TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Have you looked at the "Windows Interface Guidelines for Software
Design"? It's a Microsoft Press book that I've found to be very helpful
in backing up my claims about expected behavior, etc. The HTML version
is also online but is somewhat more cumbersome to navigate:
I'm sure there are lots of others. Are you looking for information for
human factors kinds of issues or just standard (as in Microsoft Windows)
design issues? I also have a book called "Human Factors for Technical
Communicators" by Marlana Coe (Wiley publisher ... one of the Wiley
Technical Communication Library series) that might be helpful.
Jane
Jane Bergen, Technical Writer
AnswerSoft, Inc.
Richardson, TX (972)997-8355
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Hinds [mailto:THinds -at- TIMESLIPS -dot- COM]
> Sent: Thursday, July 23, 1998 11:00 PM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Field Labels
>
>
> Does anyone know of a good reference that states rules
> (standards) of GUI
> design?
> I am interested in rules that specifically deal with the
> labeling of fields.
>
> My team is midway through a project. We are writing a manual
> and help files
> for a group of applications.
> In some of the dialog boxes there are fields that are not labeled.
> For example, one dialog box contains a set of columns. Some
> columns contain
> a heading; some do not.
>
> To make it easier on the writer (and eventually the user of
> the product) I
> insist that all fields are labeled.
> I would like to show the developers a rule or two supporting
> my demands.
> This would be much easier (and also better for work politics,
> although maybe
> less effective) than applying a sleeper hold or figure-four
> leg-lock until
> the head of the development team submits to the field naming scheme I
> desire.
>
> If you can, please forward any such rules that you find.
> Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
>
> Tom Hinds