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Subject:Re: Need help creating a GUI Standards guide From:"Steven Feldberg" <steven -at- icu -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 19 May 2000 04:31:27 -0400
> mhbartel -at- ThoughtWorks -dot- com:
> > My project team is thinking of creating a GUI Standards guide for the
> > project, i.e., the standards will apply only to this project.
> > Aside from looking at other GUI Standards guides, does anyone have
any
> > suggestions for _how_ to write such a guide? Also, do you recommend any
> > particularly good GUI Standards guides whose formats/organizations we
> could > mimic?
In addition to the MS/Apple/Sun guides and Alan Cooper's excellent book
("About Face"), you might want to check out Susan Fowler's two volumes on
the subject: "The GUI Style Guide" and "The GUI Design Handbook." The
Handbook presents an alphabetical listing of graphical interface controls,
how they work, what they're good for, tips, traps, and so on. Looking
through either of these books should impart a sense of how to write such a
guide as well (the format and organization).
/Steven Feldberg
Feldberg Communications
steven -at- icu -dot- com