Constraint

Constraint is the method of limiting actions on a system to make it more usable and easy to navigate. There are 6 main types of constraint, of which the Ningaloo Destination Model does exemplify some of these. The most obvious and predominantly used is the psychological constraint that applys symbols. Icons are the driving force of this Destination Model as they are more visually appealing, thus simplifying the design by eliminating more words/information. The symbols used to create the icons are forms of psychological constraint.

Symbols creating meaning through language, people are supposed to identify with which model run they would like to view by firstly clicking on a relevant icon. This can also be seen as a 'convention' type of psychological constraint, as people in the 21st century are very familiar with computer programs and interactive software they are easily able to navigate through a program. This Destination Model however does lack sufficient descriptions as to how one is supposed to use the model.

The slider helps the user choose an appropriate year the would like to view data on. This is a form of physical constraint. The design uses 'paths' to constrain the movements of the slider to a single line. The user cannot go over over the amount of years listed or below they are constrained to what is seen.

"Mapping' is a form of psychological constraint. It influences a users behaviour by the perceived relationships between elements. For instance, when needing to roll the window down in a car, you are automatically pre-disposed to pressing the button or using the handle closed to the window you want moved. This is how 'mapping' is used in design. This concept is used in my Destination Model in a number of ways. To make the graphs have less 'noise' and more simplified, I took out the axis lines. The value of each bar (say, on a bar graph) is then shown on top of the bar, so the user automatically knows the value of each variable. Each axis is labelled an each bit of data is shown, but due to their position within the graph, the viewer is able to immediately know what it relates to. For the graph shown below, the user knows that the first bar corresponds to 'shop' and the second to 'eat out' and so forth, while the y-axis shows the number of hours spent at the locations.

If we look at the model as a whole:

You can see that all parts interact with each other. Through the idea of 'mapping' the user is able to distinguish certain sections from other sections. You wouldnt click a Scenario option to move the slider up and down for example. Everything sits in its own place but also relates.