The Role of User Interface Design in Product Accessibility - Research Paper Example

Introduction At the present, a lot of tools and technologies heavily depend on user interface designs to raise their technical efficiency and reduce the overall working complexity to a practical product. In addition, technology itself cannot succeed user acceptance as well as following business market success. The user, who uses the end product, is the main aspect of acceptance. Additionally, it is the stage where user interface design comes into the practical scenario. Moreover, as product engineer’s pays attention on the technology, usability specialists pays attention on the user interface. Thus, in order to get maximum efficiency, cost efficiency and success, this working association should be upheld from the beginning of a project to its completion. However, in scenario of computer software, user interface design is as well recognized as HCI (Human Computer Interaction). As people frequently think of interface design in scenario of computers, it as well guides to a lot of products where the user interacts with displays or controls (Usernomics, 2011; Ambler, 2010; Smith & Mosier, 1986). This paper will discuss some of the important aspects of the user interface design. This paper basically attempts to assess and analyze some of the critical aspects of interface design to ensure a product is suitable for its intended users. In this scenario, this paper will discuss user interface design aspects like navigation, usability, accessibility and consistency. Part 1 Navigation A more effective set of graphic navigation and interactive communication links inside web-pages will be useful in catching the attention of users towards the web pages, weaning them from the wide-ranging purpose web browser communication links and drawing them more into our view point. In addition, by providing them with our own steady and expected set of navigation buttons we as well offer the user a good judgment of our website's structure as well as formulate the logic and organization of our website visually precise (Lynch & Horton, 2004). In more simple words, website navigation is an implementation or document of table of contents. Thus, it allows the users to think where they are at, where they have been, as well as where they are moving. Alternatively, the overall navigation aspects should respond the query: Where they are? In addition, navigation should as well include the classification we have intended for our system consequently we are able to recognize the content of our system (Poteet, 2007). In addition, for an attractive system navigation design, it is important to recognize the interface also. In fact, system interface woks as an intermediary among content and users, an interpreter and guide to the difficulties of a system. In the graphical state of the web, interface design has to work with assembled visual meaning (Fleming, 1998). Moreover, straightforward and understandable system navigation is important for the success of any system or application. In fact, system should allow its users to move from page to page with connecting links, menu items or buttons. More significantly, navigation has to as well address the weak balance among real-life user objectives and business aims of the application. However, when business needs terms filters into system navigation, there is some kind of risk that the common user can misinterpret the language employed in the navigation. Thus, these misunderstandings create the risk to user’s capacity to complete the job, and are able to dominate the reimbursement the technology objectives to offer. In this scenario, the term ‘transfer of eligible internal account fund’ is used to send funds from a user’s account to a mortgage, through web. On the other hand, it can generate an error if we utilize this phrase in software functionality or navigation as users would not recognize it (Oppedisano, 2011; Chapman, 2011). Furthermore, in a large size and complex system, users can feel themselves not capable to get response of their one or more queries. In this scenario, the navigation that is plainly labeled in parallel to the user's job is a necessary constituent of the transparent system interface. Additionally, the navigation should as well permit the client to reverse some decisions they can have formulated in error. In case of online system, this is normally observed as the "breadcrumb trail" method. This method presents a clickable trail of the client's navigation path on each page, initiating from the home page. In the same way, in case of a software application, one favored choice could be a "previous page" navigational link. Others comprise anything from the web browser's Back button to a cancel activity choice constructed into the application (Oppedisano, 2011; Chapman, 2011). Part 2 Usability Usability is a meted for determining the interactive user experience connected with a user interface, like that a website or software system. A user-friendly system interface design is simple to explore, supports clients’ jobs and objectives proficiently and efficiently, as well as is pleasing and appealing to utilize. In addition, usability level of a system interface can be assessed by appealing planned clients of the system to contribute in a usability testing meeting. All through a usability test meeting, a user is known a sequence of jobs to be completed by the system in question, without taking the help from any researcher. In this scenario, the researcher’s job is to note down some moments of confusion or aggravation while user uses the system and trying to finish a job, and tracks whether or not the client was capable to adequately finish every job. Moreover, the analysis of data from a number of users offers user experience engineers a way of advising how as well as where to re-design the system interface in an attempt to improve its level of usability as well as consequently, the user experience in wide-ranging (UsabilityFirst, 2011). In addition, the system interface design usability aspect is a quality characteristic that is aimed at identifying how simple user interfaces are to utilize. The word "usability" as well suggests the techniques required for improving accessibility all through the design procedure. In a system design point of view the usability describes 5 quality components: (Nielsen, 2011; Dix et al., 2003) Learnability: This feature of the usability assesses how simple is it for clients to complete fundamental jobs the first time they come across the design? Efficiency: This factor is about user’s learnability that one he have learned the system design, how rapidly are able to they carry out jobs? Memorability: When clients use the system design after a period of not making use of it, how simply they are able to reinstate skill? Errors: How several issues and errors performed by users while making use of the system, how harsh are these issues or errors, and how simply are able to they recover from the errors? Satisfaction: How enjoyable is it to utilize the design? In addition, there are a lot of other significant quality attributes. In this scenario, a very important system quality aspect regarding system usability is the utility that suggests the design's