Subject:
So You've Analyzed Your Users' Tasks. Now What?
So You've Analyzed Your Users' Tasks. Now
What?
In these two articles, Vertical Research, Inc. (a
human factors design and development company) discusses a vital part of the
software development process: translating the analysis of a typical user's
needs
into a real user interface.
The first article discusses the relationship between
an application's objects and those operations that can be performed on the
objects, and shows how Microsoft Windows presents these relationships in its
menus. Next, the article presents the use of tabs and buttons in dialog
boxes.
The short second article lists common sense rules for
dialog box layout.
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Approaching Menu Design Using the
Object-Action Model
This detailed article introduces the Microsoft
Windows interface as a translation of user's needs into categories of objects
and actions. Using the example of text editing, they state "With object-action,
the user first selects an object, such as some text, a graphic, or the like,
and
then selects a command to act on that object."
The article discusses the basics of presenting
objects, operations, menus, and dialog boxes.
Designing a UI in a Win95
World
http://www.vrix.com/design/design.htm
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Suggestions for Dialog
Boxes
In a very brief accompanying article, Vertical
Research offers specific guidelines for using titles, labels, check boxes,
combo-boxes, option buttons, and other dialog box components.
Style Guide - Dialog Boxes
http://www.vrix.com/style/style.htm
