Important Questions

1. What is good design? What are the benefits of good design?

Good design is a concept defined by industrial designer Dieter Ramos’s principles: It
makes a product useful and understandable, is innovative, aesthetic, unobtrusive,
honest, long-lasting, thorough to the last detail, environmentally friendly, and involves as
little design as possible. Designers strive for good design.
The Benefits of Good Design
 Poor clarity forced screen users to spend one extra second per screen.
 Almost one additional year would be required to process all screens.
 Twenty extra seconds in screen usage time adds an additional 14 person years .
 The benefits of a well-designed screen have also been under experimental scrutiny for
many years.
 One researcher, for example, attempted to improve screen clarity and
readability by making screens less crowded.
 Separate items, which had been combined on the same display line to conserve
space, were placed on separate line sin stead.
 The result screen users were about 20 percent more productive with the less
crowded version.
 Proper formatting of information on screens does have a significant positive effect on
performance.
 Proper formatting of information on screens does have a significant positive
effect on performance.

2. Explain 8 principles of UI design.

• The design goals in creating a user interface are described below.
• They are fundamental to the design and implementation of all effective interfaces, including
GUI and We bones.
• These principles are general characteristics of the interface, and they apply to all aspects.
• The compilation is presented alphabetically, and the ordering is not intended to imply degree
of importance.
1. Aesthetically Pleasing
Provide visual appeal by following these presentation and graphic design principles:
• Provide meaningful contrast between screen elements.
• Create groupings.
• Align screen elements and groups.
• Provide three-dimensional representation.
• Use color and graphics effectively and simply.
2. Clarity
The interface should be visually, conceptually, and linguistically clear, including
• Visual elements
• Functions
• Metaphors
• Words and Text
3. Compatibility
 Provide compatibility with the following:
- The user
- The task and job
- The Product
– Adopt the User’s Perspective
4. Configurability
Permit easy personalization, configuration, and reconfiguration of settings.
- Enhances a sense of control
- Encourages an active role in understanding
5. Directness
Provide direct ways to accomplish tasks.
- Available alternatives should be visible.
- The effect of actions on objects should be visible.
6. Flexibility
A system must be sensitive to the differing needs of its users, enabling a level and type of
performance based upon:
- Each user's knowledge and skills.
- Each user's experience.
- Each user's personal preference.
- Each user's habits.
- The conditions at that moment.
7. Efficiency
Minimize eye and hand movements, and other control actions.
- Transitions between various system controls should flow easily and freely.
- Navigation paths should be as short as possible.
- Eye movement through a screen should be obvious and sequential.
- Anticipate the user's wants and needs whenever possible.
8. Familiarity
• Employ familiar concepts and use a language that is familiar to the user.
• Keep the interface natural, mimicking the user's behavior patterns.
• Use real-world metaphors.
3. Explain a brief history of screen design in HMI.
1970s
• While developers have been designing screens since a cathode ray tube display was first
attached to a computer, more widespread interest in the application of good design principles to
screens did not begin to emerge until the early 1970s, when IBM introduced its 3270-cathode
ray tube text-based terminal.
• A 1970s screen often resembled the one pictured in Figure. It usually consisted of many fields
(more than are illustrated here) with very cryptic and often unintelligible captions.
It was visually cluttered, and often possessed a command field that challenged the user to
remember what had to be keyed into it.
1980s
• These screens were not entirely clutter-free, however. Instructions and reminders to the user
had to be inscribed on the screen in the form of prompts or completion aids such as the codes
PR and Sc.
• Not all 1980s screens looked like this, however. In the 1980s, 1970s-type screens were still
being designed, and many still reside in systems today.

• The advent of graphics yielded another milestone in the evolution of screen design, as
illustrated in Figure above.
1990s
• While some basic "design principles did not change, groupings and alignment, for example,
Borders were made available to visually enhance groupings and buttons and menus for
implementing commands replaced function keys.
 • In the 1990s, our knowledge concerning what makes effective screen design continued to
expand. Coupled with ever-improving technology, the result was even greater improvements in
the user-computer screen interface as the new century dawned.

• Completion aids disappeared from screens, replaced by one of the new listing controls.
Screens could also be simplified, the much more powerful computers being able to quickly
present a new screen.

4. What is direct and indirect manipulation? Explain with an example.

Direct manipulation in HMI (Human Machine Interaction) is a type of interaction where the user
can directly manipulate the objects of interest on the screen, such as dragging and dropping
icons, resizing windows, or rotating images1. Direct manipulation features a natural
representation of task objects and actions, and promotes the notion of people performing a task
themselves, not through an intermediary like a computer1. Direct manipulation also provides
continuous visibility of objects and actions, rapid and incremental feedback, and reversible
operations2.

An example of direct manipulation in HMI is using a touch screen to control a drone, such as
tilting the screen to change the direction or speed of the drone. The user can directly
manipulate the drone by moving the screen, and see the immediate effect on the drone’s
movement. The user can also easily undo or adjust the action by tilting the screen back or
differently.

