It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the importance of using technology in almost all aspects of life. As a consequence, individuals need an ideal way to interact effortlessly with computers. Galitz (2007) states that human computer interaction (HCI) is the method of how computers and human work and understand each other. One of the most important type of HCI is a graphical user interface (GUI) which is a computer software which makes the using of computer easier (Senta, 2013). It is evident from the name of this term (GUI) that the users are main aspect and they need to see their needs are achieved when they want which is the term of what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) (Galitz, 2007). This essay has been divided into two parts. Firstly, it will discuss that there are some principles which can make a successful GUI, namely the clarity of using it, performing user’s requests effectively, forgiveness of user’s mistakes and the object’s familiarity for users. In the second part, Apple’s web page will be evaluated as an example of a popular GUI based on those characteristics and it will also show that although Apple’s GUI has some weaknesses, it can be considered a good GUI because it has almost accomplished the other principles of the successful GUI.
Principles of making a good GUI
It is argued that The main aim of a GUI is to make the interaction between users and computers easier. Galitz (2007) suggests that programmers should provide clear objects and processes as well as simple and explicit texts and metaphors, therefore the familiar objects such as icons, list boxes and reserved words can provide a clear using of any user interface. Thus, the requirements of users should be taken into account because they are the ...
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...mportance of some aspects which make a good GUI such as the familiarity of GUI’s objects, its attractiveness and being forgiveness of user’s faults, if it is easy to use and effective, it might become a good one. According to the survey, which was done by Vallerio (2006) on 12 electrical engineering and all of them preferred having a GUI which performs their work fast. These findings enhance the understanding of the significance of GUI’s effectiveness.
This paper also evaluated Apple’s web page as one of the most popular GUI on the internet. It is found that this website has a good graphical interface because of the availability of many specifications of a good GUI. However, although there were some issues appear when exploring Apple’s web page because of the time which it takes to be loaded, it just happens at the beginning of the used and then it is disappeared.
Let us now examine a number of perspectives that should be considered when designing software solutions. In most cases, these perspectives will have direct consequences to the design of the user interface.
If you ask people to name one of the most important technologies of the twentieth century, one of the answers would most certainly be the computer. A computer, however, is not a technology all to itself. Many other technologies went into the modern home computers of today, including the mouse. Douglas C. Engelbart, a worker at the SRI (Stanford Research Institute), invented the mouse in 1964. However, the process of the invention of the mouse was not instantaneous and without effect on the realm of computing and society. In this paper I will be examining the problems that had to be overcome and the technologies that had to be invented for the mouse to become a reality. It also analyzes the impacts it has had on society and the computer industry.
Apple was definitely “thinking different” when it created the new addition to the Macintosh family, the iMac. It’s creative design and refreshing departure from the computer industry standard of boring beige boxes is gaining this marvel many optimistic reviews. This new personal computer, which is pronounced eye-Mac –the “i” stands for Internet, combines the computer and the monitor in one unit making it, in effect, an updated version of the original one-piece Macintosh. That makes the iMac ideal for people who want to conserve desk space.
The invention of computers has made a huge change in human civilization and society, by changing the way people think. Computers replaced jobs and tedious repetitive thoughts that were done by human originally. People became more and more reliant on computers, and thus, computers became essential to our lives. Computers can manufacture products quickly, and eliminate possible human errors. As technology progresses, new ideas have been brought into computer to make them perform more efficiently. Also, scientists and engineers tend to make things “smaller”, so we can enjoy the benefits from electronic devices anywhere and anytime. Therefore, size and efficiency are two main points for consumers. Desktop computer and laptop computer are representatives for each of these concepts. Although desktops and laptops come from the same origin, they are different in many ways.
The Wireless Markup Language (WML) is used to create pages that can be delivered using WAP. WML is a language that allows the text portions of Web pages to be presented on cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) via wireless access. WML is part of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) that is being proposed by several vendors to standards bodies. The Wireless Application Protocol works on top of standard data link protocols, such as Global System for Mobile communication, code-division multiple access, and Time Division Multiple Access, and provides a complete set of network communication programs comparable to and supportive of the Internet set of
Computer icons within a GUI are supposed to resemble some real object. The success of an icon on communicating the right meaning to the user depends on the accuracy of the representation and, of course, the user's ability to recognize the relationship. Notice that a computer system will have all kinds of signs built in to communicate with the user. Key words and sentences that provide instructions or alert the user of the status of the system are symbols. A user is considered computer literate when he or she can understand those symbols. Another way in which a computer system communicates with a user is by means of indices. When a system is turned on or off, a light that indicates the status of the system is an index.
