2c Designing HCIs *

Question 0

Explain why the font size and the font style are important considerations when designing the interface of the new stock control system. (4 marks)

Answer 0

the text used on the interface must be in an easy to read size (1), if the size of the font is too small, the questions or instructions would be illegible (1), both font size and font style must be used consistently throughout the interface and all related screens (1), serif and sans serif fonts should be used for legibility and decorative fonts should be avoided as they lack clarity (1)

Question 1

Explain the importance of using the following (feedback, consistency, colours) in the design of tailored data entry screens. (6 marks)

Answer 1

FEEDBACK: ensures correct data entry (1) notifies the user if the data has been entered unsuccessfully (1)
CONSISTENCY: layout on screen should match the layout of any source documents (1) follows existing house style / corporate image (1)
COLOURS: colours on screen should be user friendly (1) text should be easy to read against background colour (1)

Question 2

Describe how colour should be considered when designing a Human Computer Interface (HCI). (4 marks)

Answer 2

corporate identity (1) corporate colours should be reflected in the HCI wherever possible (1), colours should not clash within the HCI (1) text v background should be easily read by the user (1), colours must match the user’s expectations (1) eg green = good/ red = bad (1) if an error message appears with a red border (1) the user has done something wrong (1)