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.
Subject:Re: how to present numerous options From:Anne Weiner <annew -at- INTERDYN -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 31 Jul 1998 17:37:06 -0700
Cyndy,
> > I have a list of options for a field (30 of them). Users can toggle
> > through the various options to pick the one they wish. Should these
> > options be alphabetized, or presented in the same order the program
> > displays them in?
> >
> > The field in question is on a portable data collector (only a 20
> > character LCD screen) so a user uses the arrow keys to toggle
> through
> > options, you can go backwards or forwards (which is the reason I'm
> not
> > sure to present them in a specific order since that order can be
> > reversed).
[Anne Weiner] I would definitely present the options in the
order the program presents them. I'd do it that way so users could get
some sense of where they are in the list (or matrix) of options and when
to watch for the one they want--"Oh, if I type DownArrow three more
times I'll have the option I want.
Anne Weiner, Technical Writer
Internet Dynamics, Inc.
3717 Thousand Oaks Boulevard
Westlake Village, CA 91301
voice: 805 / 370-2234 mailto:annew -at- interdyn -dot- com http://www.interdyn.com