We all experience user interfaces on a daily basis whether in our cars, on our mobile phones or on our personal or work computers. A user interface is a gateway; it is a visual path to an experience as well as information or functionality. A user interface is also a language of its own that allows one to navigate a program or application.
When a user-friendly, well-designed user interface is effective, it makes tasks so much easier and makes better use of limited time. By applying best practices in HMI design, a person does not have to spin their wheels trying to get a task done or access necessary information.
Remember the last time you tried to complete a task on your phone, computer or other digital interface to find it did not work, or you could not get the information that you wanted? We all know that feeling of complete frustration when what we tried to do did not work!
This brings us to the million-dollar question – what does make a great user interface? What specific features make using a program or application a breeze to use?
After doing research, the following is what we found tended to be the predominant features in a great user interface:
Simple Navigation
Getting around in a program is very important. Programs and applications with a simple, user-friendly navigation scored high. Words like concise and succinct came up frequently. Concise navigation enables the user to interact with the user interface by featuring less extraneous imagery or information that could potentially make an action confusing.
Intuitive Features
Designing interfaces with next steps that are intuitive are very important in this busy day and age when time is limited. Nothing is better than trying to do something in a program and having it seamlessly cooperate the way that would most make sense. An effective user interface is designed in a way that is intuitive, feels familiar, and is natural and instinctively understood.
Effective Graphics
Effective, relevant graphics represent functionality that is easily accessed by visual representation and recognition. In a matter of seconds, a user knows what the graphic represents and how it can help them accomplish a task, or locate information.
At Capstone, we are happy to report that our dataPARC user interface scored high in all three categories and here are some of the reasons why:
- dataPARC offers drag and drop features: Users can add tags to almost any display and immediately get live feedback. Using the drag and drop feature is very intuitive.
- dataPARC offers a multitude of visual ways to access the same information. Whether it is a visual display, a number display, charts, bar graphs or customizable reports, we have the information for you in the way you want it.
- dataPARC’s customization possibilities are endless. The data format may be different for specific roles in the process industry. While a plant manager may need specific overview information, an operator may need very detailed data. dataPARC has you covered with customizable reports in the way that you want them.
- dataPARC is YOUR tool. Unlike the competition, you can change and customize what you see without the use of a third party application.
Want to know more about the dataPARC software suite and how its intuitive interface can benefit your business? Contact us and someone will be in touch with you shortly.
