Principles of User Interface

This article simply lists down in brief the few principles that need to be adhered to and kept in mind, while creating or analyzing user interfaces. Following this, we'll take a look at few examples for each points in question, as series of features.

Principles

• structure
  
  
  
  • organize user interface purposefully
  
  
  • make it meaningful and useful based on clear, consistent models apparent and recognizable to users
  
  
  • put related things together; separate unrelated things
  
  
  • differentiate dissimilar things, make similar things resemble one another
  
  
  
  


• simplicity
  
  
  
  • make simple, common tasks simple to do
  
  
  • communicate clearly and simply in user's own language
  
  
  • provide good shortcuts that are meaningfully related to longer procedures
  
  
  
  


• visibility
  
  
  
  • keep all needed options and materials for a given task visible
  
  
  • do not distract user with extraneous and redundant information
  
  
  • do not confuse user with too many alternatives for performing same task
  
  
  
  


• feedback
  
  
  
  • inform actions or interpretations
  
  
  • inform changes of state or condition
  
  
  • inform errors or exceptions
  
  
  • keep model of communication - relevant, clear, concise, and in language familiar to user
  
  
  
  


• tolerance
  
  
  
  • reduce cost of mistakes and misuse by allowing 'undo' and 'redo'
  
  
  • prevent errors by tolerating varied inputs and sequences and by interpreting reasonable actions
  
  
  
  


• reuse
  
  
  
  • reuse internal and external components and behaviors; maintaining consistency with purpose
  
  
  • reduce the need for users to rethink and remember
  
  
  
  

Watch this space for some concrete examples...