User Interface

WHAT IS A USER INTERFACE?

A user interface (UI) describes how users interact with a computer system, and consists of all the hardware, software, screens, menus, functions, output, and features that affect two-way communications between the user and the computer. The UI is the key to usability , which includes user satisfaction, support for business functions, and system effectiveness.

Figure 8-3 suggests an interesting viewpoint that interface designers should keep in mind: Industry leader IBM believes that the best interfaces are the ones that users do not even notice — they make sense because they do what users expect them to do.

When developing older systems, analysts typically designed all the printed and screen output first, then worked on the inputs necessary to produce the results. Often, the user interface mainly consisted of process-control screens that allowed the user to send commands to the system. That approach worked well with traditional systems that simply transformed input data into structured output.

FIGURE 8-3 According to IBM, the best user interfaces are the ones you don’t really notice.

© IBM Corporation 1994, 2012

As information management evolved from centralized data processing to dynamic, enterprise-wide systems, the primary focus also shifted — from the IT department to the users themselves. The IT group became a supplier of information technology, rather than a supplier of information. Today, the main focus is on users within and outside the company, how they communicate with the information system, and how the system supports the firm’s business operations.

In a user-centered system, the distinction blurs between input, output, and the interface itself. Most users work with a varied mix of input, screen output, and data queries as they perform their day-to-day job functions. Because all those tasks require interaction with the computer system, the user interface is a vital element in the systems design phase.

User interface design requires an understanding of human-computer interaction and user-centered design principles, which are discussed in the next section.

Human-Computer Interaction

A user interface is based on basic principles of human-computer interaction. Human-computer interaction (HCI) describes the relationship between computers and people who use them to perform their jobs, like the worker shown in Figure 8-4. HCI concepts apply to everything from smartphones to global networks. In its broadest sense, a user interface includes all the communications and instructions necessary to enter input to the system and to obtain output in the form of screen displays or printed reports.

Early user interfaces involved users typing complex commands on a keyboard, which displayed as green text on a black screen. Then came the graphical user interface (GUI), which was a huge improvement because it used icons, graphical objects, and pointing devices. Today, designers strive to translate user behavior, needs, and desires into an interface that users don’t really notice. As IBM points out in Figure 8-3, the best user interfaces are “almost transparent— you can see right though the interface to your own work.” In other words, a transparent interface does not distract the user and calls no attention to itself.

As a systems analyst, you will design user interfaces for in-house-developed software and customize interfaces for various commercial packages and user productivity applications. Your main objective is to create a user-friendly design that is easy to learn and use.

Industry leaders Microsoft and IBM both devote considerable resources to user interface research. Figure 8-5 on the next page describes Microsoft’s Redmond labs, where engineers observe volunteers who participate in software usability studies. Notice that the site invites visitors to watch an interesting video about Microsoft User Research.

Because HCI has a major impact on user productivity, it gets lots of attention — especially where multi-million dollar issues are concerned. For example, consider the article by Elizabeth Gardner in Health Data Management, which is shown in Figure 8-6 on the next page. The title tells the story, which involves government incentives for medical providers who use the new electronic health records (EHRs) . However, many physicians feel that EHR software is difficult to use and does not meet their needs.

FIGURE 8-4 HCI is essential to employee productivity, whether the work is done in a traditional office setting, or on a construction site like the one shown here.

© Goodluz/Shutterstock.com

FIGURE 8-5 Microsoft engineers observe volunteers who participate in usability studies. Notice the invitation to watch a video about Microsoft User Research.

Screenshots used with permission from Microsoft.

FIGURE 8-6 Software usability has a major impact on the medical profession, and not everyone is happy about it.

© 2012 Health Data Management and SourceMedia, Inc.

In her article, Ms. Gardner points out that physicians often multi task, answering a question about one patient while writing a prescription for another, and EHR software was not designed around that type of workflow.

