Towards an infrastructure for improved user experiences

SIGGRAPH, 1993

We believe that navigation in information spaces is best supported by tapping into our natural spatial and geographic ways of thinking. To this end, we are developing a new computer interface model called Pad. The ongoing Pad project uses a spatial metaphor for computer interface design. It provides an intuitive base for the support of such applications as electronic marketplaces, information services, and on-line collaboration. Pad is an infinite two dimensional information plane that is shared among users, much as a network file system is shared. Objects are organized geographically; every object occupies a well defined region on the Pad surface. For navigation, Pad uses "portals"-magnifying glasses that can peer into and roam over different parts of this single infinite shared desktop; links to specific items are established and broken continually as the portal's view changes. Portals can recursively look onto other portals. This paradigm enables the sort of peripheral activity generally found in real physical working environments. The apparent size of an object to any user determines the amount of detail it presents. Different users can share and view multiple applications while assigning each a desired degree of interaction. Documents can be visually nested and zoomed as they move back and forth between primary and secondary working attention. Things can be peripherally accessible. In this paper we describe the Pad interface. We discuss how to efficiently implement its graphical aspects, and we illustrate some of our initial applications.

IEEE Software, 2000

Tool s, techniques, and concepts to optimize user interfaces. Whenyou design an intwface, who doyou envision to be the average user? Haw old? How smart? Haw dexterous? Alan €! Newell, director of the Microcentre and deputy principalof the Univmity of Lhndee in Scotland, challenges us to look beyond the average. The Micvo-Centreefomes on user-intwface research, particular& as it applies to users with special needs. In the absentations thatfollow, which are abstractedfim hir ktynote address at InterCHI '93, Newell exhorts us to sat^ the needs of the exmardinay usq and in doingso, we m y j n d innovation for meyone. -Bill Curtir INTERFACE RESEARCHERS HAVE DEscribed an amazing variety of hardware and software, and few have ever reached consensus on what constitutes the average or typical computer system. However, they are more than willing to identify the typical userusually as a genderless, ageless, English-speaking-only person, generally perfect in every respectalthough in fact humans offer in6nitely more variety than the ma-EdtocBill Curtis 3644 Ranch Creek Rd. Austin,TX 78730-3701

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2008

The user interface is arguably the most important element of a computer-based system or product. If the interface is poorly designed, the user's ability to tap the computational power of an application may be severely hindered. In fact, a weak interface may cause an otherwise well-designed and solidly implemented application to fail. Three important principles guide the design of effective user interfaces: (1) place the user in control, (2) reduce the user's memory load, and (3) make the interface consistent. To achieve an interface that abides by these principles, an organized design process must be conducted. User interface design begins with the identification of user, task, and environmental requirements. Task analysis is a design activity that defines user tasks and actions using either an elaborative or object-oriented approach. Once tasks have been identified, user scenarios are created and analyzed to define a set of interface objects and actions. This provides a basis for the creation of screen layout that depicts graphical design and placement of icons, definition of descriptive screen text, specification and titling for windows, and specification of major and minor menu items. Design issues such as response time, command and action structure, error handling, and help facilities are considered as the design model is refined. A variety of implementation tools are used to build a prototype for evaluation by the user. The user interface is the window into the software. In many cases, the interface molds a user's perception of the quality of the system. If the "window" is smudged, wavy, or broken, the user may reject an otherwise powerful computer-based system.

Computers and Composition, 1999

Promoters of multi-user, object-oriented domains (MOOs) in composition point to the capability for student collaboration and conversation throughout the writing process as a valuable feature; detractors, however, draw attention to the difficulty for students to negotiate the somewhat arcane, text-based MOO interface, which affords no easy, intuitive way for students to learn how to exist in that virtual world, and often results in confusing conversations. The learning curve of a MOO and its confusing interface blockade effective use. Current research on Web-browser interface design provides several principles for developing a user-friendly TELNET interface that creates a sense of presence for the user. An IBM/PC-compatible interface, PUEBLO from Chaco Communications, Inc., allows developers to modify the interface to provide a sense of presence for the user. In addition, access to the sites for non-IBM users was developed. For Web browsers, a Java-based interface and a WOO interface allow students to access and function in the MOO more quickly than a purely text-based client did. Work in programming a variety of interfaces has led to a more intuitive environment for students and instructors who use MOOs.

