Distinguishable interfaces

Last updated

Distinguishable interfaces use computer graphic principles to automatically generate easily distinguishable appearance for computer data.

Contents

Although the desktop metaphor revolutionized user interfaces, there is evidence that a spatial layout alone does little to help in locating files and other data; distinguishable appearance is also required. Studies have shown that average users have considerable difficulty finding files on their personal computers, even ones that they created the same day. [1] Search engines do not always help, since it has been found that users often know of the existence of a file without being able to specify relevant search terms. On the contrary, people appear to incrementally search for files using some form of context. [2]

Recently researchers and web developers have argued that the problem is the lack of distinguishable appearance: in the traditional computer interface most objects and locations appear identical. This problem rarely occurs in the real world, where both objects and locations generally have easily distinguishable appearance. Discriminability was one of the recommendations in the ISO 9241-12 recommendation on presentation of information on visual displays (part of the overall report on Ergonomics of Human System Interaction), however it was assumed in that report that this would be achieved by manual design of graphical symbols.

VisualIDs, semanticons, and identicons

The mass availability of computer graphics supported the introduction of approaches that make better use of the brain's "visual hardware", by providing individual files and other abstract data with distinguishable appearance. This idea initially appeared in strictly academic VisualIDs [3] and Semanticons [4] works, but the web community has explored and rapidly adopted similar ideas, such as the Identicon.

The VisualIDs project [3] [5] automatically generated icons for files or other data based on a hash of the data identifier, so the icons had no relation to the content or meaning of the data. It was argued not only that generating meaningful icons is unnecessary [6] (their user study showed rapid learning of the arbitrary icons), but also that basing icons on content is actually incorrect [7] ("contrasting visualization with visual identifiers" [3] ).

The Semanticons project [4] [8] developed by Setlur et al. demonstrated an algorithm to create icons that reflect the content of files. In this work the name, location and content of a file are parsed and used to retrieve related image(s) from an image database. These are then processed using a Non-photorealistic rendering technique in order to generate graphical icons.

Developer Don Park introduced the identicon library for making a visual icon from a hash of a data identifier. This initial public implementation has spawned a large number of implementations for various environments. In particular, identicons are now being used as default visual user identifiers (avatars) for several widely used systems. They are also used as a complement to Gravatars, which are pre-existing avatar images created or chosen by users, instead of automatically generated images. (see #External links).

Current research

While current web practice has followed the semantics-free approach of VisualIDs, recent research has followed the semantics-based approach of Semanticons. Examples include using data mining principles to automatically create "intelligent icons" that reflect the contents of files [9] and creating icons for music files that reflect audio characteristics [10] or affective content. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graphical user interface</span> User interface allowing interaction through graphical icons and visual indicators

A graphical user interface, or GUI, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation. In many applications, GUIs are used instead of text-based UIs, which are based on typed command labels or text navigation. GUIs were introduced in reaction to the perceived steep learning curve of command-line interfaces (CLIs), which require commands to be typed on a computer keyboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the graphical user interface</span>

The history of the graphical user interface, understood as the use of graphic icons and a pointing device to control a computer, covers a five-decade span of incremental refinements, built on some constant core principles. Several vendors have created their own windowing systems based on independent code, but with basic elements in common that define the WIMP "window, icon, menu and pointing device" paradigm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Website</span> Set of related web pages served from a single domain

A website is one or more web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, education, commerce, entertainment, or social media. Hyperlinking between web pages guides the navigation of the site, which often starts with a home page. The most-visited sites are Google, YouTube, and Facebook.

Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using dedicated software on a personal ("desktop") computer. It was first used almost exclusively for print publications, but now it also assists in the creation of various forms of online content. Desktop publishing software can generate page layouts and produce text and image content comparable to the simpler forms of traditional typography and printing. This technology allows individuals, businesses, and other organizations to self-publish a wide variety of content, from menus to magazines to books, without the expense of commercial printing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finder (software)</span> Macintosh file manager and GUI shell

The Finder is the default file manager and graphical user interface shell used on all Macintosh operating systems. Described in its "About" window as "The Macintosh Desktop Experience", it is responsible for the launching of other applications, and for the overall user management of files, disks, and network volumes. It was introduced with the first Macintosh computer, and also exists as part of GS/OS on the Apple IIGS. It was rewritten completely with the release of Mac OS X in 2001.

In computing, an icon is a pictogram or ideogram displayed on a computer screen in order to help the user navigate a computer system. The icon itself is a quickly comprehensible symbol of a software tool, function, or a data file, accessible on the system and is more like a traffic sign than a detailed illustration of the actual entity it represents. It can serve as an electronic hyperlink or file shortcut to access the program or data. The user can activate an icon using a mouse, pointer, finger, or voice commands. Their placement on the screen, also in relation to other icons, may provide further information to the user about their usage. In activating an icon, the user can move directly into and out of the identified function without knowing anything further about the location or requirements of the file or code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag and drop</span> Action in computer graphic user interfaces

In computer graphical user interfaces, drag and drop is a pointing device gesture in which the user selects a virtual object by "grabbing" it and dragging it to a different location or onto another virtual object. In general, it can be used to invoke many kinds of actions, or create various types of associations between two abstract objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">File Explorer</span> File manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system

File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application and default desktop environment that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems, as well as user interface elements such as the taskbar and desktop.

