Abstract
A recent survey by Leventhal and Mynatt (1987) has suggested that user interface issues have become one of the major topics in undergraduate software engineering courses. In their view, this emphasis potentially presents numerous difficulties for the software engineering educator. In particular, issues of instructor training and availability of suitable materials arise as problem areas. In order to more effectively incorporate user interface concepts into undergraduate software engineering courses, a compact body of material has been developed. This body of material incorporates both practical guidelines to interface design, and discussion of a major theoretical issue in interface design. The material is described in some detail, and observations about its usefulness are included.
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References
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Annotated Bibliography
Apple Computer (1987). Human-Interface Guidelines: The Apple Desktop Interface. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. (This book presents the philosophy of the Desktop Interface and describes the guidelines and standards needed for someone developing an Apple Desktop Interface. It presents general design principles which deal with topics of metaphors, direct manipulation, use of recognition, consistency, abstraction of commands, user control, feedback, users' mistakes, stability, aesthetic properties, and graphical communication. Specific standards are discussed for each of the characteristic parts of the Apple Interface.)
Baecker, R., & W. Buxton, (Eds.) (1987). Readings in Human-Computer Interaction: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Los Altos, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Publisher, Inc. (This book focuses on the importance of the user interface in computer system design, from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The book includes research articles, case studies and a bibliography.)
Brown, C.M. (1988). Human-Computer Interface Design Guidelines. Norwood, N. J.: Ablex Publishing Corp. (Has not been personally reviewed by Leventhal or Mynatt. Included based on the title.)
Gardiner, M. M., & Christie, B. (Eds.) (1987). Applying Coginitive Psychology to User-Interface Design. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. (For those interested in the relationship of the theories and principles of cognitive psychology to user-interface design. Discusses topics such as mental models, models of memory, skill acquisition and the psychology of language.)
Green, P. (1987). Human factors in computer systems: Some useful readings. SIGCHI Bulletin, 19, 15–20. (Describes a course in human factors and computer systems. A list of seventy course readings with full bibliographic information is included. Some of the topics covered include: displays, input devices, methods, models and editing, menus, windows, naming, filing, screen format, programming, furniture, and health.)
Hutchins, E. L, J. D. Hollan, & D. A. Norman. (1985). Direct manipulation interfaces. Human-Computer Interaction, 1, 311–338. (This article gives an overview of the characteristics of direct manipulation interfaces and speculates about some of the associated cognitive phenomena.)
Monk, A. (Ed.) (1985). Fundamentals of Human-Computer Interaction. New York, NY: Academic Press. (Includes a series of introductory-level readings on topics such as input devices, displays, dialogue design, office automation and speech and expert systems. Also includes selections on experimental methods and statistics for behavioral research on user-interface issues.)
Mynatt, B. T. (in press). An Introduction to Software Engineering with Student-Project Guidance: Prentice-Hall. (This text is designed specifically for undergraduate software engineering courses which are structured around student-team projects. Includes a complete chapter on user-interface design. User interface design precedes the chapter on preliminary design.)
Shneiderman, B. (1987). Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. (Like Shneiderman's earlier book, this book is an attempt to merge theoretical concepts and practical concerns. He focuses on an overview of some aspects of cognitive theory early in the book. Issues of interaction style, interaction devices, evaluation, and social impact are discussed.)
Shneiderman, B. (1980). Software Psychology: Human Factors in Computer and Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: Winthrop Publishers, Inc. (This book was an early attempt to merge concepts of human-computer interaction research and pragmatic concerns. As such, the first three chapters provide a basic description of a psychological model and an overview of research methods. Then topics such as programming style, software quality, team organizations, database issues, natural language, and interactive interface issues are discussed. The final chapter provides guidelines for the design of interactive systems.)
Sime, M.E., & M.J. Coombs, Editors (1983). Designing for Human-Computer Communication. New York: Academic Press. (This book contains a series of articles about several phases of human-computer interface design. The first seven chapters focus to a large extent on general principles. The remaining five chapters describe particular interfaces. Not introductory reading.)
Smith, S.L., & J.N. Mosier. (1984). A Design Evaluation Checklist for User-System Interface Software. (NTIS AD A158 599). Bedford, MA: The MITRE Corporation. (Provides a series of very specific guidelines — in the form of checklists — for user interface features such as data entry, data display, sequence control, user guidance, data transmission and data protection.)
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© 1988 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Leventhal, L.M., Mynatt, B.T. (1988). A scarce resource in undergraduate software engineering courses: User interface design materials. In: Ford, G.A. (eds) Software Engineering Education. SEI 1988. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 327. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0043599
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0043599
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