An interface is a set of commands or menus through which a user communicates with a program. A command-driven interface is one in which you enter commands. A menu driven interface is one in which you select command choices from various menus displayed on the screen. The user interface is one of the most important parts of any program because it determines how easily you can make the program do what you want. A powerful program with a poorly designed user interface has little value. Graphical user interfaces (Gui's) that use windows, icons, and pop-up menus have become standard on personal computers.
Crystal Maze was British Game Show running from 1990 to 1995, initially hosted by Richard O'Brien and later by Edward Tudor-Pole. Produced by Jacques Antoine. Very obviously inspired by Fort Boyard.
The map on the left shows what the maze looked like through series 1-3.
http://thecrystalmaze.wikia.com/wiki/Zones. The Zones in the first three series were:
- Industrial zone was purple
- Aztec zone was yellow
- Futuristic zone was blue
- Medieval zone was green
- Crystal Dome was white
Each week, six contestants would have to complete a series of challenges in four adventure zones (at first- Industrial, Futuristic, Aztec and Medieval. In the fourth series, Ocean replaced Industrial). Completing these challenges would mean receiving a time crystal. If contestants failed to leave the room (crystal or not) before time ran out, or broke certain rules in some games, they were locked in and could only be released in exchange for a crystal. The map on the right shows what the maze looked like through series 4-6. http://thecrystalmaze.wikia.com/wiki/Zones. The zones in the last three series were:- Ocean zone was purple
- Aztec zone was yellow
- Futuristic zone was blue
- Medieval zone was green
- Crystal Dome was white
The final part was always the Crystal Dome, where contestants would have a certain amount of time (determined by how many crystals won- 5 seconds per crystal) to collect gold tokens blown about by a big fan. Silver tokens were also present and these would result in a deduction from a score (which could- and often did- lead to a negative total score). If they got over a certain total, they would win prizes: usually adventure holidays in B-level British resort towns. the bullet points below explain what each zone had
- Aztec (Series 1–6) Set in the past. The Zone housed 22 tons of sand, and over half the plants were real. After Series 1, the move of studios meant that Aztec had more 'breathing space' and the zone could expand giving it more open space and the painted 'rainforest' diorama more distance from the main set. It was also accompanied by the Forest River (not shown on the map — see 'Entering the Maze').
- Industrial (Series 1–3) Set in the 20th/21st century. The majority of the set was constructed from corrugated iron/aluminium and gave cameramen much more freedom compared to other zones, as a slip with a camera could result in seeing the roof of the hangar in other zones, yet in Industrial it didn't matter, and fitted in with the theme of the zone. The sweeping camera jib was also greatly used in this zone, predominantly for the scenes of running upstairs (to or from Medieval Zone). The zone changed slightly from Series 1 to Series 2 with the greater 'spread', due to more available space, and the painted skyline Diorama, and also Industrial was, at the time, the only zone to have two proper floors.
- Ocean (Series 4–6) Set also in the 20th century and apparently sunken. Replaced Industrial from Series 4 onwards, the Zone had three mini-zones within itself, the Boiler Room section (usually the reused materials from Industrial zone), the Main Saloon (brand new Bird's Eye Maple interior with fish tanks behind porthole windows) and the Front of the Ship section (with the Cave game, and an extra set of stairs on the outside of the maze). In Series 5, the illuminated chandeliers were scrapped to make the ship look more abandoned, however it seemed to make the Saloon appear much more dull.
- Medieval (Series 1–6) Also set in the past. The Zone is notable in that it was the place of residence for both O'Brien and Tudor-Pole. It went through many slight changes through the six series, including the addition of O'Brien's dining table. One episode included fictitious portraits of the O'Brien family, 'Daddy's' armour also featured, as a way of releasing the crystal from the Excalibur game. A live bird of prey was introduced for Tudor-Pole's time in the maze and the entrance to the maze was also changed greatly, with the addition of gravestones, statues and a rarely seen painted diorama, glimpsed in a few episodes of Series 3.
