Testimonial
"Netrino training courses should be required before writing any embedded code."
Master Firmware
Registration is now open for the popular hands-on Embedded Software Boot Camp. Consult our public training calendar for upcoming dates and locations.
Sign Up Now
Receive Michael Barr's Firmware Update newsletter for free how-to articles and industry news by e-mail. Sign up now.
Bookmark It
Bookmark this page or share it with a colleague.
Usability for Embedded Systems Course
Ease of use can be a major selling factor in a modern product. As embedded systems become more sophisticated, making new features intuitive is a huge challenge. This course introduces the skills required to design a new user interface or improve an existing one. The class strikes a balance between concrete topics such as menus and icons and general principles of good design. Both graphical and non-graphical interfaces are considered.
Length/Options
- 2 days
Audience
- Anyone responsible for user interface design
Prerequisites
- None
Related Courses
Outline
- Definitions and Principles
- Mental Models
- Directed and Undirected Interfaces
- Multi-tasking
- Equal Opportunity
- Associative User Operations
- Consistency
- Modes
- Robustness
- Affordance
- Object-Oriented Design
- Specifying the User Interface
- Requirements Language
- Guiding Principles vs. Use Cases
- Relative to Previous Products/Competition
- Inspections
- Walkthroughs
- Defining the User
- Theory X and Theory Y
- User Motivations and Options
- Trusting the User
- Industrial vs. Commercial vs. Consumer Goods
- Pacing and Timing
- Graphics
- Layout of GUI Relative to Other Controls
- Graphical Input and Direct Manipulation
- Use of Color and Grayscales
- Graphical Idioms That Rarely Work
- Imitating Mechanical Controls
- Division into Windows and Pages
- Menus
- Wizards for User Input
- Moving Graphs and Other Animations
- Displays with Very Little Physical Space
- Text Input Without a Keyboard
- Internationalization
- Icons
- How to Draw Icons
- Use on Screen vs. Device
- Use as Input vs. Output
- Reinforcing Icons
- Prototypes
- Prototyping Environments
- How Development Environment Influences Outcome
- User Trials with Prototypes (Hazards of)
- Mechanical Controls
- Disadvantage of Software in the Loop
- Imitating Controls on Pre-Software Devices
- Layout of Controls and Displays
- Multi-Threaded Interfaces
- Error Management
- User Error Messages
- Undo Operations
- Inputs Temporarily Wrong During Data Input
- Online Help (pros and cons)
- System Failures
- Monitoring
- Alarms and Alerting Users Attention
- Barographs, Linegraphs, and Moving Indicators
- Distance Viewing
- Perceived and Real Accuracy
- Minimalist Views vs. Heavily Decorated Data
- Safety and Security
- Roles for Safety and Security
- Mechanical Interlocks
- Extending FMEA to User Actions
- Usability vs. Safety
- Usability vs. Security
- Testing
- Testing the Interface vs. the Software
- Defining Test Team Role Re: Usability
Learn More
To request pricing or dates, or for more information about this course, contact us.