Designing a Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Designing a Graphical Designing a Graphical User Interface (GUI)User Interface (GUI)

Krisana Chinnasarn, Ph.D.Krisana Chinnasarn, Ph.D.January 2007.January 2007.

Dept. of Computer Science, Burapha University.

Introduction• How do you chooes the correct

widget?• How do you use the widget

effectively?• How do you combine widget?


W idget (n.)• informal a small gadget or mecha

nical device.• Computing a component of a user

interface with a particular function.


Poor Interface Design

http://broken.typepad.com/

http://www.thisisbroken.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/emergencydoor.jpg

http://www.thisisbroken.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/freebutnoparking.jpg


Poor Interface Design

http://broken.typepad.com/

http://www.thisisbroken.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/ppcclockscreen_1.jpg

http://www.thisisbroken.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/milliman_1.png


Style Guide for GUIs• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/

default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwue/html/welcome.asp

• http://developer.apple.com/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/XHIGPartIII/chapter_10_section_1.html

• http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/1.0/


The Apperance of Widge in different pieces of softwareExercise 10 minute• The affordance of

button• The use of color• The shape of the

button• The position of

button• The wording of

text inside the buttons


Energetic Sport Center

SquashCourt I

SquashCourt II

Main Hall

Office

Fitness

Reception

The task is to redesign the center’s system for recording membership dataand booking match.


Energetic Sport Center• Domain

– Wider domain is sport– Particular application domain is the

activities available at Energetic Sport Center and how the sport center handles these.


Energetic Sport Center• User

– Administrative members of staff will record membership details.

– Most staff members work part time and rarely stay for more than a few months.

– 5 part time staff and a full time manager– Administrative members of staff are

mainly mature and have limit knowledge and experience of computing system.


Energetic Sport Center• Main Tasks

– Task 1: Adding and Modifying Membership details, eg. Name, address, Date of Birth, First registration, activity, …

– Task 2: Booking Squash Matchs, eg. • Mon 6 March, Tue 7 March,

– 10-11 ……………………… 10-11 ………………………

– 11-12 ……………………… 11-12 ………………………

– 12-1pm …………………… 12-1pm ………………………


Energetic Sport Center• Technology

– There will be a small network of computer.

– One computer will be at the Reception desk

– Other will be in the social area


Energetic Sport Center• Conceptual Design

– Primary task objects: Member, Booking

– Attribute: • Member: Name, address, Date of Birth,

sex, medical conition, drug allergies, First registration, length of membership, activity interested in.

• Booking: Date, court number, name and membership number of person making the booking



– Action• Member: Adding and Removing members• Booking: adding a new booking and

Canceling a booking.– Metaphor: A form of the screen will

be represent the membership form, and the booking diary will be represented by adiary metaphor.



– Choice of Guidelines: We have choosen to develop this UI broadly in line with the Microsoft Window User Experience Guidelines.

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnwue/html/welcome.asp


Windows


Choosing Widgets to Structure the Interaction• Using Primary Windows:• Using Secondary Windows:• Using Tabs:



Choosing Widgets to Structure the Interaction• Using Primary Windows: contains a

frame, title bar, menus, scroll bars, and so on.

• Using Secondary Windows: complement primary windows, providing additional functionality and support for the user– Message Box– Dialog box


Choosing Widgets to Structure the Interaction• Using Tab: useful for classifying

the properties of a task object represented by a window.

• Consideration– Is the information on the different

tabs independent?– How many tab do you need?– Do the tabs need to be completed in

a specific order?



Exercise• List the two primary windows needed for

the Energetic sport center. Sketch an additional lunch pad window to choose between these.

• In the Energetic sport center, the membership primary window will display the details of one center member. How could this information be divided into more than one tab? You should consider the original membership form when you make this decision.


Choosing Widgets to Control the Interaction• Using Menus• Using Tool bars• Using Command

Buttons


Choosing Widgets to Control the Interaction• Using Menus

– Drop-drown menus– Cascading menus– Roll-up menus– Pop-up menus

• Considerations:– How do you name menu items?– Do the menus allow the users to do

what they want to do, but no more?– How do you order the menu bar and

menu items?


