Definitions
These are the definitions used when designing the Virtual Reality Simulator.
- Accessibility: Objects and environments should be designed to be as usable, without modification, by as many people as possible.
- Advanced Organizer: An instructional that helps people understand information in terms of what they already know.
- Coding: Messages, directions and information should utilize security coding when an event occurs infrequently and the consequences of misunderstanding a message are costly. Economy coding can be used for events that occur often and have less severe consequences if the message is misunderstood.
- Color: used in design to attract attention, group elements, indicate meaning and enhance aesthetics.
- Confirmation: A technique for preventing unintended actions by requiring verification of the actions before they are performed. This is related to constraint and forgiveness.
- Constraints: A method of limiting the actions that can be performed on a system. Note that these constraints can be physical or psychological.
- Errors: An action or omission of action yielding an unintended result. 2 types: 1.) Slips unintended actions 2.) Mistakes: the action is intended, but it is the incorrect action.
- Forgiveness: Design Elements that reduce the probability of errors and minimize the negative consequence of errors when they do occur.
- Hick's Law: The time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of alternatives increases.
- Highlighting: A technique for bringing attention to an area of text or an image. These include: bold, italics, underlining, color, in-versing and blinking.
- Implicit Knowledge in the world: The configuration (shape or appearance) of the mechanism indicates the operation and purpose.
- Immersion: A state of mental focus so intensive that awareness of the real world is lost, generally resulting in a feeling of joy and satisfaction. Note that this principle is emotional in nature.
- Pictorial Representation: operational and representative elements should look like the characteristics or systems being represented.
- Progressive Disclosure: A strategy for managing information complexity in which only necessary or requested information is displayed at any time.
- Redundancy Gain: Using more than one type of stimulus to represent a characteristic or condition.