Introduction
There are various factors that need to be considered when designing software interface. These factors will ensure that users will get the best experience with the use of the software. There should be some principles that need to be followed when designing computer software. This paper will focus on usability principles and design requirements for online book system. There will then be a comparison of different online bookstore bookstores.
When designing software, there is a need to ensure that there are principles that are followed in order to have effective user interfaces.
Consistency - one of the design principles is to have consistency. There should be a consistent way of undertaking the formatting of the design components. This is a significant development for the design of software. There should be consistent use of actions when designing the software. It is a significant development to ensure that users get the same thing in the design. It will mean that there are issues that should be included in the design of the software. Apart from the components of the software, there should be consistent use of software terminology in the interface. This will ensure the users do not get confused in the use of the interfaces. The use of menus, colors, and layout should be consistent for the users (Burns, & Hajdukiewicz, 2013).
Use of shortcuts for frequent users – this is another principle that should be integrated in the design of software. This will ensure that the software users will have some way in which they will use the frequent functions that they are fond. Users should not be loaded with many things for memorizing. Having shortcuts for users will help the users to have a way in which they will remember most of the things that are pertinent to them. Designers should not have design scenarios where users will be required to remember information from one screen in order to use this information in another screen. This is overloading the memory of the users. The overloading of user memory is a significant development that should be integrated in the design of the user interface. There should be use of information like numbers from one screen being used in another screen. This is one of the most relevant information that should be integrated in the design of the software (Patterson, & Hennessy, 2013).
There should also be informative feedback in case the users get stuck in some issue. This follows the need to have system feedback for every action that the users get from the system. The response that they will get from the system should be beneficial and substantial. The designers should ensure that there are visuals for some of the feedback from the system. Informative feedback will ensure that the system is always providing users with the actions that they make to the system. This is one way in which the changes will be tracked with the use of the system. It is a prestigious development that should be integrated in the development of software within the system (Schmidt et al., 2013).
Another design principle is that there should be design dialogues that will take the users through the processes of design. This is a way in which the users will have to communicate with the designers. The actions and feedbacks from the system should be organized in a way which will ensure that there is progress in the way the system is undertaken. The actions should be organized in such a way that there is the beginning, intermediate and end of something. This organization will give the users some sense of achieving some things in the process of using the system. In case of a site that is used for e-commerce purposes, the users are moved from the selection of the item, to purchasing, to the confirmation page. These processes help users to know what they have been able to achieve in the use of the system (Stupak et al., 2010).
The designers should also make use of the design principle where universality of the interface is achieved. This design principle works in such a way that the users of all levels of difficulty will be served with the use of the system. All users should find the interface favoring their use. The equipment that is used in the design should support all the users who will interact with the interface. Some of users will include disabled, advanced and novice users, and users with varying ages. This is one of the issues that should be integrated in the design of the system.
Another design principle is that there should be minimal making of errors by the users. There should be measures to ensure that users are not able to make serious errors in the system. This should be enabled with the use of features like grayed out boxes for some critical capabilities for the users. In case the user makes an error, the interface should provide the user with some simple and informative way in which the error can be reversed. This reversal of the error should be done by the user. The user should be able to learn from this process of error correction. The design should make sure that there are no errors which will be made in the course of the design of the system (Taylor, 2010).
Another design principle that goes with the error prevention principle is that there should be a way in which easy reversal of errors should be enabled. The process of reversing the errors should not be complicated. This will ensure that there is a better way in which the errors are prevented from taking place. This is one of the developments of the handling of the errors. It is a noteworthy development in the handling of errors.
Another design principle is that users should be able to have an internal locus of control. With this design principle, advanced users should be able to control their actions and have ways in which they should control procedures for the actions that they perform in the system. These advanced users should not have surprises in the use of the interface. The advanced users should be able to have ways on which they will control the actions and have their procedures achieved. Users should not have peculiar procedures from the use of the system. This will ensure that there is a better way in which the users will have control of the actions that they perform in the system.
There are different online bookstore websites that have been set. These websites have different designs that have been put in place for the clients. One website that will be evaluated in this aspect is that of Colorado State University Bookstore. The website URL is http://www.bookstore.colostate.edu/home.aspx. There are many features that have been done n the design of the website. One of the interface design feature that has been integrated on the website is that of consistency in links, in the main menu. This is replicated in all the links that are associated with the main menu. This is a significant development in the design of the website. The colors of the website are green and are consistent in all the pages of the website. This is a prestigious development of the website. It helps to understand the requirements of the website and integrate the design issues with the website. There is also the consistency of language use in the website.
Another design consideration that has been integrated in the Colorado State university website is universality of the website. The interface has been designed in such a way that the system meets the requirements of all users of the system. There are simple design principles that have been integrated in the design of the website. The website is simple for novice users and also enhanced for advanced users. It can also be argued that the design has been done to favor novice users. The website has simple and yet professional ways in which it is understood by everyone.
The use of the interface also shows that there are simple procedures that have been integrated in the website. The users have ways in which the errors are corrected in the use of the interface. There are simple procedures that have been integrated in the website that helps the users to reverse from errors. There are many places where the design aids the user in understanding the use of the system.
There are sites that have poor consistency in colors and vocabulary that have been used. One example is IndiaBookStore whose URL is http://www.indiabookstore.net/. The interface of the website fails in consistency of colors and design. This is one of the requirements that are not met with the design of the website. This website is one case in which there is no consistency in the design. Most of the pages have their own ways in which they have been designed. The design requirements of the pages do not follow the rule of consistency.
There is also another website which is worth understanding. The online bookstore website is Berkelouw bookstore, which is available at http://berkelouw.com.au/.
One interface requirement that is not followed with this website is that it lacks simplicity that is required for novice users. Novice users would take time to get the requirements and what they would like to achieved in the website. The interface is mixed up. One of the issues is that there is a need to have design requirements that will ensure that there is an understanding of the requirements of the paper. Comparing the Colorado State University online bookstore interface with the two interfaces, the Colorado Website Interface has followed many of the features and the needs that are required. This is a prestigious development.
References
Burns, C. M., & Hajdukiewicz, J. (2013). Ecological interface design. CRC Press.
Patterson, D. A., & Hennessy, J. L. (2013). Computer organization and design: the hardware/software interface. Newnes.
Schmidt, D. C., Stal, M., Rohnert, H., & Buschmann, F. (2013). Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture, Patterns for Concurrent and Networked Objects(Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons.
Stupak, N., DiFonzo, N., Younge, A. J., & Homan, C. (2010). SOCIALSENSE: Graphical user interface design considerations for social network experiment software. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(3), 365-370.
Taylor, R. N. (2010). Software Architectures.
