“The user interface is the part of the computer system which allows the

human user to interact with the computer. The purpose of the user interface

is to make the computer system usable by the user.” [Redmond-Pyle, et.al]

Different users will have diverse ideas on what they require to make an interface ‘good’. The level of experience of the user and the purpose of the application are only two of many things that will influence the creation and evaluation of an interface. Above all usability is the most necessary and important requirement of an interface.

Many factors are taken into consideration, when designing an interface, to ensure usability. This essay addresses some of the factors to be considered when designing an interface for a business-oriented program.

Consistency is considered to be one of the primary factors in the design of an interface. [Schneiderman, as cited in Chalmers, 2003] lists consistency as the first and most important of his “Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design”. [Mandel, 1997, pg. 75], believes that consistency should be applied at three levels; presentation, behavior and interac

“Inconsistency can cost a big company millions of dollars in lost productivity

An interface that requires a large amount of user data entry may benefit from an audio error signal (a beep) as the user spends minimal time looking at the screen.

Some topics in this essay:
Entry Concepts, Design Principles, , Fonts Typefaces, Design” Mandel, Navigation Sutton, Audio Video, Color Chalmers, Screen Layout, Process Schneiderman, mandel 1997, user interface, chalmers 2003, cortes 1997, schneiderman cited chalmers, user data, ballard 2002522, sutton 2004, cited chalmers, cited stasko, schneiderman cited, user data entry, cited stasko 1997a, irene ballard 2002522, cited mandel 1997,