User Interface February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad1 Decision Support System Course Dr. Aref Rashad Part:3

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad2 Mechanisms of User Interfaces User Interface Components Action Language Display or Presentation Language Knowledge Base

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad3 Allow users to work in a comfortable way and to focus on the data and the models in a way that supports a decision. Must be easily learned, simple, structured, and consistent so that users know what to expect and where to expect it on the screen Satisfy the user's perceptions, feelings and opinions about the decision Less is more. Enable users to direct, don't force them to discuss. Design for the probably; provide for the possible. Keep tools close at hand. Provide feedback. Provide for direct manipulation and graphical input. Avoid unnecessary reporting. User Interface Requirements

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad4 The purpose of the user interface is communication between the human and the computer, known as human-computer interaction (HCI), the goal of HCI is to minimize the amount of incorrectly perceived information (on both parts) while also minimizing the amount of effort expended by the decision maker. Reasonable speed at which decision makers can glean available information Good Presentation of data, important and informative patterns are highlighted, consider attraction attributes like include the hue and intensity of the color, the location, the orientation, the form of the object (width, size, shape, etc.), and motion. Goals of the User Interface Provide choices. Optimize for responsiveness; accommodate latency.

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad5 Range of mechanisms for user interfaces: Exist today Coming in the near future Mechanics of User Interface keyboard and the mouse pen-and-gesture-based device Mobile phone large screens virtual reality

Pen-Based System

Mobile Phones as Input and Output Devices

Wall Screens as Displays

Virtual Reality Devices

User Interfaces Components User Interface Components Action language Display or presentation language Knowledge base Modes of Communication Mental Model Metaphors and Idioms Navigation of the model Look

Basic Action Language Types Menu format Question-answer format Command language format Input/output structured format Free form natural language format The action language identifies the form of input used by decision makers to enter requests into the DSS Five main types of action languages have been used:

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad12 The most common action language today Display one or more lists of alternatives, commands, or results from which decision makers can select. Provides a structured progression through the options available in a program to accomplish a specific task. Use the process of guiding the user through the steps with a set of pictures or commands that are easy for the user to understand Appealing to inexperienced users, who can thereby use the system immediately Menu format

One Form of a Menu

A “Ribbon Bar” as a Menu

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad15 Menu Design Considerations Menu choices should be clearly stated. The names of the options or the data should coincide with those used by the decision makers Options to be listed in a logical sequence Group commands and objects together, and allow users to select all attributes that are appropriate. Apply nested menu, if needed

Independent Command and Object Menus

Combined Command and Object Menu

Nested Menu Structure

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad19 Question-Answer Format A second option for the action language is to provide users questions they must answer. One attribute of the question-answer format in some environments is the opportunity to embed information into the questions

Question-Answer Format

Personalized Question-Answer Format

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad22 The command language format allows user-constructed statements to be selected from a predefined set of verbs or noun-verb pairings The command language format allows the user to control the systems' operations directly providing greater latitude in choosing the order of the commands Command Language

Command Language Format

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad24 Input-Output Structured Formats. Present users with displays resembling a series of forms, with certain areas already completed. Users can move through the form and add, change, or delete prespecified information as if completing the form by hand Since the completion of the form is integrated with the development of the design, as design features change, the form will be updated immediately. Free-Form Natural Language. No preconceived structure in the way commands should be entered

I/O Structured Format

Free-Form Natural Language Format

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad27 Display or Presentation Language Describes how the computer provides information back to the user. Visual Design Issues The goal of the display of a DSS is for people to be able to understand and appreciate the information provided to them. The display should help users evaluate alternatives and make an informed decision and do that with a minimum amount of work

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad28 The first rule of design is that the display should be readable Fewest possible words, User Terminology, Readable font The second rule of design is to control color Neutral color, enough contrast, highlighting The third rule of design is to control location and size. The largest item and the one on the topleft corner will get user’s attention first, logical order The fifth rule of design is to make the navigation easy. The fourth rule of design is to keep the display organized Avoid noise, Consistent use of size,shape and location Rules of Visual Design

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad29 Windowing the task of organizing information depends on the kind of models, the kind of decision maker, and the kind of environment in which one is working. use of the Windows standard for many products makes the design of an uncluttered display easier Windows can be sized and placed by the users so they can customize their analysis of the information

Windowed Output

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad31 Representations The goal is to show the results of some analysis The appropriateness of the output depends on what the decision maker expects to do with the information Designers should take care to use rich visualizations that convey the analysis most accurately and most efficiently to the user. The appropriate output might be animation and/or video rather than a display on a screen

Icon Options

Metriglyphs

Using Traffic Lights as Metriglyphs

Map of Sales Volume Drawn to Scale

Graphical Representation

Disaggregate Posting of Results

Minard’s Map of Napoleon’s 1812 Russian Campaign The path of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow is depicted by the dark lower band, which is tied to temperature and time scales. So, by simply looking at the graph, you can discern the size of the army and its location and direction at any time as well as the temperature on some days

Relationship Diagram relationship diagram from a social networking site showing one person's contacts through the site

Depth of Relationship Diagram This particular diagram illustrates all of the companies (the darker highlighted items) at which we have placed interns in the last year as well as how many and what kinds of other relationships they have with the department and with each other (the lighter highlighted items). It allows the decision maker to see the depth of the relationship, not simply that there is a relationship

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad41 Perceived Ownership of Analyses Remind the users that they control the analyses and therefore the decision-making authority Provide users an easy way of changing the analyses if the results do not answer the question appropriately or completely. The use of icons on bar charts can leave inappropriate impressions Another factor that can provide perceptual bias for decision makers is the absence of aggregation of subjects when creating a histogram or pie chart Aggregated data can allow decision makers to generalize inappropriately from the data.

On-Screen Analysis Change Prompting

Additional On-Screen Prompting

Scaling Deception

Distortion in Histogram

Individual Histogram Aggregated Histogram

Use of International Symbols

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad48 Support for All Phases of Decision Making Displays must be constructed so as to help decision makers through all the phases in decision making Intelligence The decision maker is looking for problems or opportunities. The DSS should help by continually scanning relevant records Automatically notify productivity is low, absenteeism is high Design: Users are developing and analyzing possible courses of action. Displays must be created that will help users generate alternatives. Alert for violations of model assumptions, teleconference with employees at a remote plant to initiate ideas Choice : DM selects a course of action from those available. Compare and contrast the various options, Prompt users to complete sensitivity analysis

February 2013Decision Support Systems Course.. Dr. Aref Rashad49 The knowledge base, as it refers to a user interface, includes all the information users must know about the system to use it effectively. We might think of this as the instructions for systems operation, including how to initiate it, how to select options, and how to change options In the DSS context, there are additional ways of delivering the knowledge base. One popular mechanism is training by example. The user is taken through a complete decision scenario and shown all the options used and why This means there must be ways for experienced users and inexperienced users to obtain the kind of help they need and the training and help must be for specific techniques and models. Knowledge Base

An Alternative Menu Format