Design strategy of optimal user interface for each user and system using analytic hierarchy process

This paper proposes a method of selecting design strategies for user interfaces for audio-visual (AV) remote controllers based on the analytic hierarchy process. In this method, the design policy for the optimum user interface (UI) is selected on the basis of the function and scale of the AV system and the user's knowledge. This paper proposes a new model with six evaluation criteria—functional choice, operating procedure, knowledge of the AV equipment, system structure, user behavior and psychology. As a final option, we have decided our design strategy for the user interface—visual, functional, sensor and input and output, and interactive oriented. In order to verify the proposed model, a prototype of the AV remote controller operated by a 32-bit RISC microcomputer was built. Then the experiment was carried out using two cases: one where a beginner operates a small-scale system and the other where an experienced AV user operates a large-scale system. The result showed that the optimum UI design strategy was the UI with importance given to interactive and visual aspects in the case of the beginner with the UI emphasizing the functional aspect in the case of the professional. This indicates that, like the results obtained from the previously proposed model, the newly proposed model is expected to enable UI design befitting more directly the actual situation of AV systems that tend to become larger in scale and multifunctional.