- Futuristic (Series 1–6) Set in the future, after the events of 2245. Despite having a seemingly poor entrance (see 'Entering the Maze') the zone was quite exciting and very well laid out, with two sections, the main Computer Room, and then the longer Observatory corridor at the back end of the zone; both were originally connected by one corridor and then during Series 2 and 3 a secondary corridor was introduced from the Aztec Lift back to the Computer Room (however this was not shown until the map was renewed in Series 4). The zone had few changes, other than the bright blue floor in the Console Room in Series 3, and the loss of 'half of planet Earth' as a section of the painted diorama was removed from the outer wall (often showing up badly in many episodes after Series 2).
Shoot 'em ups are categorised by design elements, mainly viewpoint and movement: "fixed shooters" consist of levels that each fit within a single screen. The main character's movement is fixed to a single axis of motion, and enemies attack in a single direction. Rail shooters limit the player to moving around the screen while the game follows a specific route; these games often feature an into the screen viewpoint, with which the action is seen from behind the character, rail shooter is also often applied to light gun shooters that use "on-rails" movement, and the term has also been applied to linear first-person shooters such as Call of Duty in recent years. "Tube shooters" feature craft flying through an abstract tube. the two pictures below show the differences between the fixed shooters and the linear shooters.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=on+rail+shooter&num=10&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1680&bih=930&tbm=isch&tbnid=akS-M7ev5pOESM:&imgrefurl=http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/26558905/wii-is-kiddy...-right.-56k&docid=mvDA-sMkvQ4lIM&imgurl=http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/02/12/resident-evil.jpg&w=646&h=363&ei=Y67LTuT8G8Oi8QPX7-DvDw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=210&sig=107455023075689247327&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=78&tbnw=139&start=0&ndsp=38&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=67&ty=39
An interface is the place where two different things meet and interact. This term often comes
up with regard to computers. Data processing takes place inside the computer, and thoughts
take place inside the user of the computer, and they meet at an interface, which is a keyboard
and a monitor screen (and usually speakers as well).
Normally, the term interface most commonly used in networking world. Every networking equipments of the world are connected through interfaces in order to make intelligible communications such as-routers, switches hubs-these devices has interfaces. One important characteristics of interface is that they should have the combination of input and output. through interfaces in order to make intelligible communications such as-routers, switches, hubs-these devices has interfaces. One important characteristics of interface is that they they should have the combination of input and output.
Normally, the term interface most commonly used in networking world. Every networking equipments of the world are connected through interfaces in order to make intelligible communications such as-routers, switches hubs-these devices has interfaces. One important characteristics of interface is that they should have the combination of input and output. through interfaces in order to make intelligible communications such as-routers, switches, hubs-these devices has interfaces. One important characteristics of interface is that they they should have the combination of input and output.
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty, mainly affecting reading and spelling. About 10% of the population are affected by dyslexia to some degree, it tends to run in families; it is known that there are several genes that contribute to a genetic risk of dyslexia. Brain scanning studies suggest that, in dyslexic people, the connections between different language areas of the brain do not work as efficiently as they should. However, these differences are not linked to intelligence, and there is evidence that many dyslexic people have strengths and abilities in tasks that involve creative and visually-based thinking.
Dyslexic people usually find it difficult to analyse and work with the sounds of spoken words, and many have difficulties with short-term memory, sequencing and organisation. This means that it is more difficult for them to learn how spoken sounds map onto letters, which affects the ability to spell and the ability to decode or ‘sound out’ words. Although many dyslexic people can learn to use phonic, decoding, skills they typically need a great deal of instruction, and they often never reach a stage where these skills are fully automatic. Dyslexia is not the same as a problem with reading. Many dyslexic people learn to read, but have continuing difficulties with spelling, writing, memory and organisation. There are also people whose difficulties with reading are not caused by dyslexia. Dyslexia often causes problems in maths: many dyslexic people have difficulties with arithmetic and with learning and recalling number facts. The degree to which dyslexia causes problems, in learning and in everyday life, depends on many factors. These include the severity of the dyslexia, the other strengths and abilities that a person has, and the kind of teaching and support they may have been given.
this will affect i UI because Dyslexia people don't have a memory i will have to make the menus and controls simple to use for the zone i have chosen for my project. i will also have to my sounds and names of the challenges clear.
