Database Reference
In-Depth Information
User Interface Design Principles
The best mechanism for interacting with any application is often a user interface. Therefore, it becomes
important to have an efficient design that is easy to use. When designing the user interface, your primary
consideration should be the people who will use the application. They are your target audience, and
knowing your target audience makes it easier for you to design a user interface that helps users learn and
use your application. A poorly designed user interface, on the other hand, can lead to frustration and
inefficiency if it causes the target audience to avoid or even discard your application.
Forms are the primary element of a Microsoft Windows application. As such, they provide the
foundation for each level of user interaction. Various controls, menus, and so on, can be added to forms
to supply specific functionality. In addition to being functional, your user interface should be attractive
and inviting to the user.
Best Practices for User Interface Design
The user interface provides a mechanism for users to interact with your application. Therefore, an
efficient design that is easy to use is of paramount importance. The following are some guidelines for
designing user-friendly, elegant, and simple user interfaces.
Simplicity
Simplicity is an important aspect of a user interface. A visually “busy” or overly complex user interface
makes it harder and more time-consuming to learn the application. A user interface should allow a user
to quickly complete all interactions required by the program, but it should expose only the functionality
needed at each stage of the application. When designing your user interface, you should keep program
flow and execution in mind so that users of your application will find it easy to use. Controls that display
related data should be grouped together on the form. ListBox, ComboBox, and CheckBox controls can be
used to display data and allow users to choose between preset options.
The use of a tab order (the order by which users can cycle through controls on a form by pressing
the Tab key) allows users to rapidly navigate fields.
Trying to reproduce a real-world object is a common mistake when designing user interfaces. For
instance, if you want to create a form that takes the place of a paper form, it is natural to attempt to
reproduce the paper form in the application. This approach might be appropriate for some applications,
but for others, it might limit the application and provide no real user benefit, because reproducing a
paper form can limit the functionality of your application. When designing an application, think about
your unique situation and try to use the computer's capabilities to enhance the user experience for your
target audience.
Default values are another way to simplify your user interface. For example, if you expect 90 percent
of the users of an application to select Washington in a State field, make Washington the default choice
for that field.
Information from your target audience is paramount when designing a user interface. The best
information to use when designing a user interface is input from the target audience. Tailor your
interface to make frequent tasks easy to perform.
Position of Controls
The location of controls on your user interface should reflect their relative importance and frequency of
use. For example, if you have a form that is used to input both required information and optional
information, the controls for the required information are more important and should receive greater
