#14630
Chu defines Unified Modeling Language (UML) as a standardized system of diagrams, notations, and semantics for object-oriented design and modeling. He offers a basic introduction to UML, provides a conceptual model, and describes UML's building blocks and common mechanisms. The article includes a brief history of UML.
Chu, Steve W. Intercom (2000). Design>User Interface>XML>UML
#23273
GUI fragmentation is the greatest competitive weakness of UNIX. There is no standard Unix File Manager or Text Editor or Help -- that's shocking, in this age! Every Windows or Mac machine has a standard file manager and text editor and help system. The casual end user can accomplish elementary end-user tasks without encountering anything different from machine to machine.
Hoffman, Michael. Hypertext Navigation. Design>User Interface>Operating Systems>UNIX
#29819
A Usability Evaluation of Web Map Zoom and Pan Functions 
Due to limitations on screen size and resolution, the usability of web maps relies heavily on their interface design. The main goal of this research is to find better interface designs for web maps and to facilitate their usage by the public. The research consists of two stages of investigation: (a) a survey on the operation interfaces of popular web maps; and (b) a usability evaluation of simulated interfaces by measuring task performance and conducting subjective evaluations.
You, Manlai, Chun-wen Chen, Hantsai Liu and Hsuan Lin. International Journal of Design (2007). Articles>Web Design>User Interface>Usability
#19936
This website provides information and resources for key issues related to usability in website and software design. We believe that helping people do their work in an effective and enjoyable way should be the top priority in design because if a product is not usable, people will not use it.
Diamond Bullet Design (1996). Resources>User Interface>Usability>Web Design
#28219
As an information designer the interfaces we currently work on - no matter whether Apple or Windows, bother me. Yes, OS X looks a lot better than its predecessors, and Windows' upcoming rip off of OS X looks better than the previous rip off. But however pretty, glossy and lickable those Interfaces may look, no matter how many twist and turn effects they build in - the problem they have is not one of special effects. If a good interface were a matter of special effects, George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic might do a very good job.
Information Architects Japan (2006). Design>User Interface>Usability
#13614
User Empowerment and the Fun Factor
Designs that engage and empower users increase their enjoyment and encourage them to explore websites in-depth. Once we achieve ease of use, we'll need additional usability methods to further strengthen joy of use.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2002). Design>User Interface>Usability
#29496
User Interface Design Newsletter
Monthly articles on the latest usability research and its practical implications for user interface design.
Human Factors International (2007). Journals>User Interface>User Experience>User Centered Design
#30345
User Interface Design: An International Approach
A well-thought-out design and well-written content reduces the time required for good international products and saves money. As a bonus, most internationalization issues apply across all languages and usually help improve the quality of the American-language product as well.
Swain, Cindy. Boston Broadside (1997). Design>User Interface>Translation>Localization
#26159
User Interface Design: Some Guiding Principles
User interfaces vary significantly from library to library, and even within a library, from library holdings to CD-ROM databases to web resources. Why such variation?
Tennant, Roy. Library Journal (1999). Design>User Interface>Information Design
#19747
The User Interface Domain seeks to improve all user/computer communications on the Web. In particular, the Domain is working on formats and languages that will present information to users with more accuracy and a higher level of control.
W3C (2001). Design>User Interface
#18684
User Interface That Kills: Swords, Craft, and User Interfaces
The greatest challenge in web or software design is creating a work of deep craft. That is, the presence of the designers and programmers coming through to make the user feel as though you were really trying to make them happy. For many products, I can point to specific parts that in isolation made me feel that way, but it's rarely carried through consistently. Web sites always have rough edges: search results pages that are ugly and hard to read, error pages that are incomprehensible, JavaScript pop-up menus that appear and disappear awkwardly, with visible repainting and redrawing, home pages to well-known Web sites that are garish, cluttered, and cold.
Berkun, Scott. UIWeb (2000). Design>User Interface>Web Design
#22830
User Modeling for Adaptive and Adaptable Software Systems
Universal Usability requires that user interfaces accommodate users with a wide variety of expertise and knowledge. Moreover, individual users' needs and preferences change as they use a software system. Systems that guide the user through an evolutionary learning process or adapt the user interface to the user provide a solution to this challenge. This paper introduces the techniques, highlights several examples of systems that implement them and provides guidelines for practitioners who wish to develop adaptive and adaptable interfaces.
Kules, Bill. University of Maryland (2000). Design>User Interface>Accessibility>Universal Usability
#21489
A User-Centered Drowsy-Driver Detection and Warning System 
This work is a culmination of years of research to develop an effective in-vehicle countermeasure to drowsy driving. Previous work resulted in an independently validated measure of drowsiness that was then incorporated into a drowsy-driver prototype monitor. The goal of this project was to develop an associated drowsy-driver interface that enabled effective, user-centered interactions with the underlying system. A multidisciplinary team designed a new drowsy-driver interface and introduced smart user interactions through a careful participatory design process that included both design experts and commercial motor vehicle drivers. It is hoped that this effort and subsequent field trials will result in a reliable, smart system that convinces drivers that they are driving in an unsafe condition and to make a wise choice--stop and rest.
