Have you ever found yourself in this scenario? You are excited on the prospect of using a small business software solution. However, once you get to open it, you realise that you’re exploring very unfamiliar territory. The features you are familiar with ant be found. Some buttons seem be in the wrong place. The entire graphical user interface is completely wrong for you.
Why a Familiar GUI Is Important
In truth, your assumption is incorrect. There is nothing really working with the interface. That’s how the designer wants to interpret the entire program. The only problem is that he has forgotten to consider one important element: you. When it comes to developing a graphical user interface for software, it’s very important that you get to choose one that is user friendly and familiar, this will avoid all the different kinds of headaches that you will have to go through when it’s not.
Here are some reasons why a good and familiar GUI is essential:
1. You don’t need to second-guess. Second-guessing can cause a lot of problems. It may lead to errors, which can sometimes be difficult or impossible to correct. In the end, you’re destroying the software. It would also mean that you’re going to spend a very long time on the software, which can sometimes be annoying and painstaking.
What you need is a GUI that’s very intuitive. It means that its behavior is consistent. For example, if you’re going to click on an icon once, it should open. When you’re going to right-click on your mouse, it will reveal a list of commands that you can choose. This can improve the user experience since it makes them feel comfortable and minimizes heartache.
2. You will gain more control over the application. When the GUI is something that you know and familiar with, you become more confident to modify its settings to match your preferences and the needs of your business. For example, they may be some features that you really don’t need and that you choose to hide. There may be a number of buttons that are used more frequently, and you can opt to place them in an easy-to-access portion of the program.
3. Everything will be clear to the users. What will happen if the designer chooses to use words that you are not familiar of, perhaps calling “Edit” “Review”? More importantly, what’s happens if the icons used are not what you think they are? This will just lead to a lot of disappointment and frustration for the user, since it could mean that they have to create a different process, redo everything, or spend a lot of time figuring out what the buttons and terms really mean.
When you are carefully evaluating a small business software solution, make sure you can get a glimpse of its user interface. This is also the reason why you should view all demos provided. When the GUI is familiar to you, the learning curve will be simplified.
