At a Glance Notes: [Chapter 5] UI Design Guidelines & Principles
1. Norman’s 7-Stage Interaction Model
Definition: A framework that describes the mental process users go through when interacting with any system, consisting of seven stages that cycle between planning/execution and evaluation phases. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- User establishes the goal
- Formulates intention
- Specifies actions at interface
- Executes action
- Perceives system state
- Interprets system state
- Evaluates system state with respect to goal
- Goals vs. Intentions vs. Actions
2. Gulf of Execution
Definition: The gap between what users want to do and their ability to figure out how to do it through the system interface. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- Function determination
- Action possibilities
- Intention to physical movement mapping
- Action performance ease
3. Gulf of Evaluation
Definition: The gap between what the system does and users’ ability to understand and evaluate the results of their actions. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- System state visibility
- System state to interpretation mapping
- Current state determination
- Desired state verification
4. Shneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules
Definition: Eight practical, actionable guidelines for creating user-friendly interfaces that can be applied as a checklist for interface design evaluation. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- Strive for Consistency
- Enable Frequent Users to Use Shortcuts
- Offer Informative Feedback
- Design Dialog to Yield Closure
- Offer Simple Error Handling
- Permit Easy Reversal of Actions
- Support Internal Locus of Control
- Reduce Short-Term Memory Load
5. Norman’s 6 Design Principles
Definition: Fundamental principles focused on making individual interface elements clear and intuitive by addressing how users perceive and interact with design components. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- Visibility
- Feedback
- Constraints
- Mapping
- Consistency
- Affordance
6. User Attention Techniques
Definition: Methods and strategies for directing users’ focus to specific interface elements, ranked from most to least intrusive. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- Blinking/Flashing
- Bold Text
- Underlining
- Sound
- Color coding
- Expected color meanings
7. User Errors
Definition: Incorrect user actions that fall into two distinct categories requiring different prevention and recovery strategies. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- Slips (execution errors)
- Mistakes (planning errors)
- Solutions for slips
- Solutions for mistakes
8. Error Message Design
Definition: The principles and qualities that make error communications effective in helping users understand problems and recover successfully. Subtopics/Characteristics:
- Explicit
- Human-Readable
- Polite
- Precise
- Constructive