Structure and Function

A software system must have the appropriate function and structure to support a natural work flow. Just as architects draw floor plans to see the structure and flow of a house, the User Environment Design (UED) captures the system ‘floor plan’ showing the functions in each ‘room’ supporting the user’s work and how the user moves between rooms.

With the UED you can make sure the structure is right for the user, plan coherent feature sets in a series of releases, and manage the work of the project across engineering teams.

Interaction Design patterns guide the structure of the user interface as it supports the intent of the different parts of the system represented in the UED. Design patterns define the overall visual structure of the UI, placement and grouping of UI functions, and the type and structure of content that is presented to the user.