Earthdata User Interface Patterns: Building Usable Web Interfaces Through a Shared UI Pattern Library

Abstract:

As more Earth science software tools and services move to the web--the design and usability of those tools become ever more important. A good user interface is becoming expected and users are becoming increasingly intolerant of websites and web applications that work against them. The Earthdata UI Pattern Library attempts to give these scientists and developers the design tools they need to make usable, compelling user interfaces without the associated overhead of using a full design team. Patterns are tested and functional user interface elements targeted specifically at the Earth science community and will include web layouts, buttons, tables, typography, iconography, mapping and visualization/graphing widgets. These UI elements have emerged as the result of extensive user testing, research and software development within the NASA Earthdata team over the past year.