User interfaces

Article 03

User interfaces

The visual part of the computer application or operating system through which a user interact with a computer or a software. It determines how commands are given to the computer or the program and how information is displayed on the screen. There are three main types of UI.

  • Command language: The user must know the machine and program specific instruction or code.
  • Menus: User chooses the commands from lists displayed on the screen.
  • Graphical user interface: User gives commands by selecting and clicking on icons displayed on the screen.

Role of User Interface

The vital role of software is played by User Interface. The role of a user interface is to translate between application and user semantics and to translate user semantics to application semantics using some combination of input modes. It is displayed in terms of pictures, sounds, colors and text. The communication with the user on behalf of a system is performed by using a UI.

Software Quality

The quality of software is measured in the following two ways.
  • How good is the design of the software in the relation to the requirement of the client?
  • How good the actual software is in relation to the design made for it?
There are several factors that are taken into account. The following factors play a vital role in determining the quality of software.
  • Reliability
  • Efficiency
  • Conciseness
  • Portability
  • Consistency
  • Maintainability
  • Understandability

Importance of software quality

The main importance of the software quality is the understanding and implementation of the software quality factors is extremely importance for the success of a system that is delivered in the market.   

Error Handling

It is important for a UI design to provide the end-user with a convenience that the run-time errors can be handled. Errors can be of two categories run-time and compile-time error. For a UI design, the run-time errors are of utmost significance. The UI design should cater all possible forms of inputs that a user can enter and a design should be finalized after testing the UI for all possible error types.

UI design principles

There are some principles which when followed will make a developer a good interface design.
  • The User Interface should look familiar to the user
  • Consistency should be followed when commands and menus are taken into consideration.
  • They should appear similar in format and punctuation.
  • There should not be any confusion to the user when using or operating a command and he should be able to predict the operation and consequences of commands.
  • The user should be having the option of recoverability to allow them to overcome their errors.(like an undo-redo facility)

User interface guidelines

UI guidelines are collections of recommendations that designers and developers follow when creating the user interface for applications. Guidelines can include:

  1. General design principles derived from research. These principles can include the expression of a fundamental design philosophy, assumptions about human behavior, a design methodology, and concepts embodied in the interface.
  2. Standards. Most, if not all, major software platforms have published guidelines for user interface design. One example is the Microsoft® Windows® User Experience, which is subtitled the Official Guidelines for User Interface Developers and Designers 
  3. Local rules or style guide. Many individual companies and organizations have their own set of documented UI rules or styles for interface design that developers in that company use. This is common in large companies especially, where a suite of applications is created internally


    


References

Author : Ishani Kaushalya

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