The design of ergonomic HMIs centered on the concepts of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) is fundamental to the success of software development projects, especially in the web and mobile areas. Here is how AViSTO integrates this essential human component into its engineering services.

Ergonomic HMI Definition

The purpose of ergonomics is to adapt objects and materials to make their use easy in everyday life, at work and at home. It must be concerned with the physical, perceptual and cognitive characteristics of the users. To summarize, this is the way the man will perceive how to use a hardware, a software, a website, an application.

As the ergonomics is to adapt the interface to the characteristics of the end user, it is therefore necessary to define the target audience.

User Centered Development

For any intervention in the field of HMI ergonomics, AViSTO carries out a study that gathers different criteria for analyzing the user interface and the user experience:

• Information architecture: definition of global structure and screen zoning
• Content strategy
• Usability, interactivity, accessibility
• The user interface: ergonomics and graphic charter

These criteria are associated with methods of analysis that fit into the project management process, since they provide a basis for defining needs and analyzing demand in depth.

Demand analysis is the first step in any ergonomic intervention. It also intervenes, throughout a project, at key moments, where it is necessary to reframe the objectives and refocus the issues.

HMI design

An application must be easy to use. Its interface must therefore allow the user to make the best use of the system’s functionalities, and to take action quickly and efficiently.

In general, the HMI must be user-friendly, which covers several criteria:

• Ease and efficiency of use
• Speed ​​of access
• The ease of learning
• Use without errors
• The satisfaction of its users

Usability is different depending on the context and the user target.

Responsive Design

The concept of Responsive Design, or Adaptive Design, brings together different principles and technologies that form a web-design approach that provides the visitor with an optimal user experience.

The responsive design makes it possible to consult the same website on different devices (PCs, tablets, smartphones, TV) with the same visual comfort and without having to resort to horizontal scrolling or zooming in / out, which can degrade the comfort of use.

To avoid specific developments, for example mobile applications (App), it is recommended to make a single version of HTML5 / CSS3, so that the website adapts to different media and screen resolutions. Future evolutions for different media as well as maintenance are greatly simplified.

Flat Design

Flat Design is a category of web design, it is a minimalist representation where each element has a function. Its great strength is to combine aesthetics and performance to make the user experience more enjoyable.

Colors are fundamental because they highlight the functional items of the interface (navigation, hierarchy of contents, buttons …).

Iconography adds value by highlighting information, giving it meaning (type, category, ranking help). The icons are to be used sparingly and their creation must be in the same graphical trend as the defined chart.

Finally, the use and choice of visuals is of utmost importance. An elegant and attractive visual also conveys messages. A visual aesthetic misrepresents the graphic chart, regardless of its quality.

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