Ayoob, Ellen M., Richard Grace and Aaron Steinfeld. AIGA (2003). Design>User Interface>User Centered Design
#23352
Using Machine Learning to Populate Dynamic Interfaces
How can we bring machine learning techniques to bear on the problem of enabling dynamic search interfaces for complex document collections?
Efron, Miles. IAsummit (2004). Design>Web Design>User Interface
#21600
La visualización ambiental de información consiste en la recepción de información proveniente de objetos de nuestro entorno que cambian sus propiedades, color, olor, presión táctil, en función del estado de la información que monitorizan. Se abre un campo potencialmente importante para ellos.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Design>User Interface>Ambient
#21605
Visualización Espacialmente Consciente
Las pantallas de los ordenadores son como una ventana al ciberespacio, a menudo demasiado pequeñas y limitadas. Los dispositivos capaces de localizarse en el espacio personal del usuario ofrecen una ventana a espacios virtuales 3D en el que la combinación de movimiento e interacción abre nuevas posibilidades de visualización.
Dursteler, Juan Carlos. InfoVis (2003). (Spanish) Design>User Interface>Operating Systems>PDA
#24001
Why an awareness of good design has increased at such a dramatic rate in recent months.
Zambito, Tony. Cooper Interaction Design (2001). Design>User Interface>Assessment
#24839
We are all designers -- because we must be. We live our lives, encounter success and failure, sadness and joy. We structure own worlds to support ourselves throughout life.
Norman, Donald A. JND.org (2003). Design>User Interface>Usability
#30828
AJAX, rich Internet UIs, mashups, communities, and user-generated content often add more complexity than they're worth. They also divert design resources and prove (once again) that what's hyped is rarely what's most profitable.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2007). Articles>Web Design>User Interface>Ajax
#19017
Web Interface Design: Learning from our Past
The advent of World Wide Web authoring has led to a plethora of graphics rich web pages. But where's the beef? In addition to placing marketing information on a company's home page the strength of the web lies in its flexibility to link to corporate databases and processes running on a variety of machines, both web and non-web servers. Tasks such as, creating transaction systems for commerce, creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for legacy systems, and doing queries against corporate databases require the web designer to take into account more than HTML code and imagemaps. The heritage of interactive design for network-based solutions has helped interface designers understand how to apply their craft to create effective World Wide Web solutions.
Miller, Richard H. Rutgers University. Design>Web Design>User Interface
#26076
To offset this sometimes irritating tendency to critique and redesign everything we see, I'd like to offer a selection of software that I consider to be truly well-designed. To avoid creating a list that is simply an expression of my personal taste (which of course it is, to some extent), I devised some criteria as necessary aspects of a well-designed software product.
Cronin, Dave. Cooper Interaction Design (2004). Design>Usability>User Interface
#24522
What's Wrong with (Almost) All Web Sites
The vast majority of web sites commit usability and design violations that make it hard for users to find relevant content and functions. These problems are not difficult to diagnose or remedy. How many of these "user crimes" is your web site guilty of committing?
Streight, Steven. Blogger.com (2004). Articles>Web Design>User Interface>Interaction Design
#19448
When Management Becomes Personal: An Activity-Theoretic Analysis of Palm™ Technologies
Palm Technologies, a group of personal digital assistants or PDAs developed in the early 90s, have rapidly embedded themselves into the daily lives of users. The aim of this chapter is to provide an activity theoretic account of PDAs as technologies of text. Three questions are pursued: Out of what cultural history did Palm Technologies emerge? What motivated users to adopt Palm Technologies? How did Palm Technologies become incorporated into the activity patterns of everyday life? The evidence presented suggests that Palm Technologies work by moving systematic management techniques originally developed for organizations into the personal sphere. When systematic management becomes personal, task management separates from the task itself, leading to a fragmentation of motive that may challenge some of the basic assumptions of activity theory. This fragmentation is mediated through the space-time affordances of textualization and concurrent linearization of time. Like the systematic management of organizations before it, such textual affordances may become subject to surveillance and manipulation - by ourselves if not by others. All of this suggests that some interesting issues will arise as PDA technologies attempt to move outside of their managerial base and into the domestic sphere, in effect databasing our lives.
Geisler, Cheryl. WAC Clearinghouse (2002). Design>User Interface>Theory>PDA
#28349
It seems strange to be talking about something as basic as 'navigation' 11 years into the web era. And yet, if you’re a web designer, chances are you’ve made some mistakes in this fundamental area. I know I have. So let’s go back to basics.
Powazek, Derek. List Apart, A (2006). Design>Web Design>User Interface
#14198
Why Amazon Succeeds -- And Why It Won't Help You
Amazon is one of the best on-site search capabilities we've ever seen. But surprisingly, the reason why it works so well is likely to be the same reason why Search won't work well on your site.
User Interface Engineering (2002). Design>Web Design>User Interface>Search
