Small Screens Big Lessons

Small Screens, Big Lessons: Designing Effective User Interfaces 3/26/04
Small Screens, Big Lessons:

Designing Effective
User Interfaces
Paul D. Hibbitts
www.paulhibbitts.com
My Background
 Macintosh OS multimedia development (1989)
 User interface design specialist for over 10 years
 Platforms include Macintosh, Windows, Web,
Pocket PC, SmartPhone, Palm OS, and WAP
 Between 2000-02 led user experience design of
small screen interfaces at Infowave Software
©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.
PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 1

Small Screen Devices
Common Attributes
of Small Screen Devices
 Minimal screen display area
 Limited interaction styles with users
 Often one highly optimized task/application
 Operated with limited attention from users
 Users highly aware of effort and time

Design for Small Screen Devices

 Small screens devices, with their constrained
design environment and demanding target
market, compel designers to strive for highly
concise, effective user interfaces
 Many of the resulting design approaches and

ideas can also serve as the basis for designing
more effective desktop applications and Web sites
Small Screens, Big Lessons

 Improving the design process
 Applying the three keys to success
 Managing visual complexity
 Organizing functionality
 Supporting task completion
 Writing interface text
 Refining the user experience

Organizing Functionality
Usability
 Learnability
 Efficiency
 Memorability
 Error Rate
 Satisfaction
 Effort

Palm OS
Introduced 1996 Pocket PC
Introduced 2000
Palm OS Vs. Pocket PC

Create Appointment – Pocket PC
1
Create Appointment – Pocket PC
3
4
5?

Create Appointment – Palm OS
1 2
..and we’re done!
Appointment Times
Palm OS Vs. Pocket PC

The Aspects of Effort

1. Physical
 For example, number of taps
Physical Effort
 The number of taps should be related to the
frequency of the task

The “Three-clicks Rule”

 The classic “Three-clicks Rule” states that all
actions should be accessible with no more than
three taps/keystrokes from the main screen
 While its value is certainly debatable as a “rule”,

it can be quite beneficial as a general guideline
Benefits of the “Three-clicks Rule”

 Reduction of required physical effort
 Discoverability of features (relates to visibility)

Reducing Physical Effort
Reducing Physical Effort

The Aspects of Effort

1. Physical
 For example, number of taps
2. Mental
 For example, visibility of interface elements
Mental Effort
 The visibility of an interface element should be
related to it’s likelihood of use
 This might not only involve actual interface

controls, but also pathways to various tasks

Visibility of Interface Elements
Hiding, But Not Burying, Features

1
2
1
2

Task Likelihood & Frequency Matrix

LIKELIHOOD & FREQUENCY MATRIX
Task List User Group #1 User Group #2 User Group #3
Task #1 Never Unlikely/Infrequent Likely/Infrequent
Task #2 Likely/Infrequent Likely/Frequent Likely/Frequent
Task #3 Unlikely/Infrequent Never Likely/Infrequent
Task #4 Unlikely/Infrequent Unlikely/Infrequent Unlikely/Infrequent
Note: An important task is often best viewed as a likely (i.e. more visible) task.
Organizing Functionality
Summary
 Effort is a critical component of usability
 Physical (e.g. number of taps)
 Mental (e.g. visibility of interface elements)
 Organize the user interface by tasks
 Likely & frequent - higher visibility, fewer taps
 Likely & infrequent - higher visibility, more taps
 Unlikely & frequent - lower visibility, fewer taps
 Unlikely & infrequent - lower visibility, more taps

Supporting Task Completion

 Creating task focus
 Guiding task steps
 Handling interruptions
 Providing task closure
 Supporting task repetition
 Considering overall task flow

Creating Task Focus

Guiding Task Steps

Handling Interruptions

Providing Task Closure

Supporting Task Repetition

Considering Overall Task Flow


Summary
 Creating task focus
 Guiding task steps
 Handling interruptions
 Providing task closure
 Supporting task repetition
 Considering overall task flow

Small Screens, Big Lessons

 Improving the design process
 Applying the three keys to success
 Managing visual complexity
 Organizing functionality
 Supporting task completion
 Writing interface text
 Refining the user experience
Thank You – Questions?

 Contact information
 paul@paulhibbitts.com
 Copy of the slides presented today

 www.paulhibbitts.com/downloads.html
 User interface design links

 www.paulhibbitts.com/links.html

Small Screens Big Lessons

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Small Screens, Big Lessons: Designing Effective User Interfaces 3/26/04

Small Screens, Big Lessons:

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 1

Small Screen Devices

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 2

Design for Small Screen Devices

 Many of the resulting design approaches and

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

Small Screens, Big Lessons

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 3

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 4

Palm OS Vs. Pocket PC

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 5

Create Appointment – Pocket PC

Create Appointment – Pocket PC

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 6

Create Appointment – Palm OS

..and we’re done!

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 7

The Aspects of Effort

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 8

The “Three-clicks Rule”

 While its value is certainly debatable as a “rule”,

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

Benefits of the “Three-clicks Rule”

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 9

Reducing Physical Effort

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

Reducing Physical Effort

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 10

The Aspects of Effort

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

 This might not only involve actual interface

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 11

Visibility of Interface Elements

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

Hiding, But Not Burying, Features

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 12

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 13

Task Likelihood & Frequency Matrix

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 14

Supporting Task Completion

Supporting Task Completion

©2003-04 Paul D. Hibbitts. All rights reserved.

PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DISTRIBUTE. For more info contact paul@paulhibbitts.com 15