T03: Structuring user interfaces

Half Day Tutorial

Martin Maguire (short bio)
Design School, Loughborough University, United Kingdom

Objectives:

Many user interfaces, while sophisticated and attractive suffer from poor usability because users do not have a clear understanding or it or mental model of how it operates. This can prevent users from learning how to use an application and getting the most out of it. There are several techniques which can be used to design and present a clear structure for the user interface that will facilitate a clear mental model and ease of understanding and use. The main objective of this half day tutorial will therefore be to impart advice and guidance for the development of well-structured user interfaces and to enhance delegate’s skills in applying them.

Content and Benefits:

This tutorial will include both presentations and practical group work. The session will start by reviewing some examples of user interfaces found on mainstream products and to examine the structures behind them and the user psychology of why they are effective or not. Key guidelines for good design to create effective user interface structures and models will be presented. This will be followed by an audience exercise where they will create the outline design of a mobile application. Working in groups, delegates will create and produce a paper prototype which they will test under ‘laboratory conditions’ with a user from another group. The session will end with a plenary discussion about what has been learned and how that learning may be taken forward in delegates’ own work. The tutorial will enable participants to approach the creation of a user interface structure more confidently and to appreciate how this can greatly enhance the usability of the design.

Target Audience:

The target audience will primarily be for those involved in user interface design for applications. It may include people in different roles such as UX team members, front end developers, QA testers and user representatives. They may be responsible for designing or evaluating applications. The session will not assume any technical knowledge and could be of interest to both human factors and non-human factors professionals.

Bio Sketch of Presenter:

As a member of the Loughborough University Design School, Martin Maguire has a background in computer studies and ergonomics. His main interests are in the usability of interactive systems including the needs of inexperienced users, older people and people with disabilities. He has been involved in several EU projects to develop human factors tools, methods and guidelines to promote usability within European IT programmes. Martin developed the RESPECT User-centred requirements handbook for telematics systems. He has conducted ergonomic appraisals of IT systems for many public sector and private organisations in the UK. At the University he teaches HCI and Interaction Design.