Menu, Form Fill-in and Dialog Box (Human Computer Interaction)

Introduction

Menu is a way to present available instructions for users. Form fill-in is a mean for interactive system to ask data or information from users. Dialog box is a response from interactive system after users give intructions that need parameters, e.g. When users click Open icon

The primary goal for menu, form fill-in, and dialog-box designers is to create a sensible, comprehensible, memorable, and convenient organization relevant to the user's task

There are several type of menus :

1. Single menus
2. linear sequence menus
3. tree structure menus
4. cyclic and acyclic network menus

Single Menus

A menu with binary choice (True or False, Yes or No), for example

• Mnemonic Letters

• Radio Buttons

• Button Choice

• Pull-down

• Pop-up

• Toolbar Menus

• Menus for Long List

• Embedded Menus

Combinations of Multiple Menus

1. Linear Sequence Menus
2. Simultaneous Menus
3. Tree-structured menus 
4. Menu Maps
5. Acyclic Networks Menus
6. Cyclic Networks Menus
7. Menu Layout 

Form Fill-in

Appropriate when many fields of data must be entered :

• Full complement of information is visible to user.
• Display resembles familiar paper forms.
• Few instructions are required for many types of entries.

 Form fill-in design guidelines :

• Meaningful title
• Comprehensive instructions
• Logical grouping and sequencing of fields
• Visually appealