Kohive, a cloud-based tool that creates an online social desktop for users to share, communicate and collaborate, recreates the interface design of a desktop computer’s graphical user interface which, being familiar to all computer users, is a unique way of engendering the learnability of the tool. It essentially allows users to create workspaces where they can invite collaborators to share a ‘Hive’. Users can then upload whatever files are pertinent to their particular hive, be they pictures for friends and family or work-in-progress for a client. Users log in to a capable browser to access an application that supports file storage and sharing, task management, note taking and instant messaging among others.

How does Kohive recreate the desktop interface design?

Although the feature-list is long, Kohive’s interface design makes it relatively easy to learn how to use the application. The interface design is made to look and operate just like a standard desktop user interface. To be precise, more like a Mac’s desktop (but I guess that might make it more appealing and usable considering the kudos the Mac OS has received over the last decade) but the concept will be fathomable to the average computer user. Furthermore it looks like the interface design of a new computer without clutter and icons on the deskspace. The sparse environment (to begin with at least) is clean, clear, and not intimidating to first-time user, therefore lowering potential usability barriers. The tool eschews the use of menubar options (those are left for manipulating the web-browser), and a replica of Mac OS X’s Dock interface design accesses the various functions of the tool. Unlike the Dock’s default setting on Mac OS X whereby it is found at the bottom of the screen, the dock on Kohive is found to the left of the interface. The bottom of the interface design is left for the different Hives a user has access to, allowing for easy and fast switching between workspaces. Hovering the mouse over the icons on the left of the interface design reveals an overlay that names the highlighted app. The familiarity of the desktop-like interface, the ease of use and the fast access to important options speak much in favour of the usability of Kohive.

This blog post is the first in a series of two about usability and interface design

What is usability?

At its most fundamental level, usability is defined as the study of the ease with which people can achieve a particular goal by operating a human-made tool or system. The central goal of usability is to answer the following questions:

•    How well can users learn and use a system or tool to achieve a goal?

•    How satisfied are they with the process provided by the system or tool?

In computer science, these questions are kept at the forefront of user interface design during the development process in order to ensure that each user interface is characterized by optimal usability.

User interface design and usability

Usability relative to user interface design specifically focuses on evaluating how clearly and effectively a user can interact with a particular user interface. Usability.gov defines these user experience measurables as such:

•    Ease of learning – How fast can a user who has never seen the user interface before learn it sufficiently well to accomplish basic tasks?
•    Efficiency of use – Once an experienced user has learned to use the system, how fast can he or she accomplish tasks?
•    Memorability – If a user has used the system before, can he or she remember enough to use it effectively the next time or does the user have to start over again learning everything
•    Error frequency and severity – How often do users make errors while using the system, how serious are these errors, and how do users recover from these errors?
•    Subjective satisfaction – How much does the user like using the system?

In order to evaluate the above mentioned measurables usability tests can be employed by interface or interaction designers. A usability test is a technique that is used to evaluate the usability of an interface design by testing it with end users, often using wireframe prototypes before the interface design is fully implemented, in order to receive vital user experience feedback. Usability tests help interface designer not only obtain the critical usability design information they need, but also provide designers with a proven and effective process of doing so. This means that the overall interface design process will be much smoother, allowing you and your team to create an interface design with the potential to be highly successful.

This blog post is the first in a series of two about interface design centered on user experience

What is user experience?

The term user experience can be broadly applied to many fields, but within the paradigm of computer science, user experience refers to all of the user’s actions with a given interface design or system.  User experience focuses explicitly on how a person feels about using a particular user interface: what are their perceptions of the interface design’s utility, ease of use, and overall efficacy of the system?  Experientially, how do users rate and value the system and do they find using it simple and effective?  Since these questions are at the heart of user experience, it is critical to understand that user experience is not only subjective, but also dynamic—the needs and perceptions of a single user or groups of users are constantly evolving over time which means that interface designers must evolve with them.

State of mind and context: the factors that affect user experience

There are a multiplicity of factors that affect the user experience of a given interface design.  Wading through the swamp of people’s diverse needs and perceptions can leave you as a designer feeling overwhelmed.  If you want to get a solid grasp on the factors that influence user experience, try dividing user experience factors using the categories of state of mind and context:

State of mind: The state of mind refers to the user’s mental state and personal characteristics, motivations, expectations, or mood.  Basically, how will the state of mind of the user affect the way they experience and utilize a given user interface design?

