Masters Theses

Date of Award

6-1987

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Computer Science

Major Professor

Charles P. Pfleeger

Committee Members

Maria Zemankova, David Straight

Abstract

Good user interfaces to computer systems and software applications are the result of combining an analysis of user needs with knowledge of interface design principles and techniques. This thesis reports on an interface for an environment (a) that consists of users who are not computer science or data processing professionals and (b) which is bound by predetermined software and hardware. The interface was designed which combined these considerations with user interface design principles.

Current literature was investigated to establish a baseline of knowledge about user interface design. There are many techniques which can be used to implement a user interface, but all should have the same basic goal, which is to assist the user in the performance of a task. This can be accomplished by providing the user with consistent, well-structured interfaces which also provide flexibility to adapt to differences among users.

The interface produced used menu selection and command language techniques to make two different operating system environments appear similar. Additional included features helped to address the needs of different users. The original goal was also to make the transition between the two systems transparent. This was not fully accomplished due to software and hardware limitations.

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