Perform prototyping to check the completeness and usability of support for user tasks, and to refine the design of the user interface.
A useful method for verifying the design with business persons is to convert the user interface structure into a computer-based prototype running on a workstation.
The following illustration shows this method:
The prototype should demonstrate the screen interface, screens, menus, and command lines.
The data usage identified earlier provides a useful basis for the design of the user interface. For example, you can base form layouts in the user interface on forms currently in use. An on-screen product catalog can mimic a paper-based one.
It should be possible to move between the displays and dialogs so that the usability of the dialog flow can be checked. You can collect initial comments from the potential users of the interface.
You may need to produce several prototypes, iterating where necessary, before the design can finally be confirmed with the user.
It may be beneficial to review the usability criteria, amending them as necessary.
A prototype may still prompt questions about the user interface and the movement between the different displays. For example, consider the prototype shown in “Prototype for a User Task.” Would users wish to display Order Forms after displaying Customer Details, or after displaying Product Details in addition to displaying Product? What selection criteria should be assumed?
During an analysis of user tasks and prototyping a user interface structure, it might become obvious that the structure, sequence, and interaction of the activities within the user task are not the most efficient way of performing the overall business task. Although it is not the purpose of system structure design to radically re-engineer the user task, any suggestions for improvements in workflow should be presented to the users. Ultimately, it is the users' system and therefore should work effectively for them.
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