The interaction
Menus
• Interaction Styles
• Elements of the WIMP Interface ➤ Set of options displayed on the screen
• Interactivity
➤ Options visible
Interaction Style
➤ command line interface • less recall – easier to use
• rely on recognition so names should be
➤ Menus natural language question/answer and query dialogue
meaningful
➤ form-fills and spreadsheets
➤ Selection by:
➤ WIMP
➤ point and click • Numbers, letters, arrow keys, mouse
• Combination (e.g. mouse plus
➤ three-dimensional interfaces the Interaction
accelerators)
Command line interface ➤ Often options hierarchically grouped
➤ Way of expressing instructions to the computer directly • sensible grouping is needed
➤ function keys, single characters, short abbreviations,
➤ Restricted form of full WIMP system
whole words, or a combination
➤ suitable for repetitive tasks
➤ better for expert users than novices
➤ offers direct access to system functionality
Natural Language
➤ command names/abbreviations should be meaningful!
➤ Familiar to user
➤ Typical example: the Unix system
Query Interfaces ➤ speech recognition or typed natural language
➤ Question/answer interfaces ➤ Problems
➤ user led through interaction via series of questions
• vague
➤ suitable for novice users but restricted functionality • ambiguous
➤ often used in information systems • hard to do well!
•
➤ Query languages (e.g. SQL)
➤ used to retrieve information from database ➤ Solutions
➤ requires understanding of database structure and Try to understand a subset
language syntax, hence requires some expertise
Pick on key words
WIMP Interfaces ➤ Examples Siri, Chabot
Windows. Icons. Menus. Pointers
… or windows, icons, mice, and pull-down menus!
Default style for majority of interactive computer systems,
especially PCs and desktop machines
Point and Click Interfaces
used in..
• multimedia
• web browsers
hypertext
• just click something! Form-fills
• icons, text links or location on map • Primarily for data entry or data retrieval
minimal typing • Screen like paper form.
Three dimensional Interfaces • Data put in relevant place
• Requires
• virtual reality
• 3D workspaces • Good design
o Use for extra virtual space • Obvious correction facilities
o Distance effects
Elements of the WIMP interface
Wimpless Interfaces??
Menu design Issues
• which kind to use
• what to include in menus at all
words to use (action or description) Kinds of Menus
• how to group items
• Menu Bar at top of screen (normally), menu drags down
choice of keyboard accelerators
• Pull-down menu – mouse hold and drag down
Palettes
menu
Palettes – little windows of actions
• drop-down menu – mouse click reveals menu
Shown/hidden via menu option • fall-down menus – mouse just moves over
e.g. available shapes in drawing package bar!
tear-off and pin-up menus menu ‘tears off’ • Contextual menu appears where you are
to become palette
• pop-up menus – actions for selected object
Dialog Box
• pie menus – arranged in a circle
• information windows that pop up to inform of an • easier to select item (larger target area)
important event or request information.
e.g.: when saving a file, a dialogue box is displayed
to allow the user to specify the filename and • quicker (same distance to any option)
location. Once the file is saved, the box disappears.
Interactivity
The ability of a computer to respond to a user’s … but not widely used
input.
• Speech Driven Interfaces
rapidly improving …
But still inaccurate
how to have robust dialogue? Interaction of course!
e.g. airline reservation:
reliable “yes” and “no”
+ system reflects back its understanding “you want a ticket from New York to Boston?”
