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Subject:Long lists From:Daniel D Hall <MISTERHALL -at- PRODIGY -dot- NET> Date:Tue, 11 May 1999 08:08:07 -0700
I think David is right on with his comments on memory. To a TW it should
be obvious that meaningful information sequenced logically is more easily
recalled than the random data of the original research.
One other consideration arises, however. When working with menus, lists
of more than 12-15 items take up an awful lot of screen real-estate. This is
a problem I frequently encounter when helping PC novices. Often their
windows <START> menu has 30 - 40 items/folders, and obscures two-thirds of
the screen when open. I have also found this to be true with Corel's
PhotoPaint 8. Several of the menus are so long, that they prevent the user
from seeing the on-screen preview of the effects.
When we are offered the opportunity to assist with the interface design,
I believe that this must be one consideration, even if it is not the most
important.
