Tawni Gillen- Martin Tec-542 Instructional Design Principles

Basic Interface Design:  What does good design look like?  Keep it simple  Composition  Structure  Color  Planning  Know your audience  Tolerance

What Does Good Design Look Like?  "Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it. Think of it like a room’s air conditioning. We only notice it when it’s too hot, too cold, making too much noise, or the unit is dripping on us. Yet, if the air conditioning is perfect, nobody say anything and we focus, instead, on the task at hand." - Jared Spool 2001.

Font Styles:  Are they appropriate for for viewing on the computer?  Font styles are very important when it comes to making a presentation or something that is going to be shared with others. Viewers need to look at the font and be able to read what is being presented right away.  Font size will vary from different computers along with the styles of fonts. Some computers read differently than others do. Make sure that the fonts are not fancy and that they are readable.

Interactivity In Interface Design  What is too much?  Do not use flashing text to get the viewers attention.  Keep the fonts simple and do use all capital letters.  Do not use too many colors that can cause distraction.

Interactivity In Interface Design:  What is not enough?  When the creator does not use their audience to gear towards their design.  When the creator does not spend enough time preparing the outline and the design that they are going to create.

Visual Examples  Visual Techniques of Design  Contrast  Symmetry  Balance  Margins  White Space

Chaotic Screen

Ordered Screen

Conclusion  Remember that when making your design, the audience is very important. They are the ones that will be looking at it and the creator needs to try to impress them the most. Keep it simple and do not try to over due the fonts, colors, designs, etc.

References:  Marcus, A. (1991). Graphic design for electronic documents and user interfaces. New York: ACM Press.  Marcus, A. SIGGRAPH 93 tutorial notes: Graphic Design for User Interfaces. August 1993.