The article also mentions Dr. Scott Finley, who consults on usability issues for the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs and other agencies. Dr. Finley says that EHRs were designed to do a good job of gathering structured analytical data, but that approach does not promote usability. Dr. Finley says, “The data capture process needs to be judged on its own merits. It’s easier to make it hard than to make it easy.” Perhaps all systems analysts and UI designers should reflect on the implications of his comment.

CASE IN POINT 8.1: CASUAL OBSERVER SOFTWARE

Casual Observer Software’s main product is a program that monitors and analyzes user keystrokes and mouse clicks to learn more about the way employees use their computer systems. The problem is that some users feel this is an unwarranted intrusion into their privacy, and they prefer not to be observed. Some even fear that the data would be used for other reasons, including performance appraisal. You are a consultant who has been hired by a client firm that is trying to decide whether or not to use this software.

Before you advise the client, go back and review the Microsoft usability lab shown in Figure 8-5, where the users being studied in the Redmond labs were willing participants. Then, refer to Chapter 4, Requirements Modeling, page 155, and consider the Hawthorne Effect, which suggests that employees might behave differently when they know they are being observed. Finally, think about the ethical issues that might be involved in this situation. What will you advise your client, and why?

SEVEN HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL INTERFACE DESIGNERS

Although IT professionals have different views about interface design, most would agree that good design depends on seven basic principles, which are described in the following sections.

Understand the Business

The interface designer must understand the underlying business functions and how the system supports individual, departmental, and enterprise goals. The overall objective is to design an interface that helps users to perform their jobs. A good starting point might be to analyze a functional decomposition diagram (FDD). As you learned in Chapter 4, an FDD is a graphical representation of business functions that starts with major functions, and then breaks them down into several levels of detail. An FDD can provide a checklist of user tasks that you must include in the interface design.

Maximize Graphical Effectiveness

Studies show that people learn better visually. The immense popularity of Apple Mac OS and Microsoft Windows is largely the result of their graphical user interfaces that are easy to learn and use. A well-designed interface can help users learn a new system rapidly and be more productive. Also, in a graphical environment, a user can display and work with multiple windows on a single screen and transfer data between programs. If the interface supports data entry, it must follow the guidelines for data entry screen design that are discussed later in this chapter.

Think Like a User

A systems analyst should understand user experience, knowledge, and skill levels. If a wide range of capability exists, the interface should be flexible enough to accommodate novices as well as experienced users.

To develop a user-centered interface, the designer must learn to think like a user and see the system through a user’s eyes. The interface should use terms and metaphors that are familiar to users. Users are likely to have real-world experience with many other machines and devices that provide feedback, such as automobiles, ATMs, and microwave ovens. Based on that experience, users will expect useful, understandable feedback from a computer system.

Use Models and Prototypes

From a user’s viewpoint, the interface is the most critical part of the system design because it is where he or she interacts with the system — perhaps for many hours each day. It is essential to construct models and prototypes for user approval. An interface designer should obtain as much feedback as possible, as early as possible. You can present initial screen designs to users in the form of a storyboard , which is a sketch that shows the general screen layout and design. The storyboard can be created with software or drawn freehand. Users must test all aspects of the interface design and provide feedback to the designers. User input can be obtained in interviews, via questionnaires, and by observation. Interface designers also can obtain data, called usability metrics , by using software that can record and measure user interaction with the system.

TOOLKIT TIME

The Communication Tools in Part A of the Systems Analyst’s Toolkit can help you communicate effectively with users. To learn more about these tools, turn to Part A of the four-part Toolkit that follows Chapter 12.

Focus on Usability

The user interface should include all tasks, commands, and communications between users and the information system. The opening screen should show the main options (Figure 8-7 is an illustration). Each screen option leads to another screen, with more options. The objective is to offer a reasonable number of choices that a user easily can comprehend. Too many options on one screen can confuse a user — but too few options increase the number of submenu levels and complicate the navigation process. Often, an effective strategy is to present the most common choice as a default but allow the user to select other options.

