An information model‐based interface design method: A case study of cross‐channel platform interfaces

Abstract

Interface design involves large amounts of information and many complex processes. However, existing interface design methods have not addressed the potential to allocate information volume reasonably and effectively. In addition, current usability testing methods do not customize the weights of usability criteria for different displays. This study addresses the problem of too much information in the early stages of interface design and introduces the use of weighted usability criteria for developing different types of the user interface (UI) displays. An information model that can reasonably distribute information to varied interfaces to improve usability is presented. Using the analytic hierarchy process to weight usability criteria according to UI type, the proposed method generates convincing and objective usability test results. It handles the overall processing and effectively distributes information within a reasonable range, allowing designers to improve UI usability levels. Our findings compare the performance of an original interface and an improved interface, resulting in significant differences for both websites and mobile phone apps. This study provides a systematic interface design method enabling developers to use a core set of directions for developing more engaging interfaces and customizing usability criteria according to display type, resulting in more sophisticated and rewarding UI designs.