Week 5

colour theory is more than just pretty colours: it is a way that we see and interpret the world 

it can have biological and cultural implications 

colour blindness must always be accounted for

typography is the art of letters and text, and how they're designed - font is a part of typography 

if possible, make allowances for those with dyslexia and vision impairment. 

as a general rule: the smaller the text is, the simpler the font should be. 

• eye strain should be minimised as much as possible 

legibility > creativity when it comes to font choice 

Gestalt Principles/Laws are how things are perceived in relation to each other 

• similarity - things that share characteristics are related in some way

• proximity - items close together must have something in common

• symmetry - things that are symmetrical are typically related 

• closure - when we see a shape within other shapes 

• past experience - applying pre-existing schemas to new situations (e.g. the floppy disk save symbol)

• continuity/good figure/simplicity - when several objects interact in such a way that they can be interpreted as a single object

Nielson's 10 Heuristics are general principles for interaction design. They are more like guidelines than actual rules. 

• visibility of system status - knowing that something is still happening; the feedback system

• match between system and real world - meeting the player's expectations of how things work e.g. westerners would expect a book to read left to right 

• user control and freedom - how easily players can undo their mistakes 

• consistency and standards - set the rules and then stick to them e.g. enemy characteristics

• recognition rather than recall - giving the player all the info they need to make correct inferences without requiring them to find new info themselves 

• error prevention - warning messages e.g. "closing will lose progress" 

• flexibility and efficiency of use - allowing shortcuts and extra options 

• aesthetic and minimalist design - not overcrowding the UI; avoid irrelevant info 

• help users recognize and recover from errors - hints; tips; bug alerts etc. 

• help and documentation - providing the information the player needs to understand the game