Design Principle Hierarchy

1
Design Principle Hierarchy
2
GUEPs

• Generative User Engineering Principal
• Defined by Thimbleby, Interact 84, 661-666
• Helps users deduce rules for a system
• Bridges conceptual gulf between designer and user
• Clarifies design requirements

3
Explaining

• An essential part of designing a user interface
  is explaining its operation.
• Examples
• A well-designed icon
• A pop-up label box for a button
• Meaningful titles on web pages
• Dimmed options when not appropriate

4
KISS

• Make explanations simple and brief. By
  implication, fix designs that cause complicated
  explanations.
• Examples
• Remove dialog boxes with only one choice

5
Mental Model

• Ensure that the user constructs and can use an
  appropriate mental model of the system.
• Examples
• The desktop
• Zoom as a hot air balloon

6
Improvement

• One can improve the computer program and change
  the documentation to match OR one can improve (or
  support) the user program and change the code to
  match.
• Examples
• Size the text entry box to fit the data

7
Consistency

• Employ a consistent and predictable design so
  that the system can be used successfully with the
  monitor turned off.
• Examples
• The default button can be activated with the
  Enter key.

8
Modelessness

• The user can do anything anywhere.
• Examples

9
Output

• WYSIWYG What you see is what you get.
• Examples
• Any direct manipulation widget
• The print preview option

10
Display Inertia

• When the user goes back, everything is as it was
  before.
• Examples
• Windows Explorer maintains the previous style of
  list view when reopened.

11
Bread Crumbs

• Leave a trace of where the user has been
• Examples
• Maintain the recently used documents list
• Maintain the history file for the web browser