Exercise:• Draw a menu bar and associated drop-

down menus for the membership window of the Energetic Sport Center. They should allow the user to perform the following tasks:– Search for particular member– Print the details of the display member– Add a new member– Sort the member into a particular order– List the member in a secondary window– Delete an existing member from the

membership list.


Choosing Widgets to Control the Interaction• Using Tool Bars: complement the

menu hierarchy. • They contain a range of frequently

used commands represented by ICONs.

• The ICONs are often explained by ToolTips, small pop-up windows that contain the associated menu command.


Choosing Widgets to Control the Interaction• Desirable properties of ICONs

– They can easily be distinguished from each other.

– They can easily be recognized and understood.

– They are visually simple.– They are informative.– They represent concrete object.– They are eady to perceive.


Exercise:• Draw a tool bar for menu

hierarchy, choosing two of menu items to be represented on the tool bar. How did you choose menu items to go on the tool bar? How did you design the ICONs?


Choosing Widgets to Control the Interaction• Using Command Buttons: used for

controlling the operation of dialog box.

• Consideration:– How will you label them?– How will you position them on the

screen?– What size should the button be?


Choosing Widgets to Enter Information• Using Option

Buttons and Check Boxes

• Using of List Boxes

• Using of Text Boxes


Choosing Widgets to Enter Information• Using Option Buttons and Check

Boxes: • Option Buttons are used when the

user needs to choose ONE option out of the selection

• Check boxes are used when the user needs MORE than one option out of the selection.


Choosing Widgets to Enter Information• Consideration:

– How many options can you reasonable represent in this way?

– How should the options be grouped and laid out on the screen?

– How should they be ordered on the screen?

– How should the options be labeled?


Exercise• For the Energetic Sport Center,

draw the relevant parts of the general details and activity tabs, showing how option boxes and check boxes can be used to enter this information.


Choosing Widgets to Enter Information• Using of List Boxes: allow the user

to choose from a large number of options.

• Consideration:– How many options should be display?– How much space is available?– Are the options likely to change?– Are multiple selections needed?– What default values should be used?


Choosing Widgets to Enter Information• Using of Text Boxes• Consideration

– What size and shape should the text box be?

– Do you know how much information the user wants to enter?

– Will you want to gray out the text box?


Combining GUI Widget• If you have two possible designs,

which is better?• How would you put together a

sequence of the screens to complete a task for the user?

• How would you extend your design to incorporate new features?


User Interface Designs• Display Things to the User• Capture Things from the User• Navigate• Considerations on the Panel Layout


Display Things to the User• Display a little text• Display a lot of text• Display a list of objects• Display a hierarchical list of objects• Display a warning, confirmation, or

other brief message that presents a limited variety of actions


Display a little text• This can easily be

accomplished by simply displaying

the text anywhere on the panel. Ofte

n it is accompanie d by an icon of so

me sort to associa te the text with a f

unction or physica l object.


Display a lot of text


Display a list of objects


Display a hierarchical list of objects


Display a warning, confirmation, or other bri ef message that presents a limited variety o

f actions


Capture Things from the User• Capture a little text• Capture a lot of text• Toggle settings on/off• - Capture a single selection from pre defined cho

ices• - Capture multiple selections from pre defined c

hoices• Capture an approximate value from a wide ran

ge• Increment or decrement a value• Add/Remove an element to/from a list


Capture a little text


Capture a lot of text


Toggle settings on/off


Capture a single selection - from pre defined choices


Capture a single selecti - on from pre defined cho

ices


Capture multiple selectio - ns from pre defined choic es


Capture an approximat e value from a wide ran

ge


Increment or decremen t a value


Add/Remove an elemen t to/from a list


Prevention Design


Forgiveness• Consider the example when

the user closes a document that contains changes that have not been saved.

• It can be very misleading to have a message that says "

Continue without saving?" a nd a default button labeled

"Okay."• It is much better to have a d

ialog that says "Document h as been changed" and a def

ault button labeled "Save", with a "Don't save" button t

o allow the user not to save changes if that is, in fact, th

e desired action.

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Designing a Graphical User Interface (GUI)