Coordinating User Interfaces for Consistency
Use this guide to understand the practices that guarantee regularity in user interfaces.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Coordinating User Interfaces for Consistency
Chapter 7: Consistency as Process
Overview
RICHARD WOLF
Lotus Development Corporation
Consistency means that similar user actions lead to similar results. Consistency allows the user to transfer skills from one area to another.
Consistency in the real world is a multifaceted issue, comprising conflicting requirements. The resolution of these conflicts is for the most part a process issue rather than a technological issue. Methods for achieving consistency primarily involve process - the flow of information and decisions through an organization.
Aspects of consistency
Consistency is composed of conflicting elements.
Self consistency
Each application should be self consistent - similar actions within an application should lead to similar results. Self consistency is most readily achieved with a coherent internal model. For example, a spreadsheet is a grid of cells containing formulas that define what will appear in the cells. Almost every aspect of a spreadsheet builds on this simple concept. Conversely, lack of an internal model leads to an application whose user interface consists of a collection of commands with little structure or organization.
Consistency across applications
Applications should be consistent with each other - similar user actions in different applications should lead to similar results. An operation may have a somewhat different meaning in different domains, but the syntax should consist of the same or analogous actions and the semantics should be similar. The importance of consistency implies that in many cases specialized user interface solutions should be discarded in favor of the common solution.
Consistency over time
Applications should be consistent with prior versions...
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