Progress Programming Tips

PPT-23  UI Design - Least surprise rule

Tip:

A good rule to keep in mind for UI design is the rule of
Least Surprise.  This rule states that part of a good user
interface is that the user should NEVER be surprised!  This can
be as simple as the tab order among widgets or as dramatic as
eye-popping dialogs.

At the heart of this rule is consistency and visual clues.  As an
example if a menu selection is going to present a dialog of options
then include the ellipses (...) with the name if not then don't.

Wisdom:

Never expect the user of your software to care how neat it is.

Rod Gaither                  | rdg@worldinfo.com
World Information Systems    | (910) 333-2580  Voice
Greensboro, NC               | (910) 333-2584  Fax