User Interface (UI) Design for AM/FM Systems
It was decided, therefore, to create an entirely dynamic user interface. Since all security and user
information was currently being held in a central database, it was logical to create the user
interface from the information stored in the database. To this end, we stored a list of all the
fimctionality that the MERCCANO system could provide in the database. We then created user
groups, and assigned differing functionality to these groups. A User Interface Manager (UIM)
application was written which would read the information from the database, and then create an
interface for the appropriate user. The UIM provided a basic template for the final user interface,
but the functionality that was displayed to the user was entirely dependent upon the information
stored in the database.
This dynamic interface has now been in use by our production users for over a year now, and has
presented no major problems.
Down the Track: Future Trends in user Interfaces
Computer technology is always progressing, and UI technology is no different. In a lot of cases,
new UI technology can be harnessed by existing GUIS to increase the functionality of an
application, or to make the fimctionality more accessible to users. A number of new
technologies are evolving which will have an impact on UIS designed for AM/FM/GIS
applications.
Object Orientation (00) is a recently new technology, which has been making waves in the GUI
design industry. 00 has been present for a few years in programming languages (for example,
C++). In 00 all entities are reduced to Ojects, self-contained entities that consist of data, and
any processes needed to manipulate that data.
An Object-Oriented User Interface is an interface where a user selects an object (which could be
a document, an application, or some data in a map) and then manipulates that object graphically
in some way (for example, dragging the object over to a printer icon, and dropping iton the
icon). In this way, the user concentrates more on the data that they are manipulating, and less on
how they should do the manipulation.
This can benefit AM/FM UIS by providing a method for users to directly manipulate the
geographical data, whilst maintaining any spatial relationships that exist within the data. For
example, a Pole object can be placed inside a Property Boundary object; any other objects that
are spatially linked to the pole would carry their relationships into the Property Boundary, and
any changes made to the Property Boundary would affect the Pole, and also any objects that are
related to it.
Add to 00 the concept of distributed objects (where the objects can be physically located
anywhere over a network) and you create a very powerfil metaphor: the ability to access
information regardless of location or type.
Another recent trend that affects UI design is the huge growth and popularity of the lnternet and
its smaller cousin, Intranets. The most popular way of visiting the Internet is through the World
Wide Web (WWW), which uses a browser as its interface. A browser displays graphical
information on pages, which can be flicked through much like pages in a book, or jumped to
using hyperlinks, graphical hot spots that can be clicked onto take the user to as new page. The
popularity of the Internet, and the WWW in particular, has led many major GUI designers to
attempt to incorporate the browser metaphor in their commercial GUIS. For example, Microsoft
is planning to release an upgrade to their Windows 95 shell, which allows users to view the
contents of their computers as Web pages.
Following this, many AM/FM/GIS vendors are developing new products that allow their data to
be viewed on the WWW. For example, Intergraph has developed a technology in conjunction
with Microsoft called ActiveCGA4 which allows vector information to be displayed on a Web
page; while ESRI has developed an Internet server extension to their Arc View sofiware that
allows GIS data to be accessed over the WWW.
If allowing a large number of people access to your AM/FM/GIS system is important, then the
use of the WWW to access your geographical data might be a solution. Design of a user
interface for Web applications is similar to the design of normal UIS in one respect: Web pages
follow a published standard which, although it results in a fairly standard interface for the Web
pages, will still need customizing in some cases, where the required functionality is not provided
due to a limitation in the software used to display the Web page. In this case, the same process
used to design extensions (or changes to functionality) for normal GUIS can be applied to the
Web pages: Identify the limitations of the current interface; and examine the functionality and
processes required by the users.
3-D interfaces are another interesting technology being developed. A number of research labs
around the world are working on virtual interface landscapes, 3-D areas where a user
manipulates 3-D objects, much like they would in a traditional 2-D object-oriented interface. If
you replace the current mouse with, say, a mechanical glove that has the capability to provide
physical feedback to the user, you have an interface where a user can “pick up” virtual objects
which feel like they’re real, and manipulate them to achieve some function.
This virtual interface is intended to serve one purpose: to bring the computer-interface into the
real world (or a virtual world), such that accessing a computer involves actions that we would
perform in everyday life (such as moving physical objects).
These interfaces are like to have more application for geographical data, as geographical data is
inherently 3-Dimensional and the interfaces will also have an inherent knowledge of spatial
relationships due to their ability to handle 3-D objects and their surroundings.
CONCLUSION
Whatever form it takes, a UI can be considered successful if it enables users to use a computer to
access and manipulate relevant information. Metrics for the success of a user interface design
can be obtained by examining what additional functionality the UI brings to the users and also by
comparing the time taken to perform fimctions under the new UI, compared to performing them
before the UI was designed. With the complexities of AM/FM/GIS data, a good user interface
design can decrease the costs associated with an application (by reducing training and support
time), whilst increasing the worth of the data stored in the system through more accurate use of
the data.
Bibliography
- Halfhill,. T, 1996, GUIS get a Facelift: Byte Magazine
- Hess, D., 1994, Graphical User Interfaces: Datapro Information Services
- Hubley, M., 1996, The Evolution of UNIX: Datapro Information Services
- Hubley, M., 1996, UNIX GUIS: The Market Explodes: Datapro Information Services
- Vadlamudi, P., 1996, ComputerWorld New Zealand pl 6
Levy, S., 1995, Insanely Great
