Usability - Design

Author: Michelle McCausland

This page contains the notes taken from the UX training course “UX Foundation Online” provided by UXTraining.com

Information Architecture

• Like a skeleton
• Determines where content lives and is organised
• Site map - site structure
• Site structure has a big impact on user experience

Where to start:

1. Follow conventions, benchmarks, peers
2. Look at web traffic data
3. Look at search data
4. Define hypothesis
5. Card sort

User flow Consider different scenarios of people using software

Before you design a screen:

• Understand its sequence in main flow
• Be conscious of different screen states

Navigation

• By product of information architecture
• Primary nav should be global
• Secondary nav - more specific

Linear sequence - Natural, each step flows logically to the next step, for quick tasks

Hub and spoke - non-linear, no natural sequence, for longer tasks

Interaction Design Interaction = Intent + Action + Result

Like a sentence = Subject + Verb + Object

User = Intent > Action > Result

Product = Controls > Rules > Feedback

1. Controls
   • like a steering wheel - web controls (checkboxes, radio buttons etc)
2. Rules
   • Rules define how the interface works
   • Defines success and failure
   • Defines the feedback given
   • Defines what data is produced and where it goes
   • Use “if, then” statements
   • Rule guidelines - should be easy to understand and learn, facilitate overall flow
   • Reduces guesswork - everybody knows how it works
3. Feedback
   • Every interaction requires feedback
   • Confirms an action has taken place
   • Communicates results

Wireframes

• Communicate controls, rules, feedback
• Provides more critical detail than prototypes
• Start with a rough sketch