elements of user interface design in software engineering

The following are important elements of user interface design.

All these are the basic design elements of user interface

The requirement to decomposition the user dialogue into elementary operations also means that the input of commands should take place via a minimum of individual actions. Menu commands provide a mean to achieve this goal.

Classification of menus

Pop-Up Menus. It prove more efficient because they can appear at any position therefore they require less mouse movements.

Pull Down Menus. It permit better structuring of an extensive set of commands and are easier to use with a single button mouse.

The user can click on the menu bar with the mouse to display all the commands belonging to a menu and can select a command, likewise with the mouse.

Menu commands classification

Three Types of menu commands

• Directly executable commands
• Commands with parameters
• Commands four switching modes

Directly executable commands

Directly executable including all menus commands that require no parameters or that operate on a current selection.

For example command cut and paste are elementary operations.

With the simple Mouse click the user causes the system to carry out an action that normally involves processing data.

Commands with parameters

These are similar in effect to those in the first class. They differ primarily in the user actions that are required to execute them.

For example, text editor command find and find next locate certain characters in a text.

Find has an implicit parameter, the position at which searching is to begin. The execution of the command prompts the user to input additional parameters. Input prompting Is normally handled via a dialogue window. The execution of such a command thus requires several sequential input from the user.

To simplify the repeated execution of a command with the same parameters, it can be useful to use a dedicated, immediately executable menu command find next.

Commands for switching modes

Instead of manipulating data, the menu command for switching modes cause a change in mode that affects subsequent commands or the way in which data is displayed.

Switching between insert and overwrite mode and the command controls in a text editor to display normally invisible control characters.

General tips about menu commands

A frequently neglected task in the design of menu system is the choice of appropriate wording for the menu commands. Apply the rule that the commands should be short as possible yet still meaningful.

In the design of menu system, similar commands should be grouped together under the same menu.

The more frequently a command is used, the higher in the menu it should be placed to avoid unnecessary Mouse motion.

The basic possibilities for handling the situation where a command is invoked in a mode where it cannot be executed are

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