Professional Java User Interfaces

Chapter 2. Introduction to User Interface Design

The field of user interface design and human-computer interaction is complex and vast. It has many different contributors and perspectives, and still lacks a uniform descriptive language. It is fragmented into different approaches and practices, a fact that stems directly from the very nature of human-computer interaction (HCI): the presence of the human component makes it impossible to develop an exact foundational theory. HCI, its derived design guidelines and criteria are thus based mainly on empirical evidence and practical principles.

The term 'HCI' was adopted in the mid-1980s. HCI is an interdisciplinary practice that aims at improving the utility, usability, effectiveness and efficiency of interactive computer systems. SIGCHI, the special interest group in HCI, defined it as 'a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them^[17].'

In this chapter we introduce some HCI concepts that are fundamental to the professional design of user interfaces. The chapter is structured as follows:

2.1, The human factor discusses the role of people in the design process.

2.2, Display organization introduces the esthetics of GUI design, and discusses ways in which an application can interact with its users.

2.3, Interaction styles goes into more details about human-computer interaction, and presents the five major categories of ...