1. Cooper Part II Making Well-Behaved Products Different Needs
Jeff Offutt
SWE 632
User Interface Design and Development
Cooper Ed4, Ch 16
(abbreviated version)

2. Information in the World Information in the Head
Norman, Design of Everyday Things
Examples of information in the head :
Labels : Names of people, Mom’s phone number
Location of classes
Which car is yours
Examples of information in the world :
Signs : Street, room numbers, house numbers, restaurants
Contact info on pocket computers
Maps and navigation systems
Digital devices created a massive migration of information from our heads to the world
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt

3. Usable UIs have lots of information in the world (in the UI)
World and Head
Information in your head
Faster and easier to use
Private
You must learn, remember, and keep it up to date
Information in the world
Slower to use
Public
Not limited by your memory
Invisible commands must be in your head
Pedagogic commands can be in the world
Usable UIs have lots of information in the world (in the UI)
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt

4. Language Issues
Diacriticals: A sign that modifies the sound of a letter
Ö, Ò, Ó, Ô, Õ, …
English has none
ASCII: 7 bits is okay for English, but most European languages need 8 bits
Japanese has 8000 characters, Chinese has > 100,000!
Unicode has 16 bits
Sorting: the rules vary by language
Capitalization: Rules differ by dialect
Canadian: é  É
French: é  E
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt

5. Be sure to get local users to test the UI
Language Issues (2)
Hyphenation: varies by language
Name orderings differ: Jeff Offutt, Li Nan
Numeric formats
Currency symbols ($, £, ¥, …)
Location varies
Separators
Time: 4:
Large numbers: 5,000, ,0000
Dates: May 13, 2014 – 05/13/ /05/ /13/05
Time: 4: :30
Clocks
Telephone numbers
Be sure to get local users to test the UI
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt

6. Accessibility
Can your GUI, website, web app, or mobile app be used by people with disabilities or impairments?
Section 508 compliance : Standards for accessing technology
Government site :
Free website checker :
Accessibility goals
Users can understand instructions, information, and feedback
Users can manipulate controls and inputs
Users can navigate easily and know where they are
It is acceptable to have a different UI (accessible)
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt

7. Accessibility Guidelines
Use tools in the OS
Don’t override user-selected settings
Enable keyboard access methods
Use display options for visually impaired users
Provide visual-only and audible-only output
Don’t flash, flicker, or blink
Use simple, and clear language
Allow users to slow down the UI
Keep layouts and flow consistent
Provide text for visual elements
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt

8. Summary Some users have very different needs
Effective UIs must support all users
26-Apr-19
© Jeff Offutt