TableOfContents

Schedule

Week 1

Presentation

Overview of GUI history attachment:GooeyHistory.pdf

Homework

• Experience and compare two OS desktops
  • Please form 2-person groups, each run a different desktop. You may sit next to each other to compare and analyze the GUI.
  • Tip: focusing on specific tasks: for example, locating an application; removing a file; sending an email etc.
• Prepare for a 5-minute presenation of your findings.
• Start thinking of a new design of an OS desktop of a target user group.

Resources

• Ubuntu live CD (GNOME desktop): http://www.ubuntu.com

• Kbuntu live CD (KDE desktop): http://www.kubuntu.org

• Knoppix live CD (KDE desktop): http://www.knoppix.org/

• Solaris 10: http://www.sun.com/software/solaris/

Week 2

Activity

Presentation of os desktop comparison, and discussion

Presentation

GUI design guidelines

Homework

• Read the following book (2 weeks):
  • Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug (About web gui design)

  • Interface Desgin by Peter Bickford or/and GUI Design Essentials by Weinschenk et al.

• Find too extreme examples of your favorite web design and a design you hate most. Prepare a presentation that tell the story and the reasons (2 weeks).
• Experience with a GNOME desktop that is specially designed for children, or a customized desktop for children from wincustomize.com (1 week).
  • Did they improve anything? or they just made things worse?
• Designing/prototyping a new OS desktop for a target user group of your choice (3 weeks)
  • Informe me about your choide by the end of this week

Resources

• Edubuntu: http://www.edubuntu.org

• StarDock has a serials of tools to customize your windows desktop: http://www.stardock.com/

  • Search for kids or children at http://www.wincustomize.com/ for examples of redesgins of the windows desktop for children.

Week 3

Presentation

GUI desgin process

Activity

Q&A session

Homework

• Continure your work from week 2.

Week 4

Activity

• Presentation of your extreme examples of web design

• Q&A session

Homework

• Finish your design/prototype, prepare for the final presentation

Week 5

Activity

Final presenations

Assignment Introduction

gooey
adj : soft and sticky
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

When a lot of us hear the word "gooey," we think about sticky buns or creamy sugary fillings. Others, especially the software designers and even industrial designers, think "GUI", as in "Graphical User Interface." A GUI is what computer types call the system of icons, taskbars, and other objects that our computers use to display and access information. But nowadays, even smallest portable devices, for example, your mobile phone or my mp3 player, carry a GUI.

Many our designers have a MAC or some unlucky ones are still dreaming of having a MAC, because, as they say, besides many other reasons, a MAC has a “better” GUI than PC’s. Why the “Start” button, even with a “click here to start” slogan, failed to start the designers to open their eyes and wallets? There must be a reason, and we are going to find out why.

Target Competency Area(s), Competencies and Level(s)

• Integrating technology
• User focus
• Form and senses (visual design)

Entrance Level :Level of Prior Competency Development (Optional)

• Anybody who has access to a computer.
• Better if the attendees have some programming experience.

Learning Objectives

Understanding the concepts and structures of GUI. Learning the user centred process of GUI design, from analysis, prototyping to evaluation. And having some fun with Windows.

Learning Activities

Lectures

5 hours, on GUI history, GUI structures and components, GUI design and evaluation.

Reading

5 hours, back ground material.

Group activity

Design an new GUI for an existing product (evaluation, analysis, design, prototyping and testing): 20 hours

Individual activity: Windows face lifting. Compare the modern desktop interfaces (MAC OS X, KDE, GNOME, and of course Windows Explorer). Skin, customise and remaster the Windows desktop for a special target user group. 10 hours.

Deliverables

• Report and presentation on the results of the group activity.
• Presentations on the findings of desktop comparison.
• Presentation and competition on the skinned Windows desktop.

List of Available Reference and or Background Materials

From TU library

The essential guide to user interface design : an introduction to GUI design : principles and techniques / by Wilbert O. Galitz

GUI bloopers : don'ts and do's for software developers and web designers / by Jeff Johnson

GUI design essentials / by Susan Weinschenk, Pamela Jamar and Sarah C. Yeo

From the Web

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface,

• http://www.guidebookgallery.org/ GUI screenshots of all kinds of OS.