Java Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 8-1.
A high-level table schema
While the preceding analysis may appear to be stating the obvious, it does emphasize the
layout principles the table schema does very well. The analysis performed on the
JTable
can
and should be done for the overall layout of any GUI interface. You should look for these crite-
ria in a user interface:
•
All data is presented in the minimum amount of space, without being cluttered or
disorganized.
•
The user should be able to locate necessary information quickly.
•
In most cases, the interface must scale to fit more or less data.
Human Interface Concepts
Human interface concepts go beyond simple data layout organizational techniques. Human
interface design schemas organize the user's flow of events when attempting to complete a
task. For instance, deciding how to lay out data in order to maximize its readability is a
layout
decision. Deciding how to lay out the entire act of selecting a data item and modifying it is a
human interface
decision. In short, human interface decisions determine how users interact
with the system.
The point of a GUI is to create an easy method of interaction between a user and a system.
The GUI, in a certain sense, acts as a layer of shielding, abstracting the actual functions of the
system away from the user. When the user clicks a button to save a document, the system may
have to go through a number of steps to save the file:
1.
The application validates the file integrity.
2.
The system calculates the physical size of the file.
3.
The system checks the hard disk to see if there is enough available space to save
the file.
4.
The application writes the file to the file system.
