The following are notes taken from the Universal Principals of Design and can be applied to the next project GlobalCom.
80/20 Rule (pg 12)– A percentage of use come from 20% of the varibles. As an example 20% of roads are used (the main Roads) where as 80% remain less used (side streets). This could be applied to the main interface of the Global Com project.
Aesthetic Usability Effect (pg 18) – Aesthetic designs (which are pleasing to the eye) are perceived by the viewer to be more easier to use than less aesthetic design. A designer should always try to achieve an aesthetic design. This could also be applied to the overall design of the interface.
Affordance (pg 20) – The physical characteristics of an object or property are influenced by it’s environment. As an example stairs lend themselves better for climbing then a wall.
Alignment (pg 22)– Placement of objects or elements line up in rows or columns with a common centre body. By doing this it creates a union within the information. Creating a gestalt effect the closer the information is together the more we see it as related. This could be used when presenting the information in the final interface.
Archetypes (pg 24) – Archetypes are patterns and themes that form from innate bias or dispositions. Like branding with a company image a company could be seen as the outlaw, the friendly relative or the hero.
Chunking (pg 30)– Chunking is basically breaking down something huge into tiny pockets of information. By doing this it is easier to remember and retain information. An example would be to break a paragraph up into chunks of information to make it easier to remember.
Colour (pg 39) – Colour is used in design to attract more attention to an area, enhance aesthetics, indicate meaning and give attention to certain elements. However there are a few rules when working with colour. It is better to limit the palette so the user’s eye has less to process also it is better to use good colour combinations taken from the colour wheel (activity 7)
Confirmation (pg 44) – Confirmation prevents unwanted actions from happening. Such as deleting needed files or copying unwanted files on the computer. This could be applied to the interface through the phone order system.
Consistency (pg46)– Usability of a system is improved when similar part are expressed in similar ways. There are 4 kinds of consistency aesthetic, functional, internal and external.
Constancy (pg 48)– Users perceive objects to be the unchanging despite changes in the objects. An object from a distance could look smaller despite it being the same size as up close.
Entry Point (pg 64) – Entry point is a physical or attentional point of entry into a place or design. Despite the old saying don’t judge a book by it’s cover, people do. You are given at least 15 seconds before someone decides to look away and goes somewhere else. There are a few rules when designing an entry point. Such as minimal barriers, points of prospects and progressive lures.
Fitt’s Law (pg 82)– The idea behind fitt’s law is the bigger the target the less distance it is to hit. Smaller the target is the more distance it is to hit.
Five Hat Rack (pg 84) – Is the ways information could be organised. There are five ways information can be organised hence the name five hat rack. They are: alphabetical, time, category, location, continuum.
Gutenberg Diagram (pg100) – A diagram that describes the general pattern followed by the eyes when looking at information. For example in western society we read left to right, top to bottom. That is the gutenberg diagram.
Interference Effects (pg 114) – mental processes can be confused or made slower when there are more than one process competing against each other. Such as the word red written in the colour blue.
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