User Interfaces – The Golden Rules of User Interface Design

User Interfaces – The Golden Rules of User Interface Design

User interfaces are the platform of interaction between a software application and the user. It is important to have user interfaces that are easy to understand and use so that users find them convenient rather than tedious (Saha et al., 2015). The usability of software is defined by the extent to which the intended user is comfortable using it. This makes users loyal to a certain software, which is good for business. If users perceive an interface as difficult to use, they will avoid it (Saha et al., 2015).  According to Mandel (1997), user interfaces should be consistent, use low memory load, and allow users to control the interface. Therefore, until the user interface meets the given requirements, software developers could have an iteration process that facilitates the remodeling of the interface.

Some of the user interfaces that users deal with on a daily basis include Android, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google, Instagram, etcetera. This research will expound on the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram user interfaces. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are social media platforms that target a wide range of users. This includes children, adults, and senior citizens. Everyone, regardless of their social status, religion, or race, can use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Therefore, these platforms require that all users are comfortable using them and even enjoy the interfaces.

The Facebook interface incorporates all the golden rules described by Mandel (1997). With the Facebook interface, a user can personalize his interface by choosing a layout that works for him. This is achieved by selecting one of the templates Facebook provides. A user can also customize the updates they see on Facebook. This would be achieved by muting certain updates on a Facebook timeline or by marking certain sponsored advertisements as irrelevant. As a result, the user can view only what they prefer viewing and in the layout they prefer. Facebook is also designed to use less memory load, which is another golden rule by Mandel (1997). This allows users using different web browsers, computer operating systems, and smartphones to access Facebook. For example, all users, including those with low smartphone specifications, can load and use Facebook. Smartphones that cannot handle the Facebook application can access Facebook from a web browser on their phones. Also, to avoid high internet and processor consumption, there is an option to load Facebook Lite. The option would enable users to use the Facebook application on a 2G network with very minimal memory space. Facebook’s user interface is consistent, which is another golden rule by Mandel (1997). This provides uniformity for the Facebook pages, making the user feel familiar with the platform. If the platform kept changing format as the user navigates, he could get confused and find the interface hard to use. This makes it comfortable, especially for senior citizens who like using Facebook and are not open to too much learning. Mostly, they prefer an interface that requires less time to learn and keep using it without having to ask for help all the time (Darejeh & Singh 2013).

The Twitter application interface is another interface used on a daily basis. This interface allows users to post new tweets, see tweets from friends, share tweets from friends on their timelines, etcetera. While doing all this, the user interface is customizable. This means that the user can change things like the display color. Users could also change their profile pictures and banner photos, update their bio, and pin tweets on their Twitter page. This meets one of the golden rules by Mandel (2017). The Twitter application allows users to clear cache, hence, enabling the process of freeing memory space. Also, the application can be used on low-specific smart devices, and when it is not applicable, a user can switch to Twitter on a web browser. All these dynamics target using low memory load according to the capabilities of the user’s device. For example, before clearing cache was applicable on Twitter for iPhone, it could take cache space of about 1 GB. This would definitely affect the performance of the phone. An application that negatively affects the general performance of a phone, especially because it takes up much memory, could inconvenience the user (Punchoojit & Hongwarittorrn, 2017). Users would not be happy using an application that slows down the performance of their phones or other smartphone devices. The Twitter application is consistent. This makes it appear the same on different web browsers and smart devices. The consistency makes it easy to use and gives a sense of familiarity. This is a golden rule for user interfaces, according to Mandel (1997).

Instagram is a popular social media platform used by millions of people in a day. The users are from all age brackets and from different walks of life. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram has a minimal user interface. The timeline has minimal features, which makes it easy to use and understand. Instagram has fewer word captions as compared to Facebook and Twitter and focuses mostly on photograph posts. The most used buttons on Instagram have shortcuts that appear on the top part of the application’s home page. This includes adding photos, status, etcetera. Instagram pages consistently make them all appear the same. This is a golden rule for user interfaces, according to Mandel (1997). Consequently, users find the user familiar and easy to use.

Some improvements on the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram user interfaces would enable users to find them more conveniently. For example, when replying to a tweet on Twitter, some short answers can be auto-provided. This feature is available on Facebook and Gmail. It allows users to take less time responding while keeping effective communication. The short auto-respond messages could include phrases such as interested, thank you, much appreciated, congratulations, welcome, happy birthday, etcetera. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram could use short audio responses to posts. For example, a user could hold down a record button and respond with a short audio saying happy birthday or congratulations. This would especially work well on Instagram because most posts are photograph posts that could do with short complimentary audio responses. The audio message recording is popular in messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Messenger, but could also work on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It could save time for typing in responses and have a more personalized response message.

In conclusion, the three applications, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, meet the requirements of a good user interface. These include the user being able to control the interface, having a consistent user interface, and having less memory load. However, the recommended user interface features, short auto-typed responses, and short message recording responses could improve user experience.

References

Darejeh, A., & Singh, D. (2013). A review of user interface design principles to increase software usability for users with less computer literacy. Journal of Computer Science, 9(11), 1443-1450. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277589616_A_review_on_user_interface_design_principles_to_increase_software_usability_for_users_with_less_computer_literacy

Mandel, T. (1997). Chapter 5: The Golden Rules of User Interface Design. In The Elements of User Interface Design ©, 1997 (pp. 5-1, 5-28). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Punchoojit, L., & Hongwarittorrn, N. (2017). Usability Studies on Mobile User Interface Design Patterns: A Systematic Literature Review. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 1-22. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c132/8ffd660dce1e9d16b5f3b568f1987a0bc575.pdf

Saha, D., Mandal, A., & Pal, S. C. (2015). User Interface Design Issues for Easy and Efficient Human-Computer Interaction: An Explanatory Approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING, 3(1), 127-135. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/294428623_User_Interface_Design_Issues_for_Easy_and_Efficient_Human_Computer_Interaction_An_Explanatory_Approach

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The Golden Rules of User Interface Design

Early user interfaces were designed with little or no consideration for the end user. This was largely due to technical and hardware limitations. The poor interface design required a specific skill set for users and limited the mass appeal of computers. Modern interfaces are much more user-friendly. Theo Mandel has written about the golden rules of interface design. Read “The Golden Rules of User Interface Design [PDF].”

Write a four- to five-page paper in which you:

Describe three interfaces you interact with on a daily basis.
Analyze each interface you identified in Question One and assess how it adheres to Mandel’s five golden rules.
Suggest two changes for each interface to achieve a more user-friendly design and justify your suggestion.
Provide three screenshots for each interface. Note: These screenshots should be labelled and appear in the case study appendix. These pages are not included in the assignment page requirement.
Use at least three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.