functionality for instance does the intended system perform well with respect to client’s need? Additionally, the usability and utility are uniformly significant. However, there is small difference that something is simple if it is not what we desired. It is as well not of high-quality if the system is able to hypothetically perform what we desired, however we cannot make it come about for the reason that the user interface is moreover hard. Moreover, in order to study a system design's efficacy, we can make use of similar user research techniques that are used to improve the usability (Nielsen, 2011; Dix et al., 2003). Part 3 Accessibility Accessibility fundamentally outlines that people with disabilities are able to make use of a product. In more simple words, accessibility is making the user interfaces operable, perceivable and logical for people with a broad variety of capabilities. In addition, it includes all the types of disabilities, or practical limitations, comprising auditory, visual, speech, physical, cognitive and neurological disabilities. Additionally, the accessibility as well formulates the products in more efficient working forms for the people in a broad variety of circumstances. In this scenario, the situational limitations approach from situation, settings and circumstances, and are able to influence anyone that include the people with no disabilities also. For instance, situational limitations could comprise the situations when people make access web on a mobile phone or iPod when their eyes are engaged in some other task (like that driving), in a dark room, in bright sunlight, when their hands are occupied, in a quiet setting (where they do not desire it to create noise), in a noisy situation (where they are not able to hear effectively), and in a disaster situation (when they are not able to think visibly) (Lawton, 2007; Lynch & Horton, 2004). Moreover, the people with some additional accessibility requirements make use of other assistive devices or accessories, a number of them also come with their systems, as others are foundational upon external hardware or extra software. In this scenario, companies need to offer following accessibility facilities while developing any system user interface design: (PTG GLOBAL, 2011; Lynch & Horton, 2004; Lawton, 2007) Built-in customizing selections (like that changes to styles and font sizes, mouse appearance and also some keyboard operation, changes) Easy to use and built-in aids (like that read aloud choices, magnification) Options for input devices (substitute keyboards, voice input programs, different mouse) Vision technology (screen magnifiers, screen readers, text-to-speech software, etc.) Part 4: Consistency and standards Consistency and standards in system design state that users should not have to be surprised by the different circumstances, words or actions which refer to similar thing. Consistency is a basic system interface design principle for working user interfaces. However, the thing that surprises is that it is really essential to clarify this principle. Certainly, users desire the action against a given act to be what they anticipate; or else, they would have performed something else. In user communications, the unforeseen is pretty a great deal the similar as the unwanted (Zuschlag, 2010) (Martin, 2010). In addition, if in the home page of our web site client navigates among pages with a top system navigation bar, it needs to be ensured that similar top navigation bar comes into view on following pages, and that the system pages associated with it come into view in the similar arrangement. In addition, other things that require to be kept steady comprise our system’s color scheme along with wide-ranging layout, and communication links to significant pages that might not be straightly employed inside the system (for example an FAQ page or an account page) (WebDesignerDepot, 2011). Moreover, there exist a wide variety of principles for conforming consistency in a system. In addition, there is need for implementing these principles collectively since it will provide the system interaction designers with marvelous freedom in the development of a product with no seriously troublesome in the areas of consistency that is most significant to the user. In this scenario, the below given list is arranged from those interface aspects and areas which require the majority faithful reliability effort to those requiring the smallest amount. On the other hand, a lot of people believe that the arrangement of items one in the course of five should be precisely reversed, guiding to applications that seem similar, however perform totally dissimilar in random means: In-house consistency Understanding of user behavior Visible structures Platform-consistency Furthermore, the most significant consistency feature is the consistency with user expectations. In this scenario, the simply method to ascertain user prospects is to perform user testing (Tognazzini, 2011) (Lin & Levin, 2010). Conclusion A lot of tools and technologies heavily depend on user interface design to raise their technical efficiency and reduce the overall working complexity to a practical product. In addition, technology itself cannot succeed user acceptance as well as following business market success. The user, who uses the end product, is the main aspect of acceptance. Additionally, it is the stage where user interface design comes into the practical scenario. In scenario of computer software, user interface design is as well recognized as HCI (Human Computer Interaction). This paper has discussed user interface design aspects like navigation, usability, accessibility and consistency. Navigation is an implementation or document of table of contents. It allows the users to think where they are at, where they have been, as well as where they are moving. Usability is a meted for determining the interactive user experience connected with a user interface, like that a website or software system. A user-friendly system interface design is simple to explore, supports clients’ jobs and objectives proficiently and efficiently, as well as is pleasing and appealing to utilize. Accessibility fundamentally outlines that people with disabilities are able to make use of a product. In more simple words, accessibility is making the user interfaces operable, perceivable and logical for people with a broad variety of capabilities. Consistency and standards in system design state that users should not have to be surprised by the different circumstances, words or actions which refer to similar thing. References Ambler, S.W., 2010. User Interface Design Tips, Techniques, and Principles. [Online] Available at: http://www.ambysoft.com/essays/userInterfaceDesign.html [Accessed 21 October 2011]. Chapman, C., 2011. 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[Online] Available at: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2010/10/how-to-design-a-great-user-interface/ [Accessed 25 October 2011]. Zuschlag, M., 2010. Achieving and Balancing Consistency in User Interface Design. [Online] Available at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/07/achieving-and-balancing-consistency-in-user-interface-design.php [Accessed 25 October 2011]. Read More