Information presentation
Information presentation is concerned with
presenting system information to system users
The information may be presented directly (e.g.
text in a word processor) or may be transformed
in some way for presentation (e.g. in some
graphical form)
The Model-View-Controller approach is a way of
supporting multiple presentations of data
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 1
Information presentation
Information to Presentation
be displayed software
Display
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 2
Model-view-controller
View state view modification Controller state
messages User inputs
View methods Controller methods
Model queries
and updates Model edits
Model state
Model methods
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 3
Information presentation
Static information
• Initialised at the beginning of a session. It does not change
during the session
• May be either numeric or textual
Dynamic information
• Changes during a session and the changes must be
communicated to the system user
• May be either numeric or textual
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 4
Information display factors
Is the user interested in precise information or
data relationships?
How quickly do information values change?
Must the change be indicated immediately?
Must the user take some action in response to
a change?
Is there a direct manipulation interface?
Is the information textual or numeric? Are
relative values important?
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 5
Alternative information presentations
Jan April
Feb May
Mar 2842 June 2789
2851 3164 1273 2835
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Jan Feb Mar May
April
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, June
6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 6
Analogue vs. digital presentation
Digital presentation
• Compact - takes up little screen space
• Precise values can be communicated
Analogue presentation
• Easier to get an 'at a glance' impression of a value
• Possible to show relative values
• Easier to see exceptional data values
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 7
Dynamic information display
1
0 10 20
4 2
Dial with needle Pie chart Thermometer Horizontal bar
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 8
Displaying relative values
Pressure Temperature
0 100 200 300 400 0 25 50 75 100
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 9
Textual highlighting
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Ch. 16 User interface design
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©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 10
Data visualisation
Concerned with techniques for displaying large
amounts of information
Visualisation can reveal relationships between
entities and trends in the data
Possible data visualisations are:
• Weather information collected from a number of sources
• The state of a telephone network as a linked set of nodes
• Chemical plant visualised by showing pressures and
temperatures in a linked set of tanks and pipes
• A model of a molecule displayed in 3 dimensions
• Web pages displayed as a hyperbolic tree
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 11
Colour displays
Colour adds an extra dimension to an interface
and can help the user understand complex
information structures
Can be used to highlight exceptional events
Common mistakes in the use of colour in
interface design include:
• The use of colour to communicate meaning
• Over-use of colour in the display
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 12
Colour use guidelines
Don't use too many colours
Use colour coding to support use tasks
Allow users to control colour coding
Design for monochrome then add colour
Use colour coding consistently
Avoid colour pairings which clash
Use colour change to show status change
Be aware that colour displays are usually lower
resolution
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 13
User support
User guidance covers all system facilities to
support users including on-line help, error
messages, manuals etc.
The user guidance system should be integrated
with the user interface to help users when they
need information about the system or when they
make some kind of error
The help and message system should, if possible,
be integrated
©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 15 Slide 14
What is usability
Usability
Definition :
ISO 9241-210, defines usability as “extent to which a system, product or service can be used by
specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified
context of use”.
Usability Perspectives
(i) A product-oriented perspective emphasizes that usability can be measured with regard to the
ergonomic characteristics of a product.
(ii) A user-oriented perspective, usability is represented by means of the user's mental effort in
product usage and his/her attitude towards the product.
(iii) A performance-oriented perspective, usability is described in terms of the interaction of the user
with the product,
(iv) A context-oriented perspective emphasizes that usability is dependent on the user group that is
studied, the tasks those users are performing, and the environment in which the tasks are completed.
Usability Engineering
Usability is all about how users interact with technology
Usability engineering requires a firm knowledge of
computer science and psychology and approaches
product development based on customer feedback.
A usability engineer works hand-in-hand with customers,
working to develop a better understanding of the
functionality
Why isn’t UE done Regulalrly?
Developers believe
• it takes too long
• is too expensive
• is not critical to development
• they can afford to learn about user problems during
“live” use
Also developers may not know how to do it
Benefits of UE to an Organization
Reduce training costs
Reduce development costs
Identify and fix problems early
Reduce support costs; minimize need for
support personnel/help desks
fixes, maintenance, upgrades
Enhance organization’s reputation - positive “word-of-mouth” trade
Larger numbers of “hit” and “return visit” rates
Benefits of UE to the User
Less time to complete work
Greater success with tasks
Increased user satisfaction
Typical Web-site Usability Problems
Navigation
Knowing where you are
Finding what you want
Structure of web site
Layout
Needs sufficient white space
Use of large graphics
“The Google problem”
User Centered Design
UCD is a dialog between the customer and the
designer
Rules of thumb:
Get to know and understand the users.
Build an application, applying usability principles.
Test designs by observing users in a real work setting
(environment and work load).
Usability design Process
Use scenario Development
You already know about use cases
Use scenarios are just a single thread through a
use case – much simpler!
UI Structure (architecture diagram of interface)
Interface Standard Design (one video to another..what standard must follow)
UI design principles: key rules and guidelines
1. Make it easy to explore and use
2. Give users control of the interface
3. Create a layout that works efficiently
4. Offer a consistent interface
5. Use real-world metaphors in your UI
6. Know your way around design materials
7. Start with black-and-white UI design, then build on it
8. Feedback and context is important
9. Fine-tune your wireframing game
10. Get familiar with user testing and the world of usability
Interface Design Prototyping (develop storyboard on paper)
Storyboard
HTML Prototype
Language Prototype
Interface Evaluation
Heuristic
Walkthrough
Interactive
Formal Usability Testing
Usability Principles
GUI Design is Multi Disciplinary
A team includes
Analyst
Designer
Technology expert
Graphic artist
Social and behavioral scientist
Programmer