Localized Text-Free User Interfaces

User interface is an essential element of an information system from the user perspective. The use of text in the user interface presents a challenge to some users, such as illiterate, elderly, non-local language speakers, or users with any disabilities. Numerous studies have proposed text-free user interfaces based on non-textual aids such as pictograms, audio, video, or specialized hardware. Such rich elements in the user interface have implications for an information system’s storage and processing requirements. We propose using concept hierarchies to present a dynamic interface to a user based upon user characteristics. A drill-down approach may present more specific interface elements to a user, and a roll-up scheme can identify more generalized interface elements. The proposed scheme can be used to manage internal data of large user interfaces with a rich set of features more effectively as it is computationally inexpensive than sequential processing techniques. We also explore various physical and psychological characteristics of elements and evaluate user preference for them. The results of a survey of 200 respondents show that users consider the use of various colors, alignments, mental models, and look & feel to be essential criteria in interface design. We also conclude that size of interface elements and the use of characters for expressing emotions are significantly important characteristics in interface design. The future work will apply the proposed scheme to a full spectrum of applications ranging from enterprise systems to mobile applications.