Human-Computer Interactions - Essay Example

? Human Computer Interactions Document In each and every year of the Yahoo website, the pages are filled with a list of links to content-rich pages in the site. From 1999 to 2010, the Yahoo menu page incorporated enough links on the menu page to lead users to other more informative and content-rich pages. In addition to this, enough information about each link is shown to enable the user to choose well. As a matter of fact, no other significant content is shown on the page. From what I have seen on the Yahoo websites ranging from 1999 to 2010, the company did a very good job in creating a menu page that is not only interactive but also informative (Barrier 20). From 1999 to 2010, the Yahoo website linked together a sequence of pages with Back/Next links. The developers created a parent page that links to all of the pages in this sequence, and allowed users to view them either in sequence or out of order. In this regard, the 1999 website was the most basic, and the 2010 version was the most advanced (Barrier 27). It is safe to say that all the Yahoo websites since 1999 to 2010 have been designed to support easy navigation by linking pages (Barrier 29). If a user clicks on a link and wants to go back to the parent page, there is a Back/Next link; if a user has gone back by mistake, for example, he/she can also go to the next page by clicking on the Next link. Visual Framework: From 1999 to 2010, the Yahoo website pages were designed to use the same basic layout, colors and stylistic elements, but give the design enough flexibility to handle varying page content. Going through the different versions, it is clear this aspect of design has been enhanced with time but it was a concept that was in use as early as 1999. When it comes to center stage, all the website versions from 1999 to 2010 put the most important part of the UI into the largest subsection of the page or window; cluster secondary tools and content around it in smaller panels. Context, size, color and headlines were applied in making the most important news and website sections stand out for easy recognition and identification by users. In terms of grid of equals, from 1999 to 2010, content items are arranged in a grid or matrix. Each item follows a common template, and each item’s visual weight is similar. Right/Left alignments are applied to good effect in all the website versions ranging from 1999 to 2010. Bullet points have been used from 1999 to 2010. However, their use was more prominent in earlier versions (1999-2003) than in 2005-2010. A good look would reveal that bulleted points are now used to highlight less important links, as compared to 1999 when they were conspicuously placed and occupied a large section of the home page. Diagonal balance, collapsible panels, and module taps have been used to very good effect from 1999 to 2010, exemplifying good website design. They were less prominent in earlier versions (1999-2003) when compared to the 2005-2010 versions of the website. List patterns (thumbnail grids and list inlays) have been well designed and applied from 1999 to 2010, although they were less pronounced in the earlier versions (1999-2003). For instance, I looked at the button groups used in the 1999-2003 website versions and it was evident that due to their simple and primitive nature, they cannot be used in the 2010 version. Also, I examined the macros and progress indicators used in the 1999-2003 versions vis- a-vis the 2005-2010 versions. On a head-to-head matchup, the 1999-2003 macros and progress indicators seem even archaic when compared to the ones used in the 2005-2010 versions. This is understandable given that time and technological changes are very influential and inevitable. Thumbnail grids, list inlays, diagonal balance, collapsible panels, and module taps that are used in the 1999-2003 versions basically pale when compared to the 2005-2010 versions. These elements should be flexible, adaptable, comprehensive, and relevant as time changes, and although they may have been “good” in the 1999-2003 versions, they would not be applicable in the 2005-2010 versions. Actions and commands patterns (button groups, hover tools, action panels, prominent “done” buttons, smart menu items, preview, progress indicators, cancelability, multi-level undos, command histories, and macros) have been used on all versions of the website since 1999, although they have become more advanced with later versions compared to earlier ones. When you look at the actions and commands patterns that were used in the 1999 version of the website, it is clear that that they were very basic. However, as time went by, and with the advancement of technology, the 2001 version came out lighter, more interactive, and had more user-friendly navigation patterns. For instance, you could search on the home page of the 1999 version but the results would not be as many as the ones displayed when you searched in the 2010 version. This may be seen as a necessity when you consider that 2 years is a long time in technological development. However, information also grows and therefore more information had to be accommodated in say, the 2010 version, compared to the 1999 version. The actions and commands centers became more complex and advanced and their capability improved with each passing year. For instance, the macros, button groups, hover tools, command histories, action panels, smart preview panels, and progress indicators were too simple and sort of archaic in the 1999 version. As years went by, these elements became more complex. For example, in the 1999 version there was only one type of button group used. By the time the 2005 version came out, two types of button groups had been used, and in the 2010 version three were used. Document 3 The current version of Yahoo website is one of the most advanced ever, but this is expected given that other news websites have improved as well, and technology has also advanced a great deal. After a thorough look at the current website, I can informatively say that it has been developed with an all-inclusive purpose and has therefore incorporated the major actions and commands patterns. The current website has been designed using proper and suitable button groups that have made it easier to integrate different types of data. The button groups used on the current website have been built with mixins (SCSS mixins) so as to style them. Single, multiple, and vertical button groups have been used (Barrier 21). Hover tools have been used to ensure that the user interface is kept simple and tidy by concealing controls by default and revealing them only when users “hover” over areas in which they are required. A block of space was set aside on the interface so as to accommodate the action panel. It was placed to the side of the action’s target. The targets in this case are tables, trees of selectable items, or lists (Barrier 34). Progress indicators are common in online stores and e-commerce websites but they have been used on the current Yahoo website to provide feedback and inform users of the current status of the website. The prominent “done” button has been placed in order to finish processes or transactions at the end of visual flows, while smart menu items were used to change menu labels dynamically so as to indicate precisely what those labels would do when invoked. Users do not have to be concerned about what object will be affected. The current Yahoo website also uses a preview to show users a summary or preview of what will happen when they do something, e.g. performing an online purchase, printing, etc. Preview also prevents numerous errors that the website can facilitate so as to explain some actions to the users (Barrier 37). Cancelability has been applied to provide a way to immediately terminate a time-consuming operation with no side effects, while multi-level undo has been used on the current Yahoo website to provide a way to conveniently reverse a sequence of actions executed by the user. These actions include undoable operations, layout changes, entered text, cut & paste, database transactions, and actions regarding images, certain resources, email messages, etc. Command history has been used to keep a visible record of what was performed, when, and to what, while macros have been used to define and execute a group (sequence) of small actions. Macros are indicated by mnemonics. Works Cited Barrier, Tonya. Human computer interaction development and management. Hershey, PA: IRM Press, 2002. Print. Read More