Technology | Network | Management
Thomas N. Madsen
Implementation, Visualization and User Interfaces
Advanced Herd Management
2
Advanced Herd Management - Implementation, Visualization and User Interfaces
Outline
- GUI Design – Making the Right Choices
Case Examples:
- SimHerd
- FarmOnline
- Pig Management Project
- Pig Management - Case Examples of GUI design
3
Advanced Herd Management - Implementation, Visualization and User Interfaces
Not Dedicating Ressources to Design
Results: 1.No one will understand your program – Worst case scenario, users will give up using your application. Causes: 1.Lack of graphical representation of your applications underlying logical structure, which should give the user an intuitive comprehension of your application. 2.Functionality and interaction/navigation will be placed randomly in your application, making it difficult for users to find what they are looking for.
4
Advanced Herd Management - Implementation, Visualization and User Interfaces
GUI Design
Making the Right Choices
5
Advanced Herd Management - Implementation, Visualization and User Interfaces
GUI – The Graphical User Interface
Consists of: 1.Visual representation 2.Navigation and Interaction The GUI operates as a communication platform between the user and the underlying logical design of a program. Thus the design of the GUI can be based
- n either:
1.(Random choices as the program evolves – worst case!) 2.The system architecture 3.The user User-centered design is the only way forward!
6
Advanced Herd Management - Implementation, Visualization and User Interfaces
Good GUI Design Principals
1. User-centered GUI design – The GUI should reflect the user’s needs (not the system architecture). Functionality which will be used more frequently by the user should be more easily accessible in the GUI. 2. User archetypes – the GUI design should encompass each user archetype. 3. Abstraction layers – Organise the program functionality beneath well and logically abstracted ”layers”, e.g. divide functionality into Categories/Subcategories in order to provide the user with a drastically simplified overview of the program. 4. Keep it Simple – ”Less is More!”, prioritize, e.g. never display too much information at once. The user will not know where to start looking.