AutoPlay, a feature introduced in Windows 98, examines newly discovered removable media and devices and, based on content such as pictures, music or video files, launches an appropriate application to play or display the content. It is closely related to the AutoRun operating system feature. AutoPlay was created in order to simplify the use of peripheral devices – MP3 players, memory cards, USB storage devices and others – by automatically starting the software needed to access and view the content on these devices. AutoPlay can be enhanced by AutoPlay-compatible software and hardware. It can be configured by the user to associate favourite applications with AutoPlay events and actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Page layout</span> Part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement of visual elements on a page

In graphic design, page layout is the arrangement of visual elements on a page. It generally involves organizational principles of composition to achieve specific communication objectives.

As the next version of Windows NT after Windows 2000, as well as the successor to Windows Me, Windows XP introduced many new features but it also removed some others.

Compared with previous versions of Microsoft Windows, features new to Windows Vista are numerous, covering most aspects of the operating system, including additional management features, new aspects of security and safety, new I/O technologies, new networking features, and new technical features. Windows Vista also removed some others.

Content-addressable storage (CAS), also referred to as content-addressed storage or fixed-content storage, is a way to store information so it can be retrieved based on its content, not its name or location. It has been used for high-speed storage and retrieval of fixed content, such as documents stored for compliance with government regulations. Content-addressable storage is similar to content-addressable memory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamlinux</span> Linux distribution

Dreamlinux was a Brazilian computer operating system based on Debian Linux. It can boot as a live CD, from USB flash drive, or can be installed on a hard drive. The distribution's GUI aims to have a centered animated toolbar. As of October 2012, The Dreamlinux Project has been discontinued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Identicon</span> Automatically generated avatar

An Identicon is a visual representation of a hash value, usually of an IP address, that serves to identify a user of a computer system as a form of avatar while protecting the user's privacy. The original Identicon was a 9-block graphic, and the representation has been extended to other graphic forms by third parties.

A single-page application (SPA) is a web application or website that interacts with the user by dynamically rewriting the current web page with new data from the web server, instead of the default method of loading entire new pages. The goal is faster transitions that make the website feel more like a native app.

Some of the new features included in Windows 7 are advancements in touch, speech and handwriting recognition, support for virtual hard disks, support for additional file formats, improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot performance, and kernel improvements.

Upload components are software products that are designed to be embedded into a web site to add upload functionality to it. Upload components are designed to replace the standard HTML4 upload mechanism. Compared with HTML4, Upload Components have a more user-friendly interface and support a wider range of features.

References

  1. ↑ Barreau, Deborah; Bonnie A. Nardi (1995), "Finding and reminding: file organization from the desktop", SIGCHI Bulletin, 27 (3): 647–656, doi:10.1145/221296.221307
  2. ↑ Teevan, Jaime; Christine Alvarado; Mark S. Ackerman; David R. Karger (2004), "The Perfect Search Engine Is Not Enough: A Study of Orienteering Behavior in Directed Search", CHI Conference
  3. 1 2 3 Lewis, J.P.; Ruth Rosenholtz; Nickson Fong; Ulrich Neumann (2004), "VisualIDs: automatic distinctive icons for desktop interfaces", ACM Transactions on Graphics, 23 (3): 416, doi:10.1145/1015706.1015739
  4. 1 2 Setlur, Vidya; Conrad Albrecht-Buehler; Amy A. Gooch; Sam Rossoff; Bruce Gooch (2005), "Semanticons: Visual Metaphors as File Icons", Computer Graphics Forum, 24 (3): 647–656, CiteSeerX   10.1.1.141.7183 , doi:10.1111/j.1467-8659.2005.00889.x
  5. ↑ Kanellos, Michael. "Cnet News: Navigating PCs with pictures, not words" . Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  6. ↑ Lewis, J.P., VisualIDs: FAQ , retrieved 19 March 2013
  7. ↑ Lewis, J.P., VisualIDs: FAQ , retrieved 19 March 2013
  8. ↑ Piquepaille, Roland. "ZDNET: Semanticons reveal the meaning of files". ZDNet . Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  9. ↑ Keogh, Eamonn; Li Wei; Xiaopeng Xi; Stephano Lonardi; Jin Shieh; Scott Sirowy (2006), "Intelligent Icons: Integrating Lite-Weight Data Mining and Visualization into GUI Operating Systems", ICDM
  10. ↑ Kolhoff, Phillipp; Jacqueline Preuss; Jörn Lovisach (2008), "Content-based icons for music files", Computers & Graphics, 32 (5): 550–560, doi:10.1016/j.cag.2008.01.006
  11. ↑ Kim, Hyun-Ju; Min-joon Yoo; Ji-yong Kwon; In-kwon Lee (2009), "Generating affective music icons in the emotion plane", CHI Conference
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.