Problems with the Guidelines

Guidelines are often derived from studies of paper-based materials, or they are not based on research at all.

Grabinger, 1983; Hartley, 1990; Isaacs, 1987; Jonassen, 1982; Jonassen, 1985; Morrison, Ross, O'Dell, Schultz, & Higginbotham-Wheat, 1989; Retinking, 1992; Reynolds, 1982; Richards, Baker, Giller, Lamont, & Manji, 1991; Galitz, 1989; Grabinger, 1989; Hagg & Snetsginer, 1994; Hartley, 1987; Heines, 1984; Kerr, 1986a; Kerr, 1986b; Marcus, 1992; Rivlin, Lewis, & Davies-Copper, 1990.

Guidelines are inconsistently named and organized.

Apple Computer, Inc., 1992; Kearsley & Hillesohn, 1982; Pettersson, 1982, Pastoor, 1990; Kerr, 1989; Marcus, 1992; Reilly & Roach, 1986.

Guidelines often do not address cross-cultural & international diversity.

Cook & Kazlauskas, 1993; Pettersson, 1982; Shneidermann, 1992.

Problems Implementing the Guidelines

Guidelines tend to focus on single elements rather than on the integration of elements.

Grabinger, 1989; Haag & Snetsigner, 1994; Megarry, 1991; Berryman, 1990; Reilly & Roach, 1986; Nielsen, 1992.

Standard guidelines are difficult to apply to the context of Web page design.

Locatis, Letourneau, & Banvard, 1989; Malhottra & Erickson, 1994; Marquez & Lehman, 1992; Nelson & Palumbo, 1992; Tolhurst, 1992.

Bibliography

Apple Computer, Inc. (1992). Macintosh human interface guidelines. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Berryman, G. (1990). Notes on graphic design and visual communication (rev. ed.). Menlo Park, CA: Crisp.

Cook, E. K., & Kazlauskas, E. J. (1993). The cognitive and behavioral basis of an instructional design: Using CBT to teach technical information and learning strategies. Journal of EducationalTechnology Systems, 21(4), 287-302.

Galitz, W. O. (1989). Handbook of screen format design (3rd ed.). Wellesley, MA: QED Information Science.

Grabinger, R. S. (1983). Screen layout design: Research into the overall appearance of the screen. Computers in Human Behavior, 5(3), 175-183.

Grabinger, R. S., & Albers, S. (1989). The effect of CRT screen design on learning and time. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 2(4), 51-66.

Haag, B. B., & Snetsigner, W. (1994). Aesthetics and screen design: An integration of principles. In D. G. Beauchamp, R. A. Braden, & J. C. Baca (Eds.). Visual literacy in the digital age: Selected readings from the 25th annual conference of the international visual literacy association (pp. 92-97). Blacksburg, VA: International Visual Literacy Association.

Hartley, J. (1990). Textbook design: Current status and future directions. Instructional Media and Technology Research, 14(6), 533-541.

Hartley, J. (1987). Designing electronic text: The role of print-based research. EducationalCommunication and Technology Journal, 35(1), 3-17.

Heines, J. M. (1984). Screen design strategies for computer-assisted instruction. Bedford, MA: Digital.

Isaacs, G. (1987). Text screen design for computer-assisted learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 18(1), 39-51.

Jonassen, D. H. (Ed.), (1982). The technology of text Principles for structuring designing, and displaying text. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology.

Jonassen, D. H. (Ed.), (1985). The technology of text (Vol. two): Principles for structuring, designing, and displaying text. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology.

Kearsley, G. P., & Hillelsohn, M. J. (1982). Human factors considerations for computer-based training. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction, 8(4), 74-84.

Kerr, S. T. (1986a). Instructional text: The transition from page to screen. Visual Language, 20(4), 368-392.

Kerr, S. T. (1986b). Learning to use electronic text: An agenda for research on typography, graphics, and interpanel navigation. Information Design Journal, 4(3), 206-211.

Kerr, S. T. (1989). Discussion: Influence of research on screen design. Computers in Human Behavior, 5(3), 195-197.

Locatis, C., Letourneau, G., & Banvard, R. (1989). Hypermedia and instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 37(4), 65-77.

Malhottra, Y., & Erickson, R. E. (1994). Interactive educational multimedia: Coping with the need for increasing data storage. Educational Technology, 34(4), 38-46.

Marcus, A. (1992). Graphic design for electronic documents and user interfaces. New York, NY: ACM.

Marquez, M. E., & Lehman, J. D. (1992). Hypermedia user-interface design: The role of individual differences in placement of icon buttons. Journal of Educational Mutimedia and Hypermedia, 1(4), 417- 429.

Megarry, J. (1991). 'Europe in the round': Principles and practice of screen design. Educational and Training Technology International, 28(4), 306-315.

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., O'Dell, J. K., Schultz, C. W., & Higginbotham-Wheat, N. (1989). Implications for the design of computer-based instruction screens. Computers in Human Behavior, 5(3), 167-173.

Nelson, W. A., and Palumbo, D. B. (1992). Learning, instruction, and hypermedia. Journal of Educational Mutimedia and Hypermedia, 1, 287- 299.

Nielsen, J. (1992). Finding usability problems through heuristic evaluation. In Proceedings of CHI '92 (pp. 373-380). New York, NY: ACM.

Pastoor, S. (1990). Legibility and subjective preference for color combinations in text. Human Factors, 32(2), 157-171.

Pettersson, R. (1982). Cultural differences in the perception of image and color in pictures. Educational Communication and Technology Journal, 30(1), 43-53.

Reilly, S. S., & Roach, J. W. (1986). Designing human/computer interfaces: A comparison of human factors and graphic arts principles. Educational Technology, 26(1), 36-40.

Retinking, D. (1992). Differences between electronic and printed text: An agenda for research. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 1(1), 11-24.

Reynolds, L. (1982). Display problems for teletext. In D. H. Jonnassen (Ed.), The technology of text: Principles for structuring, designing, and displaying text (pp. 415-437). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology.

Richards, S., Baker, P., Giller, S., Lamont, C., & Manji, K. (1991). Page structures for electronic books. Educational and Training Technology International, 28(4), 291-301.

Rivlin, C., Lewis, R., & Davies-Copper, R. D. (1990). Guidelines for screen design. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific.

Shneiderman, B. (1992). Designing the user interface: Strategies for effective human-computer interaction (2nd ed.). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Tolhurst, D. (1992). A checklist for evaluating content-based hypertext computer software. Educational Technology, 32(3), 17-21.

AMTEC 1997 Conference, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Elizabeth Boling, Barbara Bichelmeyer, Kurt Squire, Sonny Kirkley
Indiana University
Last updated 1 June 1997
URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~iirg/RESEARCH/AMTEC97/lit.html