Introduction

The GUI component bloopers described in Chapter 2 consist of using incorrect or faulty interactive controls in a GUI. Another type of highly visible error has to do with the details of how user interface elements appear and where they are placed relative to each other. I call such errors "layout and appearance" bloopers. Like GUI component bloopers, layout and appearance bloopers can be readily spotted by someone who knows what to look for when reviewing or testing the user interface of a software product or service.

Admittedly, layout and appearance bloopers are usually less important than the other bloopers mentioned in this book. However, I include them anyway because they are extremely numerous in most user interfaces I review or test. Even minor errors can, in sufficient quantity, detract significantly from the usability of a software product or service, and also from its quality as perceived by users and potential customers.

As I point out in Blooper 80: Anarchic development (Section 8.2.2), software developers are not yet accustomed to thinking of themselves as publishers. They come from the world of engineering, and most think they are still in that world. It hasn't yet dawned on most of them how similar their business has become to that of companies that create magazines, newspapers, books, TV shows, and movies. The bulk of software developers have therefore not yet learned to develop and follow strict standards for layout and appearance, and to give the degree of attention to detail that traditional...