Matching Interface Features to Users

Two people can use the same program and need very different things from it. Interface features remove particular barriers, so you choose a feature by looking at what a user finds difficult and then explain how it helps them.

Users with visual difficulties

Magnification zooms in on part of the screen so small details can be picked out. High contrast separates text and controls from the background when similar shades are hard to tell apart, and larger text makes labels and instructions easier to read. A screen reader speaks text and controls aloud, so the user does not need to see the screen, and voice control lets them choose options by speaking instead of aiming at small targets.

A student with low vision checking their homework timetable on a tablet benefits from high contrast, because finished and unfinished tasks are easy to tell apart, and from a screen reader, which reads out each task before they start it.

Users who are new to computers

The barrier here is not knowing what to do next. Visible controls, such as an option labelled Print, show the actions on offer, so the user can see what is possible without being taught every step. A consistent layout keeps the same actions in the same places on every screen, so the user builds a routine and knows where to look. Helpful error messages explain in plain language what went wrong and how to put it right, so a slip does not stop the user working.

A new member of a gardening club recording planting dates in a shared spreadsheet benefits from an error message saying 'Type a date as DD/MM/YYYY', because they can correct the entry themselves instead of asking someone else.

Explaining why it helps

Naming a feature does not explain anything on its own: 'use magnification' leaves the question of why unanswered. 'Magnification helps this user pick out the small date on each row' links the feature to the difficulty. Name the barrier, choose a feature that removes it and say how it removes it for that user.