CANM 606 Principles of Usability
From EAPWiki
This WIKI page is for the students in the CANM 606 Principles of Usability class.
Here you will find important terms and vocabulary used in the class as we move through the
class material.
Any students in the class may also add to the page by registering with the WIKI.
donna dager
esl support
summer '08
PRINCIPLES OF USABILITY—TERMINOLOGY USED IN CLASS LECTURES
Contents |
CLASS #2
Heuristic:
—a method to help solve a problem using informal methods.
—"Rules of thumb", or guidelines, educated guesses, intuitive judgments or plain "common sense."
EXAMPLES:
1. Underlined words on a web page are usually "clickable."
2. Words are usually highlighted after they are clicked.
For more info: WIKIPEDIA-HEURISTIC
Rule of thumb:
—a general or approximate principle, procedure, or rule based on experience or practice, rather than a specific, scientific calculation or estimate.
—not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation
For more info: WIKIPEDIA-RULE OF THUMB
Breadcrumb trail:
—"Breadcrumbs" or "breadcrumb trail" are a navigation technique used in web design user interfaces
—the purpose of using a breadcrumb trail is to give users a way to keep track of their location on web pages or documents
Background: The term is taken from the children's fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel."
In this story, Hansel and Gretel make a trail of breadcrumbs leading from their home into the woods so they can follow it back home and not get lost in the woods.
For more information: WIKIPEDIA-BREADCRUMB
AJAX: (asynchronous JavaScript and XML)
—a group of web development techniques used for creating interactive web applications
—web pages are more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server "behind the scenes"
For more info: WIKIPEDIA-AJAX
iterative design:
—the act of repeating; designing over and over until you meet your ultimate goal for the design
For more information: WIKIPEDIA-ITERATIVE DESIGN
CLASS #3
RSS Feed:
—a family of Web feed formats used to publish content that is frequently updated such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts
<em>For more information:: WIKIPEDIA-RSS FEED
parsimony:
—don't put anything on the (web) screen unless you have made a conscious decision to put it there for a good reason!
For more information: WIKIPEDIA-PARSIMONY
affordances:
—anything you can interact with; parts of a system that allow, or "afford," us the chance to interact
with that device or system
—if you don't know how to interact with it, it has a "low affordance"
—if you can see easily how to interact with it, it has a "high affordance"
Buttons, scrollbars, mouse, keyboard, etc. all have affordances
For more information: WIKIPEDIA-AFFORDANCE
For an interesting look at what a "chindogu" is (mentioned in one of the articles assigned for class) take a look at these websites:
A LITTLE HISTORY
CHINDOGU EXAMPLES
CLASS #4
objective vs. subjective viewing:
—objective: not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased: an objective opinion
[source: dictionary.com]
—subjective: pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual: a subjective evaluation
[source: dictionary.com]
splash page:
—introductory page to a web site; often "flashy" with little content so it is said to make a "splash"
—splash pages are controversial because they are often for "show" and annoy visitors to a web site; be sure
you really have a good reason to use a splash page on your web site!
For more information: WIKIPEDIA-SPLASH PAGE
CLASS #5
paper prototyping:
—using paper and pen techniques to create technology prototypes for user testing
For more information: WHAT IS PAPER PROTOTYPING?
scenario:
—a "story" which can be used in a user testing situation to "set the scene" for testing a device or interface
For more information: WIKIPEDIA-COMPUTER SCENARIO
