Editing User interface (section)

=== Principles of quality ===

In broad terms, interfaces generally regarded as user friendly, efficient, intuitive, etc. are typified by one or more particular qualities.  For the purpose of example, a non-exhaustive list of such characteristics follows:

# Clarity: The interface avoids ambiguity by making everything clear through language, flow, hierarchy and metaphors for visual elements.
# [[Concision]]:<ref name="artofunix">{{cite book|last1=Raymond|first1=Eric Steven|title=The Art of Unix Programming|date=2003|publisher=Thyrsus Enterprises|chapter-url=http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/~thenry/resources/unix_art/ch11s03.html|access-date=13 June 2014|chapter=11|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020023039/http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/~thenry/resources/unix_art/ch11s03.html|archive-date=20 October 2014}}</ref> However ironically, the over-clarification of information—for instance, by labelling the majority, if not the entirety, of items displayed on-screen at once, and regardless of whether or not the user would in fact require a visual indicator of some kind in order to identify a given item—can, and, under most normal circumstances, most likely will lead to the obfuscation of whatever information.
# Familiarity:<ref>{{cite journal|author1=C. A. D'H Gough|author2=R. Green|author3=M. Billinghurst|title=Accounting for User Familiarity in User Interfaces|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220998465|access-date=13 June 2014|format=PDF}}</ref> Even if someone uses an interface for the first time, certain elements can still be familiar. Real-life metaphors can be used to communicate meaning.
# [[Responsiveness]]:<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sweet|first1=David|title=KDE 2.0 Development|date=October 2001|publisher=Sams Publishing|chapter-url=http://openbooks.sourceforge.net/books/kde20devel/ch09.html|access-date=13 June 2014|ref=99-067972|chapter=9 – Constructing A Responsive User Interface|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923224705/http://openbooks.sourceforge.net/books/kde20devel/ch09.html|archive-date=23 September 2013}}</ref> A good interface should not feel sluggish. This means that the interface should provide good feedback to the user about what's happening and whether the user's input is being successfully processed.
# Consistency:<ref>{{cite journal|author1=John W. Satzinger|author2=Lorne Olfman|title=User interface consistency across end-user applications: the effects on mental models|journal=Journal of Management Information Systems|date=March 1998|volume=14|issue=4|pages=167–193|url=http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1189510|series=Managing virtual workplaces and teleworking with information technology|location=Armonk, NY|doi=10.1080/07421222.1998.11518190|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Keeping your interface consistent across your application is important because it allows users to recognize usage patterns.
# [[Aesthetics]]: While you do not need to make an interface attractive for it to do its job, making something look good will make the time your users spend using your application more enjoyable; and happier users can only be a good thing.
# [[Efficiency]]: Time is money, and a great interface should make the user more productive through shortcuts and good design.
# [[Forgiveness]]: A good interface should not punish users for their mistakes but should instead provide the means to remedy them.