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User Interface in Software Engineering
In this tutorial, we will learn about the user interface in software engineering, its characteristics, and user guidance.
By Monika Sharma Last updated : April 05, 2023
What is the User Interface?
The user interface is noting but the platform in between a user and a computer activity. A conjoin or an interface is a set of orders or tariffs through which a user interacts with an application. An order-operate interface is one in which you bypass certain sets of commands. A menu-operated interface is one in which we comment commands of choices from various tariffs displayed.
The UI is one of the most chief parts of any program because it decides how fastly you can make the program and do what you want. A strong program with a badly designed UI has a small demand in the market. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that use windows, icons, and pop-up menus have become ideal on personal computers.
User Interface Characteristics
It is very chief to denote the characteristics of the desired user interface because if we are not conscious of these, it is very much hard to draw an interactive user interface. A few chief characteristics of an interactive user interface are the following,
1) Rate of Knowledge
An interactive user interface should be easy to study. Rate of Knowledge is inhibited by a difficult structure and design of the command issue procedures.
2) The pace of Usage
The pace of Usage of a user interface is resolved by the time and user effort compulsory to initiate and execute different orders. This attribute of the interface is some times referred to as fertility support of the interface. It indicates how fast users can perform their given tasks.
3) Speed of remembering
Once users know how to use an interface, the rate with which they can remember the command issue procedure should be increased.
4) Mistake stoppage
A good user interface should reduce the vision of committing errors while initiating different commands. The mistake speed of an interface can be normally be determined by monitoring the mistakes committed by average users while using the interface.
5) Charmingness
An interactive user interface should be charming to use. An attractive user interface catches user attention and desire. Graphics-based user interfaces have definite profits over text-based interfaces.
6) Steadiness
The orders supported by a user interface should be steady. The basic purpose of steadiness is to allow users to guess the knowledge about aspects of the interface from one part to another.
7) Response
A good user interface must respond to various user actions. Especially, if any user request takes more than a few seconds to process, the user should be enlightened about the state of the processing of his request
8) User guidance and on-line help
Users seek guidance and on-line help when they either forget a command or are unaware of some features of the software.
User Interface User Guidance
User guidance denotes replica message, alarms, enhance, and labels, as well as to more formal instructional things provided to help guide a user's interaction with a computer. The fundamental objectives of user guidance are to promote efficient system use (i.e., quick and accurate use of full capabilities), with minimal memory load on the user and hence the minimal time required to learn system use, and with flexibility for supporting users of different skill levels.
User guidance cannot be merely a decoration added at the end, like frosting on a cake. A study by Magers 1983 has established cogent that good user guidance can result in faster task performance, and will allow the completeness of information handling tasks otherwise impossible for novice users.