Chapter 12: Advancing the User Experience
Discussion Topics with Answers
1. Effective display designs must provide all the necessary data in the proper
sequence to carry out the task. Identify a recent personal user experience where
it either was very clear or very unclear about what the sequence of steps was
necessary to complete a task. What made that experience memorable?
2. List a few reasons for using animation in display design.
• Keeping user oriented during transition
• Indicating an affordance, inviting interaction
3. List a few common mistakes of web-based display of information.
See below (Box 12.3 in DTUI6):
4. Color displays are attractive to users and can often improve task performance,
but the danger of misuse is high. List five guidelines for using color and give an
example of each.
See below (Box 12.4 in DTUI6):
5. For the following three items, find the problems in each of the following error
messages produced by a source code compiler. Briefly state your reasoning and
suggest a better message.
a) SYNTAX ERROR
b) INCORRECTLY FORMED RHS OF EXPRESSION. BAILING OUT ON LINE 6.
c) ILLEGAL OPERATION. PROCESS KILLED!!!
6. Describe some guidelines that can be used to avoid falling into the trap of
implementing anthropomorphic characteristics into an interface.