Analysis and Simulation of User Interfaces
Harold Thimbleby
University College London
Abstract
By taking a mobile phone as a worked example, we show how it and new interfaces
can be analysed and simulated. A new interface is shown to reduce the optimal
key press costs of accessing the phone's functionality, without losing usability
benefits - this is a specific contribution to menu design. However, the approach
is not limited to mobile phones, nor just to menus; the techniques are general
and can be applied widely. A distinctive feature of the approach is that it is
fully inspectable and replicable - this is a contribution to the field of HCI
more generally.
Keywords
User interface modelling, cost of knowledge
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