Work Spaces and Documents in User Interface Design

Bengt Sandblad, Jan Gulliksen, Magnus Lif

Report no. 66, CMD, Uppsala University, 1996.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the differences between two approaches to the basic structuring of user interfaces to computerised information systems for skilled professionals in working life. Often the design of a system is based on a detailed analysis of the total number of work processes involved. A basic design problem is how to show all available functions of the system to the users, and how to support them with efficient facilities for navigation in the system. The discussion is based on an analysis where the tasks relevant to each individual in the organisation are identified. A basic design goal will now be to specify an efficient interface for each group of individuals. The proposed design has been inspired by the "rooms" design metaphor developed by e.g. Card & Henderson. By separating different room structures for groups of individuals, and basing the detailed design on domain knowledge, user tailored and efficient interface structures can be constructed.

Source
PDF, PostScript