1. Interaction Styles Course 6, CMC, 07/10/03 Direct Manipulation
Menu selection, Form Fillin, Dialog boxes
Command Languages, Natural Languages
Course 6, CMC, 07/10/03

2. Toward an Interaction Style
High concept definition
functionality
goals
benefits
Task analysis
users and tasks
Choice of interaction style
easy to learn, to apply, to retain over time
relevant to users task
07/10/03
HC6

3. OAI model
07/10/03
HC6

4. Direct Manipulation: 3 integrated principles
Continuous representation of objects and actions of interest with meaningful visual metaphors
Physical actions or presses of labeled buttons instead of complex syntax
Rapid incremental reversible operations whose effect on objects of interest is visible immediately
07/10/03
HC6

5. Visual Thinking and Icons
Commercial graphic designers, semiotically oriented academics, data-visualization gurus
Preferences vary by user and by task
Icons or Text?
How to design icons?
Sound and Animation added?
07/10/03
HC6

6. Problems with Direct Manipulation
Visual representations too large for screen, too detailed
Visual representations without obvious meaning
Misleading metaphors
Shift hardware devices
07/10/03
HC6

7. Menu Selection Effective: recognition
Early systems (selection via keyboard)
full screen menus: numbered, textual
Modern systems (selection by mouse clicks)
pull-down and pop-up menus
radio buttons and check boxes
embedded links
menu items: textual, graphic, auditory
07/10/03
HC6

8. Organization Menu Items
Meaningful: Superiority categorical menu organization over alphabetical organization
Menu structures: single menus; linear sequence of menus; strict tree structures; acyclic networks; cyclic networks
Key to menu structure: task-related objects and actions
07/10/03
HC6

9. Single Menus binary menus multiple-item menus
multiple-selection menus (check boxes)
pull-down and pop-up menus
scrolling and two-dimensional menus
alphasliders
embedded links
iconic menus, toolbars, palettes
07/10/03
HC6

10. Alphaslider
07/10/03
HC6

11. 07/10/03
HC6

12. Embedded Links (example) Glosser
07/10/03
HC6

13. Tree Structures
07/10/03
HC6

14. Pull-down menu (example)
07/10/03
HC6

15. Pie menu (example)
07/10/03
HC6

16. Tree-Structured Menus: Problems
overlapping categories
extraneous items
conflicting classifications
unfamiliar jargon
generic terms
too many levels
users loss of orientation
07/10/03
HC6

17. Suggested Rules create task-related groups of logically similar items
form groups that cover all possibilities
make sure that items ar nonoverlapping
use familiar terminology, but ensure that items are distinct from one another
the fewer the levels, the greater the ease of decision making
add menu map to help users stay oriented
07/10/03
HC6

18. Sequence of Item Presentation
There is a task-related ordering
chronological
increasing/decreasing (number, length, volume, temperature, … )
There is no task-related ordering
alphabetic
grouping of related items
most frequently used first
most important first
07/10/03
HC6

19. Response Time & Display Rate
Long response times
Slow display rates
Use command language
Greater memory demands
Short response times
Rapid display rates
Use menu selection
Cues to elicit recognition
07/10/03
HC6

20. Form Fillin Many fields of data are necessary
Some guidelines from practitioners:
meaningful title
comprehensible instructions
logical grouping and sequencing of fields
familiar field labels
error prevention, correction, messages
completion signal
List- and Combo Boxes, Coded Fields
07/10/03
HC6

21. Dialog Boxes Combine Menu Selection and Form Fillin
Additional concerns
consistency across all system dialog boxes
relationships with other items on screen
Guidelines for internal layout and external relationships
07/10/03
HC6

22. Dialog Box (example)
07/10/03
HC6

23. Command Languages Strategies for command syntax simple command set
command + argument(s): DELETE FILEA
command + option(s) + argument(s):
PRINT/3, HQ FILEA
A0821DCALGA0300P
hierarchical command structure
CREATE FILEA LOCPR1
DISPLAY DIR1 SCR2
07/10/03
HC6

24. Command Languages meaningful structure consistent argument ordering
keywords vs. Symbols
change all KO to OK vs. RS: /KO/, /OK/; *
congruent hierarchical forms of commands
move robot forward vs. advance vs. go
move robot backward vs. retreat vs. Back
naming and abbreviations
07/10/03
HC6

25. Natural Language in Computing
Natural-language interaction
restricted to specific tasks
\erase worksheet; \insert row; \total all columns
annoying cursor movements from object to toolbar
automatic speech for selecting painting tools
Natural-language Queries
Text-database Searching
07/10/03
HC6