Indirect manipulation in HMI (Human Machine Interaction) is a type of interaction where the
user has to use words, text, or commands to perform an action on the machine, rather than
directly manipulating the objects of interest12. Indirect manipulation may be used when the
operation is difficult to conceptualize in a graphical system, or when the graphics capability of
the system is limited23.
 An example of indirect manipulation in HMI is using a keyboard to enter a command that
controls a robot arm, such as “move 10 cm left”. The user has to type the command and press
enter, and then wait for the feedback from the robot arm. The user cannot directly manipulate
the robot arm by dragging or rotating it on the screen.

5. What is navigation design in HMI? And explain its types in detail.

Navigation design refers to organizing an interface's navigation to enable users to seamlessly go

from one point to another. It provides users with knowledge of where they are in the interface,
how they reached there, and where they can go from there.

The user interface (UI) designer should design the navigation in a user-centered way. In other
words, it should not be the user's duty to figure out where the interface's features are, as the
navigation should walk the user through the system itself.

The UI designer must consider the interface's structure to organize the navigation. The structure
is of two main types:

 Local structure
 Global structure

Local structure

Local structure refers to a single screen or page in an interface. A single screen's navigation should tell
the user about the following things:

 Where they are: The screen should give enough information to the users about their current
location in the interface, and the current state of their goal. For example, a page title shows the
users where they currently are in the interface.
 What they can do: All the possible navigation options from the current screen should be clearly
visible to the user. Any links or buttons to other pages should be highlighted to communicate
their purpose to the user, so they know where they can go further in the interface.
 What will happen: Navigation options should clearly indicate to the user what will happen once
they click on them. For example, when icons are used for navigation, they should be
accompanied by some explanation or labels. This way, the user does not have to test where it
goes by clicking on it, and later be frustrated when the result is not as expected.
  Where they have been: Users must be given enough feedback about the screens they have
visited, and the tasks they have completed, so they don't feel lost. One way designers do this is
by displaying breadcrumbs, which show the path of arriving at the current page.

Breadcrumbs displayed under a top navigation bar

Global structure

Global structure refers to how all the screens in an interface link together. There are two ways to
organize the global structure:

 Hierarchical organization: The whole system is functionally decomposed into logical groups.
This hierarchy helps define the menu options of an interface. An example of such a hierarchy is
shown below:

 Network diagram: A network diagram is essential to show links between pages that might not
be grouped together in a hierarchical organization. This technique is more task-oriented than a
hierarchy. An example of a network of screens is shown below:

6. What is software life cycle in HMI? Explain in detail.

One of the claims for software development is that it should be considered as an engineering
discipline, in a way similar to how electrical engineering is considered for hardware
development. One of the distinguishing characteristics of any engineering.
Activities in the life cycle
The graphical representation is reminiscent of a waterfall, in which each activity naturally leads
into the next. We describe the activities of this waterfall model of the software life cycle next.
A more detailed description of the life cycle activities is depicted in Figure.
1) Requirements specification: In requirements specification, the designer and customer try to
capture a description of what the eventual system will be expected to provide. Requirements
specification involves eliciting information from the customer about the work environment, or
domain, in which the final product will function.
2) Architectural design: As we mentioned, the requirements specification concentrates on what the
system is supposed to do. The next activities concentrate on how the system provides the
services expected from it.
3) Detailed design: For those components that are not already available for immediate integration,
the designer must provide a sufficiently detailed description so that they may be implemented in
some programming language. The detailed design is a refinement of the component description
provided by the architectural design.
4) Coding and unit testing: After coding, the component can be tested to verify that it performs
correctly, according to some test criteria that were determined in earlier activities. Research on
this activity within the life cycle has concentrated on two areas.\
5) Integration and testing: Once enough components have been implemented and individually
tested, they must be integrated as described in the architectural design. Further testing is done
to ensure correct behavior and acceptable use of any shared resources.
6) Maintenance After product release, all work on the system is considered under the category of
maintenance, until such time as a new version of the product demands a total redesign or the
product is phased out entirely. Consequently, the majority of the lifetime of a product is spent in
the maintenance activity.
7. What are the 3 main categories of usability principles?
Principles of Usability:
 Learnability: The ease with which new users can begin effective interaction and achieve
maximal performance
  Flexibility: The multiplicity of ways the user and system exchange information
 Robustness: The level of support provided to the user in determining achievement and
assessment of goal-directed behavior.