Invite Feedback

Even after the system is operational, it is important to monitor system usage and solicit user suggestions. You can determine if system features are being used as intended by observing and surveying users. Sometimes, full-scale operations highlight problems that were not apparent when the prototype was tested. Based on user feedback, Help screens might need revision and design changes to allow the system to reach its full potential.

FIGURE 8-7 The opening screen displays the main options for a student registration system. A user can click an option to see lower-level actions and menu choices.

© Cengage Learning 2014

Document Everything

You should document all screen designs for later use by programmers. If you are using a CASE tool or screen generator, number the screen designs and save them in a hierarchy similar to a menu tree. User-approved sketches and storyboards also can be used to document the user interface.

By applying basic user-centered design principles, a systems analyst can plan, design, and deliver a successful user interface.

A HANDBOOK FOR USER INTERFACE DESIGN

What follows is a set of suggestions for user interface design, based on the author’s experience and observation. There is some overlap because many of the main rules share common elements.

Although there is no standard approach to interface design, these rules will get you started. Perhaps the most important rule is that you don’t have to follow all of these recommendations — the best interface is the one that works best for your users.

RULE 1: Create an Interface That Is Easy to Learn and Use

1.1 Focus on system design objectives, rather than calling attention to the interface.

1.2 Create a design that is easy to understand and remember. Maintain a common design in all modules of the interface, including the use of color, screen placements, fonts, and the overall “look and feel.”

1.3 Provide commands, actions, and system responses that are consistent and predictable.

1.4 Allow users to correct errors easily.

1.5 Clearly label all controls, buttons, and icons.

1.6 Select familiar images that users can understand, and provide on-screen instructions that are logical, concise, and clear. For example, the top screen in Figure 8-8 shows four control buttons, but none of them has an obvious meaning. In the bottom screen, the first five messages provide little or no information. The last message is the only one that is easy to understand.

1.7 Show all commands in a list of menu items, but dim any commands that are not available to the user.

1.8 Make it easy to navigate or return to any level in the menu structure.

RULE 2: Enhance User Productivity

The interface is where a user interacts with the system, so it can have a dramatic effect on productivity. If the interface empowers a user and enables him or her to handle more complex tasks, the user becomes more productive. Conversely, if the interface is difficult to work with, productivity declines.

FIGURE 8-8 In the example at the top, the icons do not have a clear message. In the Help text examples at the bottom, only one message is understandable. The others would frustrate and annoy most users.

© Cengage Learning 2014

2.1 Organize tasks, commands, and functions in groups that resemble actual business operations. You should group functions and submenu items in a multilevel menu hierarchy, or tree, that is logical and reflects how users typically perform the tasks. Figure 8-9 shows an example of a menu hierarchy for an order tracking system.

2.2 Create alphabetical menu lists or place the selections used frequently at the top of the menu list. No universally accepted approach to menu item placement exists. The best strategy is to design a prototype and obtain feedback from users. Some applications even allow menus to show recently used commands first. Some users like that feature, but others find it distracting. The best approach is to offer a choice, and let users decide.

2.3 Provide shortcuts for experienced users so they can avoid multiple menu levels. You can create shortcuts using hot keys that allow a user to press the Alt key + the underlined letter of a command.

2.4 Use default values if the majority of values in a field are the same. For example, if 90% of the firm’s customers live in Albuquerque, use Albuquerque as the default value in the City field.

2.5 Use a duplicate value function that enables users to insert the value from the same field in the previous record, but allow users to turn this feature on or off as they prefer.

2.6 Provide a fast-find feature that displays a list of possible values as soon as users enter the first few letters.

2.7 If available, consider a natural language feature that allows users to type commands or requests in normal text phrases. For example, many applications allow users to request Help by typing a question into a dialog box. The software then uses natural language technology to retrieve a list of topics that match the request. Natural language technology is used in speech recognition systems, text-to-speech synthesizers, automated voice response systems, Web search engines, text editors, and language instruction materials.