Principles and

Guidelines of
Software Usability
LESSON 3
Overview
•Principles of Software Usability
•Shneiderman’s Eight Golden Rules for
Dialogue Design
•Role of Principles and Guidelines
•Problems with Principles
•10 Rules of Web Design
 Principles of Software Usability
1. Simple and natural dialog.
Dialogs should not have any irrelevant or
infrequently used information. All
information should be arranged in a way that
is natural to users.
2. Speak the user’s language.
Dialogs should be expressed in text and
concepts familiar to users. Always be aware
of the jargons they use in their work.
 Principles of Software Usability
3. Minimize user memory load.
Users should not have to remember
information as they move from one part of the
dialog to another.
4.Consistency
Users should not have to wonder whether
different words, situations, or actions mean
the same thing.
 Principles of Software Usability
5. Feedback
Users should always be informed about what
is happening in the system. If not, they will
get confused.
6. Clearly marked exits
System should have visible exits so that users
can leave any unwanted situation.
 Principles of Software Usability

7. Shortcuts
Accelerators that speed up tasks should be
available for expert users.
8. Good error messages
Messages should, in plain language, state the
problem and suggest a solution.
 Principles of Software Usability
9.Prevent errors.
Systems should, whenever possible, prevent
problems from occurring.
10. Help and documentation.
Information should be easy to retrieve and
should list required steps to complete tasks.
Shneiderman’s Eight Golden Rules for
Dialogue Design
1. Consistency (Consistent sequences of actions
should be used in similar situations; Identical
terminology should be used in menus, prompts
and help screens; Commands should operate in a
consistent manner Very often violated)
2. Provide shortcuts (As users become experts
they want to reduce number of interactions and
increase pace. Should allow abbreviations,
accelerator keys, hidden commands, extra options)
Shneiderman’s Eight Golden Rules for
Dialogue Design
3. Offer informative feedback (For every action
there should be some feedback. For frequent,
minor actions maybe simple feedback for
infrequent major actions more demanding.)
4. Design dialogues to yield closure (Sequences of
actions should be organized into groups. Feedback
can then be given at the end of a sequence to
indicate it is over. User can then move on to next
task)
Shneiderman’s Eight Golden Rules for
Dialogue Design
5. Simple error handling (Design system to avoid
errors happening. If error occurs system should
detect this, indicate it in an understandable way
and provide simple mechanisms for recovery. User
should not have to retype a whole command, just
fix the incorrect part.)
6. Permit easy reversal of actions (Actions should
be reversible. This will relieve anxiety since user
knows that errors can be undone; encourages
exploration. This can be done with an undo
command, this may undo last action, last group of
actions, or more what about irreversible actions?)
Shneiderman’s Eight Golden Rules for
Dialogue Design

7. Support internal focus of control (Users should

feel they are in control. Surprising system actions,
tedious sequences of data entry or difficulty in
obtaining necessary information increase anxiety.
Users should initiate actions.)
8. Reduce short-term memory load (Keep displays
simple, avoid multiple page displays where must
remember items from one to the next. Allow
sufficient training time to learn codes, mnemonics
and sequences of actions.)
 Role of Principles and Guidelines

•Raising awareness of concepts

•Assisting in design choices
•Offering strategies for problem solving
•Supporting evaluation
“There is no easy ‘cookbook’ solution to
designing interfaces, even harder to design
good multimedia interfaces.”
Problems with Principles

•Principles must be interpreted, refined

and extended for the particular
environment.
•Must be interpreted in context of use.
Because of this can be applied wrongly.
•Skills are required to use them
effectively
 Principles and Guidelines in the Iterative Design Process

Evaluating a design using principles and guidelines

Any contraventions can be spotted and corrected before the
design goes any further.
 10 Rules of Web Design

1. Simple is beautiful.

Cramming too much into each page creates

confusion. Visitors get frustrated when
they have to scan through rows of links and
images to find what they are looking for. By
keeping your pages simple, your website
will be easier to use.
 10 Rules of Web Design
2. Design is paramount.

When you meet someone for the first time,

you want to make a good first impression.
The same should be true for your website.
The overall look and feel of your site is the
first thing your visitors will notice.
 10 Rules of Web Design
3. Navigation should be intuitive.

There are few things more frustrating than

not being able to find what you want on a
website. Pages should be well-organized with
a top-down design so that visitors can easily
browse through the different sections of your
site.
 10 Rules of Web Design

4. Consistency is key.

Visitors shouldn't feel like they are visiting a

new website each time they open a new page
on your site. Consistent design across the
pages within your site makes navigation a
much easier task.
 10 Rules of Web Design
5. Colors are crucial.

Color selection can make or break a website.

Most of us have visited websites that are
simply painful to look at. When choosing
colors, use a consistent palette of colors that
don't clash and make sure there is a strong
contrast between the text and the background.
 10 Rules of Web Design

6. Make your website responsive.

People will access your website using a wide

variety of devices – from smartphones to
desktop computers. Therefore, it is important
that your website displays correctly on different
screen sizes. CSS media queries are a great way
to implement responsive web design.
 10 Rules of Web Design
7. Develop for multiple browsers.

Browsers are supposed to render webpages the

same way, but they don't. Therefore, make sure
to check your website in multiple browsers to
make sure everything appears correctly. It is
best to catch problems ahead of time instead of
relying on complaints from your visitors.
 10 Rules of Web Design

8. Check your website for errors.

As any experienced editor will tell you, a

great piece of work can be tarnished by a
small error. If you're a webmaster, check
your websites on a regular basis for typos,
broken links, and images that do not load
correctly.
 10 Rules of Web Design

9. Write your own code.

Whether it's HTML or PHP, nothing beats

writing your code from scratch. If you build your
site from templates and pre-written scripts, you
will be clueless when something goes wrong.
When you code your own pages, you have full
control over how they look and act.
 10 Rules of Web Design

10. Don't forget the content.

Even if your site is beautifully designed, it is

only an empty shell without content. A good
website has both great design and great
content. Therefore, make sure your pages have
unique, original content that makes them
worth visiting.
Style Guides

Describe how to design interface ‘look and feel’ for a particular

environment.
Enables consistency between applications within one environment.
All major systems have them.
 Apple & Microsoft Look
Figure 1 – Different interface for Apple and Microsoft
 Apple & Microsoft Look
Figure 2 – different icons and messages. What is the main difference
between the Microsoft messages and the Apple Macintosh versions?
Standards
Set by national and international bodies
H/W standards based on ergonomics, physiology, etc.
S/W standards less common as system design less
well understood
International standards for user interface design
slowly emerging
ISO 9241 is an HCI standard
ISO 9241-10-17 deal with software aspects of display
design, keyboard requirements, user guidance, etc
References
HCI by Jenny Preece
HCI information by Steve Brewster
Designing Web Interfaces by Michael Rees
User-centered information design for improved usability by Pradeep
Henry
This Week’s class
Group Presentation of Logo
More about principles, guidelines, style guides and standards
More about usability
Norman’s model of interaction
Interaction components