Dynamic Rules for User Interface Design (DRUID)

Abstract

A well-designed user interface is important for the success and acceptance of any software product. Some experts believe that user interface design can be improved through the application of specific rules translated from general design guidelines. Derivation of design rules from guidelines can be aided by computer tools. But storing guidelines in a computer may offer no advantage over printed text unless the computer also provides aids for selecting and applying design guidelines.

DRUED development has been sponsored by The MITRE Corporation as a tool for improving user interface design. DRUID is based on the 944 design guidelines proposed in Smith and Mosier's 1986 Guidelines for Designing User Interface Software. But DRUID's capabilities extend beyond that original text and provide further aids for user interface design.

Initial DRUID capabilities demonstrated in 1988 support the review of design guidelines as an “electronic book”, enabling a user to navigate through structured hypertext to find specific guidelines, to find functionally related guidelines, and to browse through guidelines at will. DRUID also permits ready retrieval of related guideline material by cross referencing and via a topical index.

Newly developed DRUID capabilities extend that electronic book and move toward a computer-based design tool. DRUID users can now specify relevant guidelines for a system design application and rate the relative importance of those selected guidelines.

Proposed future DRUID capabilities will provide functions to rate design compliance with those selected guidelines, to aid the translation of guidelines into specific design rules, and to develop rule-based templates to support modular design of user interface software.

DRUID is implemented on the Apple Macintosh II computer with HyperCard software. The user interface for DRUID is designed to accommodate both expert and novice users. A DRUID user can accomplish sequence control either by pointing (via mouse) or by keyed command entries.

DRUID computer aids promise to help expedite and reduce the cost of the development of user interface software. Those aids should also help improve the quality and consistency of user interface software through rule-based design.