| 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 guidelines can be related to a research reference.
These guidelines are summarized to the right. |
|
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
|
