programming-for-dummies

Designing a User Interface 307
Figure 10-20:
Before you
can use this
program to
create a
story, you
must
choose a
file first.
Rather than focus on the user’s convenience, the program in Figure 10-20
focuses on the program’s convenience and forces the user to make things
easier for the program instead of the other way around. By not focusing on
the main task (creating stories), this program forces users to work harder to
use the program than they should.
Book II
Chapter 10
Principles of User
Interface Design
Make navigation easy
After users start working with a program, they need to switch back and forth
between viewing their data in different ways. For example, a Web browser
lets users view Web pages (data) and new or previous Web pages easily by
either typing in a new Web site address or clicking the Back and Forward
buttons. By making it easy for the user to do what she wants, the user interface
aids the user without drawing attention to itself.
At any given time, users should always be able to view their data in a previous
state (such as seeing the preceding Web page) or view their data in a
new way (such as seeing a new Web page or changing the size of text on the
current Web page). By making it easy and predictable for users to manipulate
data, a good user interface can make even the most complicated program
simple to understand and eventually master.
There’s no “perfect” user interface because every user interface must cater
to different types of users. However, by following user interface design guidelines,
you can make sure your program not only looks good but also helps
the user get some work done with your program, which is the ultimate goal
of any program.