Assignment 1: Accessibility
Building a user interface that meets the needs of a diverse population can be incredibly difficult. Research the best practices for developing a universally usable interface, as well as some of the federal legislation that applies (i.e., section 508).
Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:
1. Assess at least five (5) best practices for developing a universally usable interface.
2. Evaluate how section 508 affects developing user interfaces and assess this compliancy standard’s impact on users.
3. Give three (3) examples of available tools for verifying that your interfaces meet universal design guidelines and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
4. Examine the practicality of building multiple interface options for diverse populations, rather than building one (1) interface that meets the needs of the majority of end users.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA.
· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
· Explain the guidelines, principles, and theories in an HCI setting.
· Describe the usability properties of interactive systems.
· Use technology and information resources to research issues in human-computer interaction.
· Write clearly and concisely about HCI topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
Notes to assist with assignment
1. User-interface designers have accumulated a wealth of experience and researchers have produced a growing body of empirical evidence and theories; all which have been organized into three categories.
The
first category
is specific and practical guidelines that prescribe good practices and caution against dangers. The
next category
is middle level principles to analyze and compare design alternatives. The
final category
is high level theories and models that describe objects and actions with consistent terminology so that comprehensible explanations can be made to support communication and teaching. Other theories are predictive, such as those for reading, typing, or pointing times.
2.
Guidelines:
Since the earliest days of computing, interface designers have developed guidelines to record their insights and attempt to guide the effort of future designers. These guidelines include shared common languages to ensure all designers are able to communicate effectively on the same topic. Also included are best practices, critics, and proponents to encapsulate experience.
3.
Navigating the interface:
To ensure proper navigation of the interface, there are essential items required. The first item is standardizing task sequences. The second item is ensuring that embedded links are descriptive. The third item is to utilize unique and descriptive headings. The fourth item is to use check boxes for binary choices. The fifth item is to develop pages that will print properly in hard copy or digital format. And the last item is to use thumbnail images to preview larger images so that they may be viewed better.
4.
Accessibility Guidelines:
Guidelines to promote accessibility for users with disabilities were included in the U.S. Rehabilitation Act. Under Section five-zero-eight, guidelines for web design have been developed. In terms of accessibility it is essential to provide a text equivalent for every non-text element. Also for any time-based multimedia presentation, you should synchronize equivalent alternatives with the presentation and provide alternatives for the time based media. Also make it easier for users to see and hear content. Lastly make web pages predictable. This means make the pages appear and operate in predictable ways.
5.
Users Attention:
When designing interfaces it is important to get the user’s attention. The best method to do this is by intensity, marking, size, choice of fonts, inverse video, blinking, color, and audio. Making good use of these items will ensure that your interface grabs the attention of the user. Remember in mission critical systems such as the early warning system displayed in this slide, it is key to indicate what can be problematic in a manner that informs the user to immediately take action.
6.
Determine the users’ skill levels:
When determining the user’s skill levels it is important that you know the user. One needs to understand attributes such as age, gender, education, cultural background, ethnic background, motivation, goals, personality, physical abilities, and cognitive abilities. Design goals need to be based upon skills such as novice, intermediate, or advance users. Also there needs to be multi-layer designs.
7.
Tasks:
Developers must identify the tasks to be carried out after the user profile has been drawn out. A task analysis should be conducted to help designers understand task frequencies and sequences and help make the decisions about what tasks to support.
High level task actions can be broken down into multiple middle level task actions, which can be further refined into atomic actions that users execute with a single command, menu selection, or other action. Frequent tasks should be easy and quick to carry out.
8.
Interface Design Tips:
Strive for consistency, Cater to universal usability, Offer informative feedback, Design dialogs to yield closure, Prevent errors, Permit easy reversal of actions, Support internal locus of control, Reduce short term memory load.
9.
Theories:
There are many theories used in user interface design. Some theories are descriptive which are helpful in developing consistent terminology for objects and actions. Other theories are explanatory which include observing behavior, describing activity, conceiving of designs, comparing high-level concepts of two designs, and training. Other theories are prescriptive, giving designers clear guidance for their choices. Finally, the most precise theories are predictive which enable designers to compare proposed designs for execution time or error rates.
Please include
Reference
Information retrieved from:
Shneiderman, B., Plaisant, C., Cohen, M., Jacobs, S., Elmqvist, N., Diakopou, N. Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction.