Information Display

If information presented through the HCI is ambiguous, incomplete or unintelligible the application will fail to satisfy the requirement of a user Information is displayed in several different ways: with text pictures and sound; through placement, motion, and size and using color resolution and even omission. The basic guidelines focus on information display:

Display only that information that is relevant to the current context. The user should not have to wade by extraneous menus, data and graphics to obtain information relevant to an exact system function.

Don't bury the user with data use a presentation format that enables rapid assimilation of information. Charts or Graphs should replace voluminous tables.

Use consistent labels, standard abbreviations and predictable colors.   The meaning of a display should be obvious without reference to some outside source of information.

Allow the user to maintain visual context. If graphical representations are scaled up and down the original image should be displayed constantly in reduced form at the corner of the display so in which the user understands the relative location of the portion of the image which is presently being viewed.

Produce meaningful error messages.

Use upper and lower case, identification and text grouping to aid in understanding. Much of the information imparted through a HCI is the layout and textual and form of the text ahs a significant impact on the ease with that information is assimilated through the user.

Use windows to compartmentalize different types of information. Windows enable the user to keep several different kind of information within simply reach.

Use 'analog' displays to represent information that is more easily assimilated with this form of representation.  Example for a display of holding tank pressure in an oil refinery would have little impact if a numeric representation were used. While if a thermometer such display were used vertical motion and color changes could be used to indicate dangerous pressure conditions. This would provide the user with both relative information and absolute.

Consider the available geography of the display screen and use it efficiently.  When multiple windows are to be user, space should be available to show at least some portion of each. Additionally screen size a system engineering issue should be picked to accommodate the kind of application which is to be implemented.