Color blindness is a condition where a person has a deficiency with color vision this is mostly an inherited condition and there are certain colors a person cannot distinguished from another. If a person is inflicted with the most common Red/Green form of color blindness they have difficulty telling the difference between shades of red and green colors. This form represents 99% of color blindness. The other form of color deficiency is Blue/Yellow. This form of color blindness is not common and testing is difficult to obtain. Red/Green color blindness inflicts about 12% of boys and 1% of girls. Shades of gray color blindness, a.k.a. totally color blind, is very rare. No treatment exists today to minimize the condition or to reverse color blindness. OtherContrary to popular belief, being color blind does not mean a person sees the world in black, white, or gray shades, rather, just some colors get confused. It is rare for this to occur.
The table below shows the good and bad points about UI's
As you can see for every good point their is a bad point, i will made my ui as simple as i can so im not going to add loads of information to the pages because the user will find that the pages are to cluttered and it will be hard to see where links are on the page to move to the next page. i will use pictures and abbreviations on my page so that the user doesn't have to much going on on the page.
The zone i will make will need a mini map because of the size and because of how close everything is to each other, it will also be the main part of my head up display. the zone i will be creating will be a futuristic zone because i like the modern look of the zone and the way that its all laid out.
For my zone i will need to use futuristic materials and objects such as aerogel that looks like smokey glass, e-textiles which is lit up clothing and transparent aluminum. i will design small symbols that i will use in my zone and alien like pictures just make the zone look as if it was made outer this world, the image to the left show the different materials that are all real. http://weburbanist.com/2009/06/16/10-fantastic-futuristic-materials-that-actually-exist/?ref=search.
Final Designs for my Project
The table below shows the good and bad points about UI's
| Design | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shallow information architecture | Fewer clicks to find info | More clutter |
| Deep information architecture | Clean, reduced clutter | More clicks to find info |
| Small font | More information per screen | More difficult to read for some users |
| Large font | Easier to read | Less information per screen |
| Drop-down box | Selection amongst many choices using limited space | Hidden choices |
| Radio buttons | See all selections at all times | Additional space required, clutter |
| Icons | Quick recognition once learned, aesthetically pleasing | Must be learned |
| Text links | Always understood | Must be read, do not stand out as actionable items as much from other text |
| Abbreviations | Save space | Must learn or recognize |
| Full text | Easily understood | Requires additional space |
| Keyboard shortcuts | High speed of data entry | Must be learned |
| Point and click | Intuitive | Additional time required for interaction due to increase motor skills required |
As you can see for every good point their is a bad point, i will made my ui as simple as i can so im not going to add loads of information to the pages because the user will find that the pages are to cluttered and it will be hard to see where links are on the page to move to the next page. i will use pictures and abbreviations on my page so that the user doesn't have to much going on on the page.
The zone i will make will need a mini map because of the size and because of how close everything is to each other, it will also be the main part of my head up display. the zone i will be creating will be a futuristic zone because i like the modern look of the zone and the way that its all laid out.
For my zone i will need to use futuristic materials and objects such as aerogel that looks like smokey glass, e-textiles which is lit up clothing and transparent aluminum. i will design small symbols that i will use in my zone and alien like pictures just make the zone look as if it was made outer this world, the image to the left show the different materials that are all real. http://weburbanist.com/2009/06/16/10-fantastic-futuristic-materials-that-actually-exist/?ref=search.Final Designs for my Project
These print screens show the first three designs for my user interface, the one on the left is the first design of the HUD, it shows how i started with an aztec theme which later changes to a futuristic design shown on the right hand side of the page, i like all of the designs but their are floors with them all, i decided to use different parts from each one to make my final design which is below, i like the third design because the bridge design i used and was inspired by the call of duty experience bar at the bottom of their user head up display, i also liked the honeycomb health bar i used on the first bar, i will use these on my final design. For my final design i will make a futuristic interface because the parts i will use from these designs look furturistic.
Final Design
Final Design
