Social network service based on image has been already focused in other countries for the next-generation social media, as one of vertical SNS exchanging interested subjects. It has excellent usability of image sharing and inspection function because ...
Social network service based on image has been already focused in other countries for the next-generation social media, as one of vertical SNS exchanging interested subjects. It has excellent usability of image sharing and inspection function because the interface is optimized in respectively different environment of user without any restrict of screen ratio change. Furthermore, in social media based on existing profiles, useful characteristics for using are approved by the form of third party. Thus, the reason for being evaluated that usability is good because it obeys basic principles of user interface design well and essential conditions of usability are satisfied.
Social network service based on image, a next-generation SNS method, is gradually enlarging its influence in the market of social media, so its application is expected to be high. However, the standard of systematic development is not prepared and it's urgent to change the media rather than improve usability because of the changes of web using environment, which is replaced by mobile rapidly. So, there are insufficient professional analyses and researches on the usability.
Therefore, this study intended to examine characteristics and current situation of social network service and users focusing on social network service based on image, prepare guidance of social interface manufacture by analyzing the usability of interface design and suggest the standard.
For the subject of analysis, three things of Flickr, Pinterest and Pinspire, which currently provide service based on the web platform in Korea by referring reported materials of DMC media and design analysis and heuristic evaluation by expert group were conducted by restricting the range of visual and functional aspects of web interface. For the detailed evaluation items, there are navigation: function and menu and screen organizing factors; layout, icon, typography, color. And, for the standard of analysis, evaluation factors which are requested commonly in 9 usability evaluation standards including Jakob Nielsen, simplicity, universality, aesthetics, stability, consistency, effectiveness, etc. were drawn.
As the results of this study, interface design standards of social network based on the image of good usability are as follows.
The first, convenience of information acquisition and convenience of communication are improved, the process of login is simplified and the accessibility is increased by individualization. The second, top navigation method in the center of screen should be mainly utilized and the location must be fixed all the time. The hierarchical structure of menu should be organized simply less than 2 steps. The third, for the layout, vertical multi-steps grid which can be easily optimized should be utilized by the changes of screen ratio and the space of screen components should be certainly arranged so as to improve the stability. The fourth, the abstract form of icon must be simplified and using of strongly symbolic icon must be rejected. In addition, understanding should be improved by combining typography and noun formed label and utilizing it. The fifth, typography must improve legibility by using web basic font of Gothic line and using of image letters must be excluded. The sixth, the background was applied by low chroma and achromatic color, landscape was applied by middle chroma less than three colors and chromatic color and point color was applied by logo color, so consistency is given to the identity.
This study expects that the standard of 6-area interface manufacture, which are results of this research, can contribute to the development of interface focusing on users and improvement of usability as the standard which improves user's web accessibility and increases the convenience of information acquisition and watching method. Especially, this research is very significant because it prepares guidances as the case study which is a foundation for developing prototype model of social platform based on the image, that will be vitalized in the future.