• 1. Graphical User Interface
  • 1.1. UI versus GUI
  • 1.2. GUI Design
    • 1.2.1. Communication
    • 1.2.2. UI Design
    • 1.2.3. User-Centered Design
    • 1.2.4. Design Principles
    • 1.2.5. GUI Controls
    • 1.2.6. User's Attention
    • 1.2.7. Unit-Summary
  • 1.3. Layout
  • 1.4. GUI for Interactive Maps
  • 1.5. Self Assessment
  • 1.6. Summary
  • 1.7. Glossary
  • 1.8. Bibliography
  • 1.9. Metadata

1.2.7. Unit-Summary

GUI Design

In this unit, we saw that UI design can be organized around some basic criteria such as striving for consistency to eliminate possible distractions in the UI, providing feedback to the user, avoiding errors or making them easy to handle, and so on.

There are different mental models of the same application, those that design it (UI designers), those that implement it (developers) and those that will use it (the end-users). It is important for designers to be aware of the different mental representations involved in the creation and consequent use of a user interface.

The design of a User Interface should always give extensive attention at the needs, wants, and limitations of the end users of an interface. This design philosophy is called User Centered-Design (UCD).

GUI Controls

GUI control tools are tools that allow the user to interact with the system. There exist four groups of GUI Controls:

• Input Elements
• Output Elements
• Selection Elements
• Action Elements

A Graphical User Interface normally contains a lot of action elements that are realised with buttons. Since buttons are mainly decorated with button graphics we listed you a few design rules for these graphics.

• The icon must identify clearly the action of the button.
• The drawing style should be kept symbolic.
• The action, state, or mode that a button initiates should be clearly shown.

User's Attention

There are several techniques to get the user's attention:

• Animation
• Colours
• Sound
• Graphic Adornments

All these techniques should be used wisely. Otherwise they can be disturbing and confusing.

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Update: 26.1.2012 (eLML) - Contact - Print (PDF) - © CartouCHe 2004-2007 (Creative Commons) - layout based on YAML