John Benson

CSG 170

Individual Homework 1 Solutions

Two examples of good interface design

Good example #1: Yahoo Finance web site

The Yahoo Finance website is designed primarily to provide an overview of real-time performance of U.S. securities markets, relevant business news, and stock quotes. The particular aspect of the interface that I find appealing is how well the interface presents its content in graphical and textual form in such a small amount of screen space, with the ability to get more detail by clicking on hyperlinks. I like the interface because within a few seconds of looking at the web site, I can see how well the markets are doing today in terms of percentage return of the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones averages, plus I can graphically see the intraday trend of the market. I can also see the headlines of the top business stories of the day, so I know what is moving the markets. Plus, if I want to linger and get further detail, I can simply click on the news headlines to read the full text of stories.

Link to Web site: http://finance.yahoo.com/

Good example #2: Minuteman Library Network web site

The Minuteman Library Network web site is an on-line card catalog for a group of city and town public libraries in the Boston suburbs. The particular aspect of the interface I like is the great functionality provided by the web page provided after you enter a search term into the catalog. The sample page I provide a link to below is a screen shot of the web page shown after searching for items related to the keyword “human computer interaction.” On that web page, you find out how many items in total fit your search, a list of the titles of the first 12 items with links to drill down to details of each item, and the medium and year of each of these 12 items. There are also additional links on the page to scroll to the next page of results. Plus, the search functions stay at the top of the page so you can start a new search immediately.

Link to sample web page:

MLN_sample.htm

Two examples of bad interface design

Bad example #1: Paper Towel Holder

The paper towel holder in my kitchen is made of plastic, and has a magnet on its back side that allows it to stick to the refrigerator. The bad aspect of its design is the inability to stick to the refrigerator surface when you pull fairly hard on the paper towels. I’ve often grabbed for a paper towel, and had the paper towel holder slide down two feet on the refrigerator. Sometimes, the paper towel holder falls off the refrigerator completely. You have to remember to not pull too hard on the paper towels. The holder may have been designed this way because it probably works for most users, and maybe the designers assume people will remember not to pull too hard. A more robust design could use additional features to help the holder stay at its original location. For instance, the product package could also include 4 small square sticky components that can be taped to the corners of the towel holder, and which could be pressed to stick to the refrigerator.

Photograph of paper towel holder:

Bad example #2: Portable AM/FM radio

I often use my portable AM/FM radio to listen to Red Sox games when I am away from home or outside. The aspect of the design which I often have problems with is the fact that the volume dial and the tuning dial look and feel exactly the same, and are right next to each other. The dials do have text labels next to each one indicating what each is used for. However, in the manner I use the radio, I often change the volume during the course of the game. And, I usually do not stop to look at the radio to make sure I am turning the volume knob instead of the tuning knob. Since I often forget which one is placed where, I often mistakenly change the station when I really wanted to change the volume. I’m sure this error often happens the other way around for people who desire to change the station. However, the error is worse in my case because it takes a lot more effort to reset the correct station. My guess at why it was designed this way is that once people select a station to listen to, and set the initial volume, the designers figured that people would not change the volume often. One suggestion for changing the design would be for the volume knob to not look and feel exactly like the tuning knob, and be placed further away. For example, the volume knob could be square, and be able to slide up and down over a short range to increase or decrease the volume. Also, the volume knob could be placed lower on the side of the radio, to make it easier to mentally remember where the two knobs are, and their different functions.

Photograph of the AM/FM radio: