1. Aim: To calculate screen complexity for given GUI and redesigned GUI.
2. Objectives: From this experiment, the student will be able to,
● To stress the importance of a good interface design
● To learn how to calculate complexity of any GUI.
● To motivate students to apply software engineering concepts in their day – to
– day activities.
3. Outcomes: The learner will be able,
● To understand and apply principles of a good interface design.
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● To analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals,
organizations, and society.
● To engage in life- long learning and match the industry requirements in
Software development domain
4. Hardware / Software Required: Any Text editor, Open source tools
5. Theory:
Simplicity , illustrated in Figure, is directness and singleness of form, a combination
of elements that results in ease of comprehending the meaning of a pattern. The
opposite pole on the continuum is complexity.
To achieve simplicity one needs to optimize the number of elements on a screen,
within limits of clarity. And minimize the alignment points, especially horizontal or
columnar.
Method for Measuring Complexity:
1. Draw a rectangle around each element on a screen, including captions, controls,
headings, data, title, and so on.
2. Count the number of elements and horizontal alignment points (the number of
columns in which a field, inscribed by a rectangle, starts).
3. Count the number of elements and vertical alignment points (the number of rows
in which an element, inscribed by a rectangle, starts).
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4. Calculate number of bits required by horizontal (column) alignment points and
number of bits required by vertical (row) alignment points by applying following
formula for calculating the measure of complexity.
C , complexity of the system in bits
N , total number of events (widths or heights)
m, number of event classes (number of unique widths or heights)
pn , probability of occurrence of the nth event class (based on the frequency
of events within that class)
5. Calculate overall complexity by adding the number bits required by horizontal
alignment points and vertical alignment points.
Guidelines for reducing complexity:
1. The way to minimize screen complexity is to reduce the number of controls
displayed. Fewer controls will yield lower complexity measures.
2. Optimize the number of elements on a screen, within limits of clarity.
3. Alignment: Minimize the alignment points, especially horizontal or
columnar.Fewer alignment points willhave a strong positive influence on the
complexity calculation. When things don’t align, a sense of clutter and
disorganization often results. In addition to reducing complexity, alignment
helps create balance, regularity, sequentially, and unity.
6. Procedure:
1. Calculate Screen Complexity for existing Graphical User Interface (GUI).
2. Redesign the Screen by applying various guidelines to lower the complexity of
selected Graphical User Interface (GUI) to achieve simplicity.
7. Conclusion:
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Good alignment is related to shorter screen search times and higher viewer
preferences for a screen. Misalignments and uneven spacing, no matter how slight,
can create bothersome unconscious disruptions to our perceptual systems.
8. Viva Questions:
● What is need of alignment and grouping?
● How alignment helps in reducing complexity of screen.
9. References:
1. Donald A. Norman, “The design of everyday things”, Basic books.
2. Alan Dix, J. E. Finlay, G. D. Abowd, R. Beale “Human Computer
Interaction”, Prentice Hall.
3. Wilbert O. Galitz, “The Essential Guide to User Interface Design”, Wiley
publication.
4. https://www.ics.uci.edu/~taylor/ics52_fq01/UISlides.pdf
5. ps.fragnel.edu.in/~dipalis/prgdwnl/eguid.pdf
6. www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-interface-design.html
7. web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talks/smartin/int_design.html
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