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User Interface Design

Internet Links for User Interface Design and Usability Testing.

Efficacy of User Interface Design

Many technological innovations rely upon User Interface Design to elevate their technical complexity to a usable product. Technology alone may not win user acceptance and subsequent marketability. The User Experience, or how the user experiences the end product, is the key to acceptance. And that is where User Interface Design enters the design process. While product engineers focus on the technology, usability specialists focus on the user interface. For greatest efficiency and cost effectiveness, this working relationship should be maintained from the start of a project to its rollout.

When applied to computer software, User Interface Design is also known as Human-Computer Interaction or HCI. While people often think of Interface Design in terms of computers, it also refers to many products where the user interacts with controls or displays. Military aircraft, vehicles, airports, audio equipment, and computer peripherals, are a few products that extensively apply User Interface Design.

Optimized User Interface Design requires a systematic approach to the design process. But, to ensure optimum performance, Usability Testing is required. This empirical testing permits naïve users to provide data about what does work as anticipated and what does not work. Only after the resulting repairs are made can a product be deemed to have a user optimized interface.

The importance of good User Interface Design can be the difference between product acceptance and rejection in the marketplace. If end-users feel it is not easy to learn, not easy to use, or too cumbersome, an otherwise excellent product could fail. Good User Interface Design can make a product easy to understand and use, which results in greater user acceptance.

User Interface Design Expert Services

Usernomics can assist your company in making your products easy to learn, easy to use, aesthetically pleasing, and marketable. Our User Interface Design and Usability Testing experts design both hardware and software products. Their expertise covers a wide range of products including web-based and application software, consumer products, communication systems, and vehicles such as automobiles and aircraft.

Our User Interface Design experts specialize in website design. They apply a systematic technique to design and evaluate websites for maximum effectiveness, easy navigation, and enhanced user experience.

Internet Links

As a service to our professional community, we are pleased to bring you a great starting place for locating information about user interface design.

Scroll down or click on one of the following topics:

• User Interface Design / HCI
• Usability Testing
• Website Design / Computing

Also see Usability for additional links to resource sites and articles.

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User Interface Design / Human-Computer Interaction

• AirSafe.com is a Canadian site for Critical Information for the Traveling Public.
• Alertbox contains Current Issues in User Interface Design by Jakob Nielsen at SunSoft.
• Apple Computer Developer's Guide includes overviews, tutorials, and details on application development with Apple technologies.
• Applied Ergonomics and Design from Delft University has a lot of information about applied anthropology, usability, and health & environment.
• Aviation Medicine, Nursing, Physiology, Human factors, & Safety Links - has lots of international links to aviation Human Factors.
• Aviation Week & Space Technology is a great magazine for topics in aviation including Human Factors design.
• Boeing conducts a lot of research and applies Human Factors to aircraft design.
• The Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI) is an Independent Research Center founded in 1983 by researchers from Stanford University, SRI International, and Xerox PARC (now just PARC). They are devoted to research in the emerging science of information, computing, and cognition.
• The Center for Human-Machine Systems Research (CHMSR) at Georgia Tech is focused on how humans interact with complex systems.
• Cognitive "&" Psychological Sciences is sponsored by Stanford University and contains just about all the references to cognitive and psychological sciences on the net. It includes academic programs, journals/magazines, newsgroups, mailing lists, announcements, and has links to everything.
• Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making Technical Group (CEDM-TG) is part of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society specializing in cognition.
• Complex Cognition is a set of papers by Lisanne Bainbridge covering human factors / ergonomics, cognitive modeling, cognitive architecture, mental workload, situation awareness, cognitive error, skill and training, interface design, automation.
• CORDIS is the European Commission's Usability study for practical engineering in information projects.
• Human Systems Integration Information Analysis Center (HSIIAC) - Formerly Crew System Ergonomics Information Analysis Center (CSERIAC). Provides Human Systems Integration (HSI) information and analysis services in support of research, design, development, test, and evaluation of human-operated systems.
• DISTAN is the UK Defense Standards with information and links to Human Factors.
• Designing A GUI for Business Telephone Users is a good paper by Pamela Savage
• The Ergonomics Society homepage for ergonomics in the UK.
• ErgoWorld is a meta site devoted to ergonomics and human factors information on the Net. This site has links to almost every topic in the field (office ergonomics, industrial ergonomics, injury prevention/treatment, HCI/usability, transportation HF, HF in design), and also provides information on employment opportunities, university programs, consultants, products, and events.
• Earcons and Multimodal Interaction Group contains information on research into multimodal human-computer interaction in the Glasgow Multimodal Interaction Group which is part of GIST. They are doing a lot of work on audio and haptic (touch or force-feedback) interaction and mobile computing devices.
• ErgoForms is a company that offers scalable human figures for CAD layouts and Human-factors books.
• FAA Government Links are Human Factors Research Links to major government agencies involved in Human Factors.
• FAA Human Factors Division - The Human Factors Division (AAR-100) provides scientific and technical support for the civil aviation human factors research program and for human factors applications in acquisition, certification, regulation, and standards.
• FAA Interactive Human Factors provides scientific and technical support for the civil aviation human factors research program.
• FMS Bluecoat Forum is an international e-mailing list on the subject of FMS, EFIS and EICAS displays, automated subsystems, flight mode annunciators, flight directors, autopilots, and the integration of all avionics equipment in the modern cockpit.
• Federal Aviation Administration - Research Development & Human Factors Laboratory is a state-of-the-art research facility designed specifically to support research in aviation human factors and is located at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
• Fatigue Resource Directory: Industry Activities is a set of industry links to the effects of fatigue on performance.
• FineArt Forum is a great place to see how electronic publishing and technology works in cyberspace. A good place for design ideas.
• Flightdeck Automation Issues describes the study of the human factors issues of commercial transport aircraft flight deck automation.
• Good Documents is a web-site that discusses how to create good business documents in the linked, on-screen environment of Intranets and the Internet.
• HCI Education Survey is sponsored by ACM SIGCHI. This is Gary Perlman's list of most of the University programs in HCI.
• The HCI Index is the Home Page sponsored by J. deGraaff at in The Netherlands. The index links to several sites in ergonomics and human-computer interface. There are several categories of information such as: Communication (a good one), bibliographies, conferences, publications, reviews, groups organizations, and other resources. You should check this one out.
• Human Centered Systems Group - University College London researches the Focus-Metaphor Approach - a novel concept for the design of adaptive and user-centric virtual environments.
• Human-Computer Interaction Lab (HCIL) at the University of Maryland conducts research on advanced user interfaces and their development processes. Interdisciplinary research teams study the entire technology development life-cycle which includes the initial technology design, implementation issues, and evaluation of user performance.
• HCI Resources: Research Labs and Projects contains links to homepages of HCI-related research labs, groups and projects (academia)from Linkoping University.
• The Human-Computer Interaction Group is in the Computer Science Department at York University, UK and pursues research into the design and evaluation of interactive systems. The group is involved in funded research from: the EU (through the Esprit and TMR programmes), the EPSRC, British Aerospace, Northern Electric (through E. A. Technology) and Colt VR.
• Human-Computer Interaction Resources on the Net An excellent HCI starting site by Mikael Ericsson at Linkoping University. It includes world wide links to all kinds of HCI resources including references, links, people, labs, sites, etc.
• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society homepage.
• Human Factors at NASA Ames The Human Factors Research and Technology Division advances human-centered design and operations of complex aerospace systems.
• The Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance and Inspection (HFAMI) This site provides access to products of the Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards Service Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance and Inspection Program.
• Human Factors Perspectives on Human-Computer Interaction contains selections from the Proceedings of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meetings, 1983-1994 by Gary Perlman.
• Human Factors search on Google. A great search engine for links to several laboratories, organizations, and home pages for human factors companies. Just type in User Interface Design.
• Human Interface Technology Lab (HIT Lab) is a research and development lab at the University of Washington that focuses on human computer interfaces and virtual interface technology.
• IBM this is IBM's Ease Of Use web page that addresses the challenge of creating great user experiences through the discipline of User Engineering, supported by design guidelines, tools, services and other relevant materials.
• Inside the Glass Cockpit (IEEE)is an article on the glass cockpit with links to other sites.
• Interface Design Handbook is a practical introduction to interface design Written by Clayton Lewis and John Rieman at the University of Colorado.
• Interface Hall of Shame has great examples of bad user interface design.
• Interactive Screens is an excellent paper about Uniting Depth and Surface by Mark R. Johnson at Georga Tech.
• Interesting Human Factors Sites is a great list of links to many Human Factors sites.
• Interaction-Design.org is a free, open-content, peer-reviewed Encyclopedia covering terms from the disciplines of Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Design, Human Factors, Usability, Information Architecture, and related fields.
• The International Journal of Man-Machine Studies has the complete journal on-line. A great reference source.
• Jakob Neilsen's "useit.com" has lots of links and includes his book on usable information technology.
• Knowledge Based Systems Group is David C. Wilkins site at the University of Illinois and contains information about HCI and Artificial Intelligence.
• The McDonnell Douglas Human Modeling System (MDHMS) is a commercial site for the McDonnell Douglas Human Modeling System (MDHMS) group. Lots of 3D animation of human mannequins and links to additional topics.
• Microsoft Usability Research has a lot of valuable information about how Microsoft goes about usability evaluation.
• MIL-STD-1472D is the government standard for Human Factors Design.
• NASA-Ames Human Factors Research and Technology Division (AVO) Research includes human information processing and perceptual-motor systems, human-automation interaction, information displays and management, fatigue countermeasures, crew resource management, and system safety.
• Navair consists of Crew Station Design and the integration of all components of human-machine systems.
• The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent non-judicial investigation of transportation accidents contribute significantly to the safety of the traveling public and the environment.
• The Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI) is the Navy's principal resource for transferring to military applications emerging technology based on the automation and extension of thinking processes crucial to decision-making.
• Networked Media Laboratory has a good set of links to HCI topics by Sylvie Noël. Specific topics on collaborative writing and cognitive psychology are covered.
• North Carolina Ergonomics Research Center has the results of searching the WebCrawler and Galaxy for the key word "ergonomics". All sites are linked so it can save you a lot of time.
• OK/CANCEL is a User Interface Design site that has interesting cartoons and features. Fun to read.
• Other Lists of Psychological Resources on the Net are lists developed and maintained by various organizations of resouces related to psychology on the Internet..
• PARC - The Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), a subsidiary of Xerox Corporation, conducts pioneering interdisciplinary research in physical, computational, and social sciences.
• Penn State Human Factors Lab is a large facility for the study of a variety of human factors topics.
• QUIS: The Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction is a great questionnaire to determine user satisfaction.
• The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University.
• Tips and Tools from "dotParagon" contain a wide range of HCI links and is a great place to learn what is available online.
• University of Toronto has a great Human Factors lab that includes cognitive work analysis, ecological interface design, human factors design, usability engineering, multimedia, and more. Good stuff.
• Usability First - does not emphasize ergonomics, but it does have a comprehensive set of links to collections of computer information, organizations, forums, journals, and projects. The emphasis is on European sites.
• The Usability Methods Toolbox is a compilation of information about almost all of the methods and techniques used in usability evaluation.
• The Worlds Project is focused on the development of a next-generation computer-supported collaborative work (CSCW).

