decisions -- ask users 'what' they do, not 'how' best to do it DO expect that there may be learning required to effectively use some websites DO determine whether users are 'satisfiers' or 'performers' and design accordingly DO design for ALL users, even those with handicaps (accessibility) DO design for the system configuration that is used by most users -- on the Internet it is 17' monitors 800 x 600 pixel resolution 56 kbps modems __________________________________________________ PAGE DESIGN -- SPECIFIC DO design for breadth, not depth -- ideally, require only '2 clicks to the content' DO NOT use a 'splash page' (wastes a click) DO minimize the use of 'white space' in search tasks DO have a descriptive, concise title for each page (to facilitate bookmarking) DO optimize reading speed by using black characters on a white background DO put a logo on every page DO use an area of about 780 x 430 pixels for a 800 x 600 pixel resolution page __________________________________________________ PAGE DESIGN -- GENERAL DO NOT require users to scroll navigation-only pages DO trade off total consistency for optimal performance DO limit 'working memory' requirements to around 4 items DO take all appropriate steps to minimize download time DO use meaningful labels for hyperlinks DO NOT waste time trying to find better fonts to increase reading speed or user acceptance -- use commonly used and available fonts DO use 'rapid serial visual presentation' (RSVP) to increase reading speed of certain information DO include a 'shopping list' (highlighted terms) within pages found from a search DO go from 'more' items on the first page to 'fewer' items on the second page DO 'physical integration,' not 'mental integration' to improve performance DO minimize the number of bytes per page (minimize download time to no more than 10 seconds per page) DO NOT scroll text horizontally DO prioritize hyperlinks for users (important vs. less important) DO enhance the affordances of hyperlinks DO put the most frequently used hyperlinks toward the top of the page __________________________________________________ MULTIMEDIA DO include appropriate sounds to improve both performance and preference DO use multimedia to improve both performance and preference DO NOT focus on increased 'sparkle' rather than good interaction DO NOT leave colors in graphics that are not used DO minimize use of extraneous (gratuitous) graphics DO use animation -- but use it effectively __________________________________________________ E-COMMERCE DO have sales in an e-commerce site -- not just 'everyday low prices' DO include 'pictures, descriptive text and navigation buttons' to increase sales DO NOT use banners to advertise -- users tend to have 'banner blindness' DO include a FAQ in an e-commerce application to help deal with increased 'traffic' (there is no relationship with increased 'sales') DO put banner ads close to content (if used) DO put banner ads near the page with the last navigation decision __________________________________________________ USABILITY TESTING DO design for (and usability test with) 'impatient users' DO test design decisions on all recent versions (3.0 and newer) of both major browsers DO design to minimize 'time on site' for each user DO make design decisions to optimize either user performance or preference (user acceptance) DO use 'performance measures' when designing for performance __________________________________________________ NOTE FROM BOB: If there are any references you feel are important to include in the Annual User Interface Update - 2000, or in future newsletters, please let us know. They could be either published articles, conference proceedings, or internal research papers. Send references to mailto:hfi@humanfactors.com. __________________________________________________ 3-day 1999 Annual User Interface Update Seminar presented by Dr. Robert Bailey. http://www.humanfactors.com/training/annualupdate.asp. Register for UI Update Seminar in Washington, DC - March 8-10, 2000. https://www.humanfactors.com/training/registration/AUregister1.asp Register for UI Update Seminar in Boston, MA - May 3-5, 2000. https://www.humanfactors.com/training/registration/AUregister4.asp Register for UI Update Seminar in Atlanta, GA - May 16-18, 2000. https://www.humanfactors.com/training/registration/AUregister3.asp __________________________________________________ Suggestions, comments, questions? HFI editors at mailto:hfi@humanfactors.com. 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Received on Wednesday, 29 December 1999 10:26:03 UTC