Menu-Selection and Form Fillin

Menu selection design guidelines 4 Semantic organisation logical grouping of options –sensible, understandable, memorable menus must have logical grouping of options based on user’s task single menu is simplest, but options are few (in GUIs radio buttons or check boxes can be used) binary (Yes/No) menus are a possibility extended menus (multiple pages are more normal)

Extended menus 4 Strategies for extended menus include –multiple screens –multiple screens accessed hierarchically –scrollable “single” windows –pull-down menus –pull-down menus: lower levels invisible until accessed from a top menu bar –pop-up menus –pop-up menus: context-sensitive availability of option lists

Menu selection guidelines 4 Use task semantics to group menu options 4 Use “broad and shallow” options rather than “narrow and deep” (but “seven plus or minus two” rule applies) 4 Make items brief; show position by numbers, graphics or titles 4 Use meaninful sequences of items 4 Use consistent grammar, layout, terminology 4 Provide short-cuts (e.g., “hot-key combinations) 4 Allow jumps to previous menus

Form fillin design 4 Meaningful titles - dictated by task, not computer, semantics 4 Comprehensible instructions –brief, jargon-free instructions preferred 4 Logical grouping and sequencing of fields –close as possible to paper form “template” 4 Visually appealing layout –uniform spacing is better than crowded areas 4 Familiar field-label names and order of entry –left-to-right, top-to-bottom but with task logic in mind

Form fillin: Error handling and feedback 4 Error correction 4 Error correction for individual characters and entire fields –user should not be forced to “complete” data entry before backtracking to make corrections error-messageson-line help 4 Clear error-messages and on-line help for invalid entries 4 Optional 4 Optional and compulsory fields clearly distinguished completion signal 4 Clear completion signal –avoid making completion automatic; explicit confirmation of “finish” is preferable