Usability Testing

• All Things Web contains a section on inspection-based user testing that involves the use of a usability checklist.
• Information & Design has a wide range of usability testing tools, materials, articles, and downloads.
• Interactive Media Lab (IML) is part of the Human Factors group of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto. The lab carries out research on the improvement of user interfaces for information systems. This research includes the design and testing of innovative multimedia environments, and usability testing of existing interfaces and systems.
• The Guide to Usability for Software Engineering is a collection of pages created by the University of Maryland. The collection is intended for software engineers and usability engineering practitioners to find relevant resources on the Web. A complete Usability Testing Section is part of this site.
• Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab - Captology creates insight into how computing products - from websites to mobile phone software - can be designed to change what people believe and what they do.
• Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab - Web Credibility Research their goal is to understand what leads people to believe what they find on the Web. Contains measurement research on how people evaluate the credibility of web sites.
• VUG - Visualization and Usability Group - National Institute of Standards and Testing conducts research in information visualization, virtual environments, related HCI technologies, and the evaluation of these technologies in order to demonstrate the utility and feasibility of visual displays of information to industry and government.

Web Site Design

• Bobby this free service will allow you to test web pages and help expose and repair barriers to accessibility and encourage compliance with existing accessibility guidelines, such as Section 508 and the W3C's WCAG.
• Designing Effective Web Pages is an online presentation by Mary Evans from the International Hazardous Materials Spills Conference
• Designing for Multiple Browsers Without Being Bland is a commercial site that has a lot of great design tips for multiple browsers.
• IBM Web design guidelines contains guidelines for creating easy-to-use Web interfaces.
• IBM Accessibility Center stemming from the IBM Special Needs Systems group, the IBM Accessibility Center was created in 2000 to apply research technologies to solve problems experienced by people with disabilities.
• MSDN User Interface is the Microsoft User Interface Library offering best practices for designing for Microsoft products. The MSDN Library is an essential resource for developers using Microsoft tools, products, and technologies. It contains a bounty of technical programming information, including sample code, documentation, technical articles, and reference guides.
• Technical Advisory Service For Images (TASI) provides an accessible and general introduction to the variety of tasks involved in a digitisation project and outlines some of the skills required to undertake them.
• Trace Center at The University of Wisconson has a section on Designing a More Usable World that is dedicated to cooperative efforts linked toward building a more usable Web for all.
• Usable Web is a meta site for web site usability issues. Lots of HCI information and a great source of information.
• Usability.gov is designed to provide current and accurate information on how to make health-related information Web sites and other user interfaces more usable, accessible, and useful.
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (WCAG WG) is part of W3C and is the primary reference for accessibility issues on the web.
• Web Design - An Empiricist's Guide is a detailed methodology paper in PDF format by Mary Evans. A Master's Dissertation from University of Washington and now at NOAA.
• WebABLE is the authoritative Web site for disability-related internet resources. The WebABLE site goal is to stimulate education, research, and development of technologies that will ensure accessibility for people with disabilities to advanced information systems and emerging technologies.
• The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding. This is a primary resource for all web related design.

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