Human Factors for Engineers
This volume introduces readers to the subject of human factors and provides practical and pragmatic advice to assist engineers in designing interactive systems that are safer, more secure and easier to use.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Human Factors for Engineers
Chapter 10: Human Computer Interfaces A Principled Approach to Design
Robert D. Macredie, Jane Coughlan
10.1 Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to delineate the many facets of developing interfaces in order to provide fruitful design directions for practitioners to take in the area. To this end, the chapter is divided into four distinct sections. The first, Section 10.2, provides a brief history of interface design along with defining its scope and why it is important, especially in light of the continual problems in usefulness and ease of use of many interfaces that are designed today. Based on this understanding, Section 10.3 categorises the area according to the broad treatment of three key topic areas in interface design, covering human factors issues (see Chapter 1 for formal definitions), interface types and design principles that are important considerations in the development of interfaces. Practical applications of the knowledge gained from the discussions thus far will be demonstrated in Section 10.4, through two interface design cases. These cases are analysed with consideration to the issues drawn out from previous sections, thus spotlighting the various pitfalls and benefits to design. Section 10.5 concludes the chapter with a final reflection on the nature and inherent difficulties in producing effective interfaces.
10.2 Interfaces: a story about design
In this section, the topic of interface design is introduced in an explanation of its background, definition, user requirements and models before an outline of the later sections of the chapter.
10.2.1 Background to interface design
The concept of the human computer interface emerged from research in the...
Copyright The Institution of Electrical Engineers 2004 under license agreement with Books24x7
