Design of Visual Displays Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is the fundamental principle of designing a visual display?
It is necessary to work out a correspondence between the invisible information structure that is being represented and the visible marks that the user can see
List the 4 types of visual components
- Mark
- Symbol
- Region
- Surface
What is a mark? Give 2 examples
A visual representation that primarily identifies something specific. Eg. an app icon or logo
What is a symbol? Give 2 examples
Represents an abstract concept or idea understood through convention or shared meaning Eg. settings icon, download button
What is a region? Give 2 examples
Navigational section Eg. search bar, scroll bar
What is a surface? Give 2 examples
Area for interaction Eg. button, grid system
What is typography?
The way in which we arrange text on a screen or page to make it readable
How is most screen-based information interpreted?
According to textual and typographic conventions
What is textual and typographic convention? Why?
Graphical elements are arranged within a grid system. This makes them easier to parse
What do most basic diagrammatic conventions rely on? What conventions should these follow?
Quantitative correspondence between a direction on the surface and a continuous quantity such as time or distance. These should follow the conventions of graphs and maps
What can make information on a screen easier to understand in general?
If it corresponds to existing paper conventions
What are engineering drawing conventions?
Schematic views of connected components shown in relative scale with text annotations labelling the parts
Why is there white space in schematic drawings?
It helps the reader distinguish elements from each other rather than directly representing physical space
What is resemblance fallacy?
It says that drawings are able to depict real life objects or scenes because the visual perception of the flat image simulates the visual perception of the real scene
What is no code/low code?
The idea that programming will become trivial without code
Give 4 examples of pictorial representations
- Line drawings
- Paintings
- Perspective renderings
- Photographs
What do pictorial representations rely on?
Shared interpretive conventions for their meaning
What is an advantage of node-and-link diagrams?
They can present information about ordering and relationships clearly, especially if human users can specify positions
What is a node-and-link diagram?
Drawing made up of boxes connected with lines
What is a disadvantage of node-and-link diagrams?
Too technical for broad acceptance
Why are icons appealing to manufacturers?
They try to use icons not text wherever possible so that to avoid having to translate text when selling products in different countries. They are also easier for pre-literate children to understand and be processed more quickly than text by most people
What is a disadvantage of icons?
They might be ambiguous
Are theories of visual metaphor more or less successful than theories of visual representation?
Much less successful
How do people design successful user interfaces?q
By arranging elements on a 2d screen using the theories of HCI
