

Generally accepted principles for Graphical user interface design are:

1. Aesthetically pleasing Provide visual appeal by following these presentation and graphic design principles:

Provide meaningful contrast between screen elements.

Create groupings.

Align screen elements and groups.

Provide three dimensional representation

Use colors and graphics effectively and simply.

2. Clarity The interface should be visually, conceptually and linguistically clear, including

Visual elements

Functions

Metaphors

Words and text

3. Compatibility Provide compatibility with the following:

The user

The task and job

The product

Adopt the user’s perspective

4. Comprehensibility A system should be easily understood and learned. A user should know the following

What to do

What to look at

When to do it

Where to do it

Why to do it

How to do it

The flow of actions, responses, visual preparations and information should be in a sensible order that is easy to recollect and place in context.

5. Configurability Permit easy personalization, configuration and reconfiguration of settings.

Enhances a sense of control

Encourages an active role in understanding

6. Consistency A system should look, act, and operate the same throughput. Similar components should:

Have a similar look

Have similar uses.

Operate similarly

The same action should always yield the same result.

The function of the elements should not change

The position of standard elements should not change.

7. Control The user must control the interaction.

Actions should result from explicit user requests

Actions should be performed quickly

Actions should be capable of interruption or termination

The user should never be interrupted for errors

The context maintained must be from the perspective of the user.

The means to achieve goals should be flexible and compatible with the user’s skills, experiences, habits and preferences.

Avoid modes since they constrain the actions available to the user.

Permit the user to customize aspects of the interface, while always providing a proper set of defaults.

8. Directness Provide direct ways to accomplish tasks

Available alternatives should be visible,

The effect of actions on objects should be visible.

9. Efficiency

Minimize eye and hand movements, and other control actions.

Transitions between various system controls should flow easily and freely.

Navigation paths should be as short as possible.

Eye movement through a screen should be obvious and sequential.

Anticipate the user’s wants and needs whenever possible.

10. Familiarity Employ familiar concepts and use a language that is familiar to the user.

Keep the interface natural, mimicking the user’s behavior patterns.

Use real world metaphors.

11. Flexibility A system must be flexible to the different needs of its users, enabling a level and type of performance based upon:

Each user’s knowledge and skills.

Each user’s experience.

Each user’s personal preference

Each user’s habits

The conditions at that moment

12. Forgiveness

Tolerate and forgive common and unavoidable human errors

Prevent errors from occurring whenever possible.

Protect against possible catastrophic errors.

When an error does occur, provide constructive messages.

13. Predictability The user’s should be able to anticipate the natural progression of the task.

Provide distinct and recognizable screen elements

Provide cues to the result of an action to be performed

All expectations should be fulfilled uniformly and completely.

14. Recovery A system should permit:

Commands or actions to be abolished or reversed.

Immediate return to a certain point if difficulties arise.

Ensure that users never lose their work as a result of

An error on their part

H/W, S/W or communication problems.

15. Responsiveness The system must rapidly respond to the user’s requests.

Provide immediate acknowledgement for all user actions

Visual

Textual

Auditory

16. Simplicity

Provide as simple an interface as possible

Provide defaults

Minimize screen alignment points.

Make common actions simple at the expense of uncommon actions being made harder.

Provide uniformity and consistency

Five ways to provide simplicity:

Present common and necessary functions first.

Prominently feature important functions,

Hide more sophisticated and less frequently used functions

17. Transparency

Permit the user to focus on the task or job, without concern for the mechanics of the interface.

Workings and reminders of workings inside the computer should be invisible to the user.

18. Trade-offs

Final design will be based on a series of trade-offs balancing often-conflicting design principles

People’s requirements always take precedence over technical requirements

Further reading [ edit ]