The next step after developing a working pc is to make it computer friendly. Graphical user interface (GUI) is the perfect tool to make pc easier to use; using pictures, rather than words.
...introduced to all these facts, it is clearly visible that graphical user interfaces played a major role in the development of modern society, and its relations with computing, and IT. Introducing the GUI in the early 1980s did in fact make computers and digital devices more accessible to people, often with no knowledge of computers, and revolutionized the way, in which media and information function today. The GUI has further made the abstract Information Technology more friendly towards a regular user, by allowing user customization of the work environment, and hence, made computers an integrated part of our lifestyle, work and leisure. Finally, because GUI is an inseparable of the most common computer work environments, it has become an element of our compulsory education, which just concretes its role as both facilitator, and prompter of social and life changes.
According to Ahmed et al., 2007, user interface design has received a limited attention from IR researchers. There is a need for adopting human-computer interaction (HCI) techniques into IR interface designs, but this is an issue that has not yet been fully recognised by the commercial database vendors and distributors.
Brook’s paper “No Silver Bullet: Essence and Accidents of Software Engineering” presents how complex the development of a software is and its inherent difficulties. He brings out the accidental and essential difficulties we encounter in the process of software development. He identifies complexity, conformity, changeability and invisibility as inherent properties of any software whereas accidental difficulties are experienced during the development cycle/process. He suggests that being able to develop reusable software cuts down the costs and time as well as gives room for a wide variety of applications/functionalities across different platforms/ environments. Being able to balance and to bring best out of the resources that are available in terms of processing powers, hardware/software capabilities, personnel, budget etc., is very crucial for the success of software in the market. It is quite interesting and very relatable how the creative process of developing software in stages helps and (rather than just writing the code) motivates the software developers and design managers in coming up with new ideas during the iterations. Brook’s also mentions how high level programming languages, time-sharing and different development environments have affects on the complexity of software development process to remove accidental difficulties thus resulting in high efficiencies. According to him, fields like Graphical programming, Expert systems, Artificial intelligence though provide powerful insights, they have little to do with actual software development process to define its requirements or functionalities. He identifies how user can benefit from adapting an existing system to sol...
...igure within the system. The software should enable usability in accordance to the company requirements; it should be in a position to have the functionality that meet the need of the company.
Computers lacked the power to operate on a GUI, or graphical user interface, system. A GUI is a windows and icons system, where the user clicks on icons to operate the computer. Computers of the time ran text interfaces requiring the user to understand commands and communicate with the computer through text prompts. This was not ideal for the average user because it took time to learn how to operate the device. Processes are individual piece...
This essay will discuss the evolution and revolution of the mouse and keyboard as known today, and whether touch screen technology and other peripherals will replace them as a superior. It will highlight the issues of both using a combination of the keyboard and the mouse and using a touchscreen to input data into computers. It will also briefly discuss the evolution of the mouse and the keyboard and how and when they were born into the world of computing.
The Whirlwind computer had a video display that was controlled interactively by a light gun. The display attracted users much more than computer code. The Whirlwind computer became the basis for SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), a defense command-and-control system developed for the Air force. In the 1960s Ivan Sutherland’s MIT doctoral thesis introduced a Sketchpad interactive drawing system, which established the theoretical groundwork for computer graphics software (Machover 14). In the mid-1960s, computer graphics was booming in private industry. General Motors had released DAC-1 a computer-aided design system, and Itek developed the Digigraphics electronic drafting machine. By the late 1960s the first storage-tube display terminals appeared, shortly followed by direct-view storage tube display terminals (DVST) which cost thousands of dollars; however this was an improvement to the tens to hundreds of thousands spent initially for display systems. In the 1970s Turnkey systems emerged, beforehand users had to develop software to make their hardware work however turnkey systems provided a haven to users from software issues. Bit-mapped raster displays developed as memory...
In the year 1977 computers went on sale for the national public. Today in the year 2004 computers with connection to the internet are an essential item to have in the household. Accountants and typists are no longer the only ones buying computers. Age does not matter. Everyone needs a computer in the household. Computers help all kinds of people. Meeting different people’s needs, therefore computers are a useful tool for all age groups. Children, teenagers, adults, and senior citizens all can use the same computer, but they all use the computer for a different purpose.