Structural approach to design user interface

Abstract

The analysis of the interactive relations among interface elements using a structuralized method can help user interface designers to satisfy the different requirements of design and improve design efficiency. This study develops a three-stage structured user interface design approach for complex information systems consisting of multiple components. First, the Quality Function Development (QFD) approach is used to confirm the user's design demand and its mapping components. Next, the Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) technique is adopted to construct a clear model of a hierarchical structure. Finally, the Impact Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification (MICMAC) approach is employed to analyze the effect and dependence among the overall design components, and to consider the relationship network graph of distribution of components in the system. The research approach applies the Web mail system as its case study. Through the empirical study of web-based system, interface designers can effectively grasp a user's differentiated demand that changes rapidly and reflect it in the combination of designed components. This study establishes a strategy for creating an information system design pattern with multiple components is by building a hierarchical structure and analyzing the component distribution.