EXERCISE 7.6
Find a book on guidelines. List the guidelines
that are provided and classify them in terms of the
activity in the software life cycle to which they
would most likely apply.
answer
We use as a source of guidelines Mayhew's
book Principles and Guidelines in Software and
User Interface Design [230]. In general, all guidelines
offer constraints on the design activity and so should
be known during the requirements phase. In the following
list, we will concentrate on what other stages (architectural
design, detailed design, coding and unit testing,
integration and testing) will be most affected by
the guidelines. The numbers in parentheses indicate
the page reference for the given guideline.
Architectural design
- Present functionality through a familiar
metaphor. (97)
- Provide similar execution style of
analogous operations in different applications.
(97)
- Organize the functionality of a system
to support common user tasks. (442)
- Make invisible parts and processes
visible to the user. (95)
Detailed design
- Consistent dialog style for different
functions. (97)
- Match menu structure to task structure.
(144)
- Create logical, distinctive and mutually
exclusive semantic categories with clear meanings.
(150)
- Design and organize a fill-in form
to support the task. (184)
- Consider voice synthesis as an output
device when the user's eyes are busy, when mobility
is required, or when the user has no access to a
workstation or screen. (427)
Coding and unit testing
- On full-screen text menus, present
menu choice lists vertically. (148)
- In a fill-in form, use white space
to create a balance and symmetry and lead the eye
in the appropriate direction. (186)
- Avoid frequent use of shift or control
keys. (256)
- Place high-use function keys within
easy reach of the home row on the keyboard. (281)
Integration and testing
- Allow full command names and emphasize
them in training, even if abbreviations are allowed.
(261)
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