OOUI Design: Process and Team.
Models of the development process are the heart of
software engineering. On this page we are concerned
more with the special needs of User Interfaces. The basic steps
are as follows:
- Analysis of Users and tasks.
- Designing the Users conceptual model
- Designing the information presentation
- Interaction and Control mechanisms
- Prototyping evaluation and iteraction
The OOUI Team
The OOUI team must be involved at all stages of the process. The steps
given above iterleave naturally thw the planning, analysis, desing and
implementation phases of system development.
Skills Required for OOUI Design
The skills required of a user interface designer are soemwhat different
from those required of a programmer. Remember that the UI designer
is concerned to deliver a system that users will want to use because
it helps them in their tasks. Ideally the computer must disappear, rather
the way that a pencil disappears in that one does not think about how
to use it.
Broadly speaking the OOUI designer needs these skills:
- Object-Orented Design and Programming. This skill takes time to
develop. It is a different paradigm from imperative, functional or even
logic programming.
- Human Factors . It is important to understand how the
prospective users think and work. The Air Force has a pilot's assistant
program which is carefuilly designed so that the pilot makes all the choices.
The Navy has not deployed a system thati s capable of landing fighter planes
on aircraft carriers becuase at presnet pilots do not trust the system.
- Graphic and Media Design. Artists have spent years acquiring the
skills necesary to present information well. Take advantage of them.
A recent article in IEEE software (p75 of May 1995) discusses the redesign
of Sun's home page. (Actually I though it was already the best!)
Return to GUI home page.
Last Changed: 1 May 1995