Chapter 1

� Every application should fill the screen. The screen is small enough as it is, and there's
no point in making your user interface smaller than that.
Note There are exceptions to this rule – in fact, there are good exception
cases for most style guide rules. For instance, an application designed
to add handwriting recognition to a device that doesn't build it in would
need to use a window that floats above the current application. A fullscreen
window would be entirely the wrong approach in this case.
Arguably, the word 'application' is also wrong for such a program.
� Each application should have a menu bar, usually containing an Application menu, an
Edit menu and an optional Folders menu. A button bar is optional, but the status bar
should always be visible.
� Each application should take into account the different methods of inputting text,
whether it's through handwriting recognition or the virtual keyboard – or both.
� Good color contrast (a color that stands out from the background) and a nonserif font
of reasonable size and type should be used for all non-dimmed items in the user
interface.
� Make your application's main features easy to find out about (and easy to use) through
the menus, button bar, different views, and folders.
� Try to fit most of the application features within the designated application space – only
use scroll bars and scroll arrows where absolutely necessary.
� Create icons that have specific meanings within the user interface (not just for
decoration), and apply them where most appropriate – within the application space,
menus or on the button bar. Make sure they are dimmed out when not in use.
� Design the user interface so that it renders well for the different zoom levels supported
by the system.
14.4.2 Designing List and Detail Views
In UIQ, users do not have access to a file system, so applications must provide their own
means of selecting data to view and edit. This is done through List views and Detail views.
List views display multiple entries vertically, allowing users to browse to, navigate to and
open a specific entry:
� Make sure that they are scrollable where necessary.
� Don't include menu options that act on individual entries in the list.
Detail views are reachable from list views and focus on data to be edited, through tabs:
� Provide multiple tabs on the button bar to show different parts of the editable data.
� Reuse system icons or provide text for the tabs.
14.4.3 Designing Menus and Folders
The menu bar should always be visible. As mentioned earlier, it will normally include an
Application menu, the standard Edit menu and, optionally, a Folders menu:
� Use the name of the application for the Application menu.
� Keep the menus consistent as far as possible between different views.
� Avoid using cascading menus unless absolutely necessary.
� Make the text for menu commands as short as possible and use the ampersand
instead of the word 'and'.
� Don't repeat the wording on the menu bar or cascading menu item (if applicable).
� Dim unavailable menu items in most cases.,
� Use radio buttons for 'Sort by' commands.
� Avoid ellipses to indicate commands that lead to dialogs.
� Use dividers to group similar commands together.