Definitions
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 Accessibility
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| "The power
of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone
regardless of disability is an essential aspect."
Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World
Wide Web
Effective June 21, 2001, section 508 of the US Rehabilitation
Act (part of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998) requires
new or modified government Web sites to comply with
its accessibility standards. These rules are designed
to make information more accessible for people with
disabilities, which number 54 million in the US alone.
Section 508 uses the government procurement process
to ensure that technology acquired by the federal government
is accessible to the disabled. Sites that are found
to not comply could face legal action.
As we all know, the Web is by its very nature a visual
medium. Although graphical user interfaces on many Web
sites make them easy to use for most people, these same
features make many Web sites inaccessible to some people
with physical disabilities such as visual impairments.
"Screen-reading" software used by the blind
makes Web sites more accessible, but the software doesn't
work well on sites that don't include certain elements,
such as "alt" tags for images.
For more information, visit the Web
Accessibility Initiative (WAI) |
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GUI |
| Graphical User
Interface (pronounced "GOOEY")
A user interface which presents information graphically,
typically with windows, buttons, and icons that are
sizable and movable, as opposed to a textual user interface,
where information is presented on a text-based screen
and commands are typed by the user.
It is often assumed that GUI applications are inherently
more usable, but that may not be true when GUI applications
are not well-designed. Graphics enable more flexibility
in design and enable certain useful interaction styles
(like direct manipulation), but text-based applications
may still be extremely usable if they are designed through
a user-centered process: gathering information from
users, carefully designing the interaction tasks, conducting
user testing, etc. |
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OOUI |
| Object-Oriented
User Interface (OOUI, pronounced "OU-EY")
An OOUI, compared to a GUI, invites the user to explicitly
recognize and manipulate objects on the screen. In effect,
it extends the world of objects all the way out to the
user.
In an OOUI, an icon is an object. Windows are simply
viewers into the object. A double-click of the mouse
tells the object to open itself. Note that there don't
seem to be identifiable applications in an OOUI; there
is merely a constellation of objects that a user can
consider and manipulate. In a very real sense, the user
is the application.
It is often assumed that GUI applications are inherently
more usable, but that may not be true when GUI applications
are not well-designed. Graphics enable more flexibility
in design and enable certain useful interaction styles
(like direct manipulation), but text-based applications
may still be extremely usable if they are designed through
a user-centered process: gathering information from
users, carefully designing the interaction tasks, conducting
user testing, etc. |
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User
Interface Design |
| The overall process of
designing how a user will be able to view and interact
with a software application or web site.
User interface design is involved in many stages of
product development, including: requirements analysis,
information architecture, interaction design, screen
design, user testing, documentation, and help system
design. User interface designers may require skills
in many areas, including: graphic design, information
design, software engineering, cognitive modeling, technical
writing, and a wide variety of data collection and testing
techniques.
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User
Experience |
| User Experience
(UE, UX or UEX)
"User experience encompasses all aspects of the
end-user's interaction with the company, its services,
and its products. The first requirement for an exemplary
user experience is to meet the exact needs of the customer,
without fuss or bother. Next comes simplicity and elegance
that produce products that are a joy to own, a joy to
use. True user experience goes far beyond giving customers
what they say they want, or providing checklist features.
In order to achieve high-quality user experience in
a company's offerings there must be a seamless merging
of the services of multiple disciplines, including engineering,
marketing, graphical and industrial design, and interface
design."
- Jakob Nielsen and Donald Norman, The Nielsen Norman
Group
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Usability |
| The ability for
users to perform their desired tasks and accomplish
their goals using a product. Usability is usually
measured in terms of:
- Intuitiveness
- Ease of learning
- Ease of use
- Productivity
- Need for assistance
- User satisfaction
Usability should be evaluated throughout the
product development cycle. Early usability evaluations
take the form of focus groups, and conceptual
design evaluations. Later, demos, product designs
are evaluated using representative sets of users.
Final usability evaluations (usually performed
in a formal usability lab setting) help a company
determine if the final product meets the originally
defined goals and objectives. |
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