1. Principles of Learnability:
 Predictability: It determines the effects of future action based on past interaction
history.
 Synthesizability: It determines the effects of past operations on current states. e.g.-
move file
 Familiarity: New users can get familiar with the functionality and interaction style of
the application.
 Consistency: It means through the resultant behavior of the system. Every time system
gives the same result on the same set of inputs.
 Generalizability: It requires specific knowledge of the same domain knowledge. e.g.-
Cut, Copy, etc.
2. Principles of Flexibility:
 Dialog initiative: All the dialogs are done by a simple request and response system.
 Multithreading: Single set of code on input can be used by several processes at
different stages of execution.
 Task Migratability: Transfer the execution of the task from the system to the user and
decide who is better. e.g.- Spell Checker
 Substitutivity: It allows equivalent values of input and output to be substituted with
each other. e.g.- Percentages and Grades
 Customizability: It supports the modifiability of the user interface by a user
(adaptability) or system (adaptivity).
3. Principles of Robustness:
 Observability: The user should be able to evaluate the internal features of a system and
give proper feedback.
 Responsiveness: Real system feedbacks on the user’s action.
 Recoverability: To fix and solve errors and get the correct actions.
 Task Conformance: The system supports all the requirements of the user and how the
user interacts with them.

8. What is Shneiderman’s 8 golden rules?.

 To improve the usability of an application it is important to have a well-designed interface.
Shneider man’s “Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design” are a guide to good interaction design.
1.Strive for consistency: layout, terminology, command usage, etc.

2. Cater for universal usability: recognize the requirements of diverse users and technology. For
instance, add features for novices e.g., explanations, support expert users e.g. shortcuts.

3. Offer informative feedback: for every user action, offer relevant feedback and information,
keep the user appropriately informed, human-computer interaction.

4. Design dialogs to yield closure: help the user know when they have completed a task.

5. Offer error prevention and simple error handling: prevention and (clear and informative
guidance to) recovery; error management.

6. Permit easy reversal of actions: to relieve anxiety and encourage exploration, because the user
knows s/he can always go back to previous states.

7. Support internal locus of control: make the user feel that s/he is in control of the system,
which responds to his/her instructions/commands.

8. Reduce short-term memory load: make menus and UI elements/items visible, easily
available/retrievable
9. What is screen design? Explain ordering of screen data and content.
Screen design is the process of creating the visual appearance and layout of a screen that users
interact with on a device or system. Screen design involves choosing the appropriate elements,
such as text, images, icons, buttons, menus, etc., and arranging them in a way that is clear,
consistent, and user-friendly. Screen design also considers the aesthetic aspects, such as colors,
fonts, styles, and animations, that make the screen appealing and engaging.

Ordering of screen data and content is an important aspect of screen design that affects the
usability and effectiveness of a user interface. It refers to the way information is organized and
presented on a screen, such as in a web page, an application, or a dashboard.
Ordering of screen data & content
 Divide information into units that are logical, meaningful and sensible.
 Organize by interrelationships between data or information.
 Provide an ordering of screen units of elements depending on priority.
 Possible ordering schemes include
o Conventional
o Sequence of use
o Frequency of use
o Function
o Importance
o General to specific
 form groups that cover all possibilities.
  Ensure that information is visible.
 Ensure that only information relative to task is presented on screen.
 organizational scheme is to minimize number of information variables
10. What are the qualities of a visually pleasing composition?
• Provide visually pleasing composition with the following qualities–
1. Balance: Create screen balance by providing an equal weight of screen elements, left
and right, top and bottom.

2. Symmetry: Create symmetry by replicating elements left and right of the screen
centerline.

3. Regularity: Create regularity by using consistently spaced column and row starting points
for widgets.

4. Predictability: Create predictability by being consistent and following conventional

orders or arrangements.

5. Sequentially: Provide sequentiality by arranging elements to guide the eye through the
screen in an obvious, logical, rhythmic, and efficient manner.

6. Economy: Provide economy by using as few styles, display techniques, and colors as
possible.
 7. Unity: Create unity by using similar sizes, shapes, or colors for related information. Also
by leaving less space between elements of a screen than the space left in the margins.

8. Proportion: Create windows and groupings of data or text with aesthetically pleasing
proportions.

9. Simplicity: Optimize the number of elements on a screen, within the limits of clarity.
Minimize the alignment points, especially horizontal and vertical.

10. Groupings: GROUPING USING BORDERS

• Provide functional groupings
• Create spatial groupings
• Provide meaningful titles for each grouping
• Incorporate line borders
• Do not exceed three-line thickness
• Create lines consistent in height and length
• For adjacent groupings with borders wherever possible
• Use rules and borders sparingly
11. What is the purpose of statistical graphics? and why it is used in HMI?

 Statistical graphs facilitate providing an improved understanding and correct description of

analytical knowledge.
 The graphs modify exploratory knowledge analysis on either the link or the node knowledge.
 Exploiting these graphs will typically detect distributional patterns of correlations within the
knowledge.
 Statistical graphics are used in HMI because they can provide a clear and concise way of
presenting information to the human operator.
 HMI is a user interface that connects a person to a machine, system, or device, especially in an
industrial context. HMI can be used to monitor and control processes, such as production,
quality, safety, and efficiency.
 Statistical graphics can help the operator to see the current status, historical trends, and future
projections of the process, as well as to identify and troubleshoot any problems.
 Statistical graphics can also help the operator to interact with the machine, system, or device, by
providing feedback, commands, and options.
 Statistical graphics can also help to check assumptions, test hypotheses, and compare different
data sets.