Software, IEEE, 1989

2006

The representation of GUIs as documents is a technological trend that has been present for some years, but is only now about to significantly change the way in which most user interfaces are developed. This paper examines this change, explains the reasons behind it and the concepts involved. It compares the old fashioned way of programming user interfaces as code units with the document-based paradigm, explaining why the latter is preferable. Furthermore, it discusses how the document-based paradigm can be extended to a very comprehensive and well defined customization approach for GUIs, the document-oriented approach, which supports the paradigms of end-user development and robust content.

Urbana

ARIS is an iconic interface that enables users to relocate applications and redirect input in an interactive workspace. We compared the use of ARIS to a text-based and virtual paths (VP) interface for relocating applications and redirecting input. Results showed that the iconic interface was more effective than the text-based interface and almost as effective as the VP interface. Since the use of text-based interfaces is common, the use of an iconic interface enables relocation and redirection tasks to be performed more effectively than today. Though it imposes a small additional cost, an iconic interface also supports features useful for interactive spaces that a VP interface does not. Related Work In this section, we describe interactive workspaces, mechanisms for performing application relocation and input redirection, and evaluations of those mechanisms.

The current state of user interfaces for large information spaces imposes an unmanageable cognitive burden upon the user. Determining how to get the right information into the right form with the right tool at the right time has become a monumental task. While advances in graphical user interfaces can partially address this problem, the basic problem of information overload{and under load{can not be solely addressed through development of a better direct manipulation interface to the information space. We survey the state of the art in two research elds, interface agents and user modeling, that address the problem of information overload and under load. First, we take a historical look at how the elds of human-computer interaction and arti cial intelligence have viewed interface agent research. Interface agents address the problem of increasing task load by serving as either an assistant or associate, extracting and analyzing relevant information, providing information abstractions of that information, and providing timely, bene cial assistance to users. Interface agents communicate with the user through the existing user interface and also adapt to user needs and behaviors. User modeling is concerned with how to represent users' knowledge and interaction within a system to adapt the system to the needs of users. The inclusion of a user model within the overall system architecture allows the system to adapt its response to the preferences, biases, expertise level, goals and needs. We provide a comprehensive look at user modeling to include the elicitation, speci cation and design, veri cation and validation, and utilization of user models. Even though interface agents have made some progress towards addressing the data overload and under load problem, there is active debate about whether agents or direct manipulation interfaces provide better access to information and services. Our paper culminates with a discussion on active user interfaces. Active user interfaces are the next logical step towards addressing the information overload and under load problem. Whereas interface agents are designed around the assistant and/or associate metaphor, active user interfaces serve as an actuator to the human-machine interface. The user of an active user interface is fully aware of any actions, whether explicit (authorized consent) or implicit (implied consent), taken by the active user interface and has a complete, intuitive understanding of such actions. We provide examples of rst-generation active user interfaces within the domain of an natural language query information management system and decision support system and show how the interface is capable of providing an intuitive, meaningful, and useful \actuation" interface for a heterogeneous collection of information sources and tools. The primary goal of active user interfaces is to autonomously react to changes in user intent as well as the information sources, providing a way for users to interact naturally with the information. As a direct result, the user's task load can be reduced.

ACM SIGCHI Bulletin, 1989

The Mickey UIMS maps the user interface style and techniques of the Apple Macintosh onto the declarative constructs of Pascal. The relationships between user interfaces and the programming language control the interface generation. This imposes some restrictions on the possible styles of user interfaces but greatly enhances the usability of the UIMS.