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When you need a set of nested menu options to meet the user's task requirement,
consider the classical hierarchical menu. This layout puts two levels
of menu on the same screen as shown in Figure 8.
Research shows that the single screen with many options is faster and
more easily understood than nested menus. Sequence the groups and option
by task flow as much as possible. People get to know their job from the
menu groups and sequence. Otherwise, group by subject or function. Avoid
alphabetical sequences. Users may have a different understanding of which
option name to look for compared to yours. Should they look under N
for New Employee or H for Hire Employee?
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Figure 8. Just because you're doing GUI
design, don't eliminate the classical hierarchical menu for particular
situations. If you have modal task flows that always lead back to a "hub"
– use the hierarchical menu. Here's a GUI version with charts and
hot spots for mouse selection. For best comprehension, keep it to 6 groups
or less, no more than 10 items in a single group, with a maximum of 18-24
items total.
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Reduce Motor Work
Issue: Have you ever scanned a 160 column
print-out and jumped a line? How can you avoid clicking on the wrong line
in a scrolled list with several columns? Look at Figure
9. Locate the phone number of Abraham Edwards. Did you appreciate
the blank line?
Solution: If a list requires that the
user scan between columns, add a blank line after every five or six lines.
The blank line serves as a ruler to prevent the eye from accidentally
jumping up or down a line. Alternative soul solutions include use of a
thin hairline every five or six lines, or you may alter the shade of the
background every five or six lines. Use a consistent number of lines to
define a group.
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Figure 9. When the user must scan across
several columns, place a blank line every 5 or 6 lines to prevent jumping
between rows. Be consistent in the number of rows in a group. Also, reduce
scanning requirements by putting the most frequently used columns close
together, if it's logical. In this example, consider putting the phone
numbers closer to the name if you know there will be a lot of empty space
in the list.
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Some corollary solutions to motor demands in screen layout:
- Group command buttons to simplify target identification. Buttons with
familiar functions such as OK, Help, and Cancel should appear in a consistent
position across all windows. (We recommend the bottom left of the window
for OK and bottom right for Help and Cancel.) Users use their visual-kinesthetic
memory to locate those buttons rapidly. This frees attention and targeting
time for the new, task specific button. See Figure
10.
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Figure 10. Keep OK, Help, and Cancel in
familiar positions throughout your application. Segregate the task buttons
to clarify the task groups and minimize hitting the wrong button.
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