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Principles of Screen Design
for
Computer Based Learning Materials
extended research paper on usability via the screen
This is a rather uneasy blend of an academic research paper [the author's Ph.D thesis, it would seem] and a practical guide. It's dense with citations and bibliographic references to support almost every topic in a paragraph, but underneath that, it's full of sound advice, with useful list of guidelines in bulleted points at the end of each chapter.
It starts with some rather descriptive approaches to fundamentals which most users would now take for granted. There are definitions of what a 'window' is and how scrolling works - though this might make the publication useful for a complete beginner. There are useful comparisons of reading in print and on screen, but the evidence for his claims is based on research which is showing its age - most of it from the 1980s when the first edition of the publication appeared.
He discusses font size, justification, line length (8-12 words maximum) use of colour (be consistent) - and he's honest enough to admit that the research on colour and graphics comes from media other than computers. In fact, some of the 'research findings' turn out to be rather obvious: "pictures not related to the information in the text will not enhance learning of the material".
A chapter on Web design illustrates the choice (and contrast) between deep-and-narrow structure and shallow-and-wide - but he doesn't consider the network structure of a design that exploits the full potential of hypertext.
There is good advice on page design and the need for consistent navigational aids, but the suggestions are disappointingly illustrated with old-fashioned line diagrams instead of the screenshots which this chapter badly needs.
There's a big bibliography, but it should be used very selectively. It's full of research papers dating back as far as 1950, and it lacks any mention of the major names in hypertext and screen design (Nelson, Nielsen, Siegel) which Clarke should have picked up in his review of the literature. There's even a conclusion that offers a tabulated review of the papers mentioned, and a ten-page appendix of bulleted points listing the chapter summaries.
This is a study that seems to be disappearing up its own bibliography, but what the hell, it's free! From the Department for Education and Employment. Tel +44 (0)1709 888688.
© Roy Johnson 1998
[more ONLINE LEARNING books]
Alan Clarke, Principles of Screen Design for Computer Based Learning Materials, Sheffield: Department for Education and Employment, 1997, p.147, No ISBN allocated
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