Basics
GUI Usage

Most modern applications have a very similar layout to their main windows. They offer a view of a document and the controls needed to manipulate it. Controls for actions are accessed through menus, with short cuts available through tool bars and the keyboard. Feedback of what is happening to the document is usually displayed on a status bar.

The model for this user interface is so prevalent that it is used even when the content being displayed by an application is only a document in a very loose sense, for example, in a file manager.

Several points must be fulfilled before a piece of software may be termed "user friendly" (note that even today, 80 to 90% of software doesn't fulfill every point).

To be user friendly, software must be:

• task-suitable: Don't offer so much functionality that it confuses the user or harms functionality.
• understandable: When the user uses the application for the first time, the user should be able to see quickly what it does and how to use it.
• navigable: The user should always be able to tell where he/she/it is. Don't restrict navigation too much.
• conformable to expectations: The application should be consistent throughout!
• tolerant of mistakes: Users are human - they make mistakes. The application should allow them to Undo (without crashing, in particular).
• feedback-rich: The application should always give immediate feedback to the user regarding which actions(s) are being taken.

Previous Next