Context: In addition to the user’s state of mind, it is important to grasp that context has a vital effect on the way users experience an interface design.  Context is meant to include the temporal dimension (user time constraints), the social dimension (what social factors are affecting the user’s ability to use the interface design—can they still use it easily with many people induced distractions), and the infrastructure (specifically for interface design, what type of internet connections and other systems or technical assistance are available to the user).

Context and state of mind are a simple starting point for user experience factor categorizations, but they are a good organization method, so it is worth using them if you have trouble or find yourself searching.

This blog post is the second in a series of two about user interface design

Tips for designing a successful user interface

In my first post I talked about what user interface design is and why understanding it is important. Now, let’s take a brief look at a few tips on how to create a solid user interface design so that you can successfully meet the needs and expectations of your clients and the end users of the interface you are creating.

Consistency: When embarking on the creation of a new interface design, begin by thinking about consistency. Why is consistency important? Because people need to learn how to use a system, and once they have found out how it functions, they develop habits and expectations. Satisfying these expectations makes it easier for people to use an interface and to be comfortable while doing so.

Don’t be busy, be simple: Crowded user interfaces can frustrate users. They are often difficult to understand quickly, which makes them difficult or time-consuming to use because identifying or discerning information and filtering out your options as a user becomes harder. Don’t fill your interface design with unnecessary graphics and exotic font styles. Find a way to make your interface design clean, simple, but also interesting.

Prototype and then test your interface design’s usability: Prototypes (for example wireframe prototypes) and usability tests are a critical aspect of successful interface design. Prototypes are rudimentary working models of your interface design (or of any type of design for that matter). They range from simple wireframe prototypes consisting of placeholder boxes to detailed high-fidelity prototypes. Usability tests are designed to evaluate your interface design by testing design concepts with end users, giving you direct input about how users use your system and how well they can understand it. During the creative process, you should keep in mind what objectives the end users of the application want to achieve. Consequently you should be prototyping and thinking about or rather measuring how your users will react to your interface design instead of assuming you know your end users well enough. If you are designing a user interface, the benefits of prototyping, usability tests, and real-time collaboration are
worth checking into.

If you want to be a successful web designer, you must make usable, functional interface designs a focus of your work. This will contribute to the success of not only your company (or whatever entity you design for), but also yourself. A popular interface design is something you can take pride in and will win you future contracts.

This blog post is the first in a series of two about user interface design.

What is user interface design?

Before we define user interface design, let’s define the basic concept of an interface. An interface is a point of interaction between two entities that are autonomous yet mutually dependent. These entities exchange information and contribute to the successful completion of a given process. Interfacial interactions are a ubiquitous phenomenon without which we could not accomplish the simplest of tasks like doing laundry or preparing meals.

User interface design (UID) is the design of computers, software, mobile devices, and machines with the central focus being the user experience and interaction between humans and these objects. User interface design’s main goal is to make these objects as intuitively usable as possible based on the needs of the user.

Why is understanding user interface design important?

As a designer, you must grasp the fundamental importance of user interface design if you want to create functional websites for your clients. An interface that is poorly designed can cost end users (and potentially your clients) time, money, and relationships.

If you are a user interface designer, here is a good motto to live by: Users are not designers and designers are not users. Understanding this core concept of user interface design is crucial because it allows you as a designer to constantly keep in mind that your product must be created to optimize usability from the perspective of the user and not from the perspective of what you as a designer find most interesting. Don’t get carried away during the design process— make sure your user interface design is always accessible to your users.

This blog post is the first in a series of two about remote usability testing as a usability method

What is usability testing?

Before I define remote usability testing, it is probably best for me to give an overview of usability testing in general. Usability testing is a usability method used to systematically observe users interacting with your product. Usability testing is very advantageous for you as a designer because it allows you to evaluate your new interface design before its completion. You are then able to make adjustments and improvements based upon user experience feedback ascertained from the usability test. This makes for a smooth interface design process, optimizing time and cost efficiency and ultimately contributing to the overall success of your project.

An example of what to analyze during a usability test is the efficiency with which users complete defined use cases. A good use case example would be the account registration process of a social network or buying an item on an e-commerce website. When usability testing this interface design feature, you can investigate the quality and efficiency of your interface design by chronicling the time spent and number of steps needed for users to complete the registration or purchasing process. This way, you can adjust your interface design during the concept phase to fit with the needs of your users and vamp up your product’s over all usability.

What is remote usability testing and why is it beneficial?

Remote usability testing derives from normal usability testing, providing most of the benefits while drastically reducing cost and time required. Remote usability tests utilize the internet as a means of administering the test; the moderator is connected live through the internet and/or phone lines with the test user, allowing him to observe, pose questions or chat as users click their way through an existing website, software application or wireframe prototype, negating the need to physically be in the same location. Moderators can use specialized remote usability testing tools. These allow you (and possibly other observers) to view participants’ interaction with your interface design all the while recording video and audio of the session for documentation and playback.

Remote usability testing offers more advantages than just cost savings. Remote usability testing allows you to test users from the comfort of their own home or anywhere else that is convenient to them. This places participants in a less pressurized environment, attenuating their performance anxiety. Consequently, the user experience feedback may be more reliable and hence beneficial because it is information from clients in their ‘natural habitats’ so to speak. Unlike the more expensive onsite usability testing, remote usability testing is practical even in small projects with constrained budget and resources.

“Paper prototyping is a variation of usability testing where representative users perform realistic tasks by interacting with a paper version of the interface that is manipulated by a person ‘playing computer,’ who doesn’t explain how the interface is intended to work.” – excerpt from the book Paper Prototyping by Carolyn Snyder

What is paper prototyping?

Paper prototyping is a usability method widely used in user interface design, refinement and testing, in a process known as the user-centered design process. It helps developers in creating the interface design of software programs, websites, web applications, and handheld devices in such a way that it meets users’ expectations and needs. Paper prototyping was developed in the mid-1980s, but already by the mid-1990s paper prototyping was being used as an integral part of interface design and usability testing at blue chip companies such as Microsoft and IBM as well as at a plethora of technology and design firms large and small.

Paper prototyping is a form of Rapid Prototyping. A paper prototype is a model of what the final interface design might look like. Paper prototypes are low in fidelity (the level of detail in a prototype) and were originally sketched out by hand with the aid of a paper and pen(cil); hence the name.

Better interface design and other benefits of paper prototyping

Paper prototyping has many benefits for usability and interface design. Paper prototyping does not require any technical skills therefore allowing a wide range of people to be involved and take advantage of them. This is great for facilitating communication within multidisciplinary teams. Paper prototypes enhance communication not just within the development team but also between the team and intended end users. Paper prototypes thus can be used to gather substantive feedback early on in the development process before coding begins, thus eliminating the need to expensively fix usability errors later on. Being cheap and easy to use, paper prototyping promotes rapid iterative development because you and your team can experiment with several interface designs that can be tested for usability. Another benefit is that paper prototypes encourage creativity. When undergoing usability testing users will feel more inclined to critique or add suggestions to your interface design on a paper prototype as the prototypes are not as intimidating as a finished, refined application. The low-fidelity nature of paper prototypes also allows for the right kind of feedback. Users should report on the usability of your interface design and not the font being used or other graphic design details that can be added later in the process.

On April 8th Apple announced the upcoming operating system iPhone OS 4 to the world, boasting over 100 new features for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad as well as a new software development kit that offers over 1500 new APIs for developers. iPhone OS 4 includes features that increase the usability and user experience of using Apple’s mobile devices. Among the major new features are support for multitasking, improvements in Mail, wider Enterprise features, a new Game Center, a mobile advertising platform called iAd, and improved user interface management in Folders.

How does multitasking affect usability?

The iPhone’s limited multitasking has long been a usability gripe with users. Although native Apple apps (such as Safari and iTunes) could run in the background, third party apps (such as Skype, navigation software or the music streaming service Last.fm) would have to be shut down  in order to do anything else, even if for only 3 seconds! Not the most pleasing user experience! With the new operating system, this usability issue seems solved.

How do improvements in Mail affect usability?

Another usability gripe with the iPhone is the lack of a unified mail system. This is exemplified by the usability expert and former Apple Human Interface Group designer’s, Bruce “Tog” Tognazzini, long and insightful article during the release of the original iPhone (took a while!) (www.asktog.com/columns/070iPhoneFirstLook.html). In the current and previous versions of the OS, Email, SMS and voicemail are separate apps that serve a similar function. In the words of Tog “I should not have to visit three different places on my phone every few minutes to see what is happening”. The new OS also allows the setting up of multiple e-mail accounts, that can be read all at once without having to switch accounts, as well as a threaded message view that keeps related replies together.

“Computers must support the way in which people naturally and comfortably work. This is needed both for personal job satisfaction and for corporate survival. I care about whether the team is thriving, and whether the software is being delivered. Keeping the people trained and the process light are key to both.”  Alastair Cockburn

What are scenarios of use?

Scenarios of use, also known as use cases, are a usability method used in user interface design. They describe a particular use or scenario of users performing specific tasks on your web site or application to achieve specific functional requirement aims. The term use case was coined in the mid-80s by Ivar Jacobson and contributed to by others such as Alistair Cockburn. These user-oriented and task-oriented scenarios of use are brief, semi-formal ’stories’ that include steps a user, also referred to as an actor, would take trying to accomplish a goal as well as the way your software program or website and its respective user interface responds to the user’s actions. Scenarios of use are written in plain language so that a large number of stakeholders can all understand and benefit from this usability method in order to achieve a buy-in to important interface design or other decisions.

What are the benefits of scenarios of use?

Scenarios of use hold many benefits when it comes to software or website user interface design and GUI prototyping. Scenarios of use are similar in application to a black box in an airplane with the main difference here being that you get to learn what irregularities caused the crash before the plane even takes off (i.e. before your code has been written and the program or website has been launched to the public)! Scenarios of use are thus useful in exploring usability or user experience issues early on in the development process enabling you to identify usability targets as well as in gleaming other information such as probable task completion times.  Scenarios of use are very useful in establishing what your program or website does – or rather will have to allow the user to do – and should be done even before embarking on interface design through the use of interface design or wireframe software or other GUI prototyping tools such as pidoco°. As a usability method that can be used not only by individual interface designers but within a group of people, it is possible to create better team cohesion and stimulate teamwork or foster buy-in by team members. Another advantage of scenarios of use is that they require minimal resources to be generated and they keep the focus on users, usability and user experience. This ultimately leads to happy customers – which should be the goal in user interface design since it means that your product is successful.

“Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learned. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.” Edward de Bono

What is Brainstorming?

A method often used in the context of usability engineering or user interface design, brainstorming, sometimes also referred to as Creative Thinking, Thought Showers or Lateral Thinking, is a process by which individuals or groups can generate alternative ideas or solutions for a specific topic or problem. The term brainstorming was coined by Alex Faickney Osborn in the late 40s and early 50s and popularized in his 1953 book, Applied Imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem-solving. Brainstorming, a group creativity technique, focuses on generating as large a quantity of ideas as possible with the quality of ideas further down the hierarchy of importance. Brainstorming has two phases of activity with the first, the nurturing phase, being the generation of ideas and the second, the analytical phase, evaluating them.

What are the benefits of Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is not only useful in identifying a wide range of ideas and solutions to problems but also in facilitating group cohesiveness and ownership of ideas. Brainstorming allows to generate many ideas in a relatively short time and requires few material resources. Although some studies have shown that individuals working alone can generate more and better ideas by working alone rather than working as a group, brainstorming can help a group to collectively gain a better understand of the problem space. Other benefits of brainstorming include boosting morale, enhancing work enjoyment and improving team work.

How to conduct Brainstorming

Before the session starts, decide on the question or topic that will be tackled by the group during the brainstorming session. The question should be neither too narrow nor too broad. For example, brainstorming on which font works best on a heading is too narrow and brainstorming on how to make customers happy might be to broad. An example of a more appropriate question might be “What service for mobile phones is not available now, but needed?” If a problem is too big it should be broken down into smaller components tackled by their own lead questions. Before the brainstorming session begins one should have a plan on how to record and keep track of the generated ideas. Various methods may be used ranging from a white-board to post-it notes. Whatever materials you decide on, be prepared and have enough for the session. Adequate breaks and refreshments should be offered to counter brainstorming fatigue.