Processes[edit]
Printable template for mobile and desktop app design (PDF)
User interface design requires a good understanding of user needs. It mainly focuses on the
needs of the platform and its user expectations. There are several phases and processes in the
user interface design, some of which are more demanded upon than others, depending on the
project.[5] (Note: for the remainder of this section, the word system is used to denote any project
whether it is a website, application, or device.)
Functionality requirements gathering – assembling a list of the functionality required
by the system to accomplish the goals of the project and the potential needs of the
users.
User and task analysis – a form of field research, it's the analysis of the potential
users of the system by studying how they perform the tasks that the design must
support, and conducting interviews to elaborate their goals. [6] Typical questions
involve:
o What would the user want the system to do?
o How would the system fit in with the user's normal workflow or daily
activities?
o How technically savvy is the user and what similar systems does the user
already use?
o What interface look & feel styles appeal to the user?
Information architecture – development of the process and/or information flow of the
system (i.e. for phone tree systems, this would be an option tree flowchart and for
web sites this would be a site flow that shows the hierarchy of the pages).
Prototyping – development of wire-frames, either in the form of paper prototypes or
simple interactive screens. These prototypes are stripped of all look & feel elements
and most content in order to concentrate on the interface.
Usability inspection – letting an evaluator inspect a user interface. This is generally
considered to be cheaper to implement than usability testing (see step below), and
can be used early on in the development process since it can be used to evaluate
prototypes or specifications for the system, which usually cannot be tested on users.
Some common usability inspection methods include cognitive walkthrough, which
focuses the simplicity to accomplish tasks with the system for new users, heuristic
evaluation, in which a set of heuristics are used to identify usability problems in the
UI design, and pluralistic walkthrough, in which a selected group of people step
through a task scenario and discuss usability issues.
Usability testing – testing of the prototypes on an actual user—often using a
technique called think aloud protocol where you ask the user to talk about their
thoughts during the experience. User interface design testing allows the designer to
understand the reception of the design from the viewer's standpoint, and thus
facilitates creating successful applications.
Graphical user interface design – actual look and feel design of the final graphical
user interface (GUI). These are design’s control panels and faces; voice-controlled
interfaces involve oral-auditory interaction, while gesture-based interfaces witness
users engaging with 3D design spaces via bodily motions. It may be based on the
findings developed during the user research, and refined to fix any usability problems
found through the results of testing. [7] Depending on the type of interface being
created, this process typically involves some computer programming in order to
validate forms, establish links or perform a desired action. [8]
Software maintenance – after the deployment of a new interface, occasional
maintenance may be required to fix software bugs, change features, or completely
upgrade the system. Once a decision is made to upgrade the interface, the legacy
system will undergo another version of the design process, and will begin to repeat
the stages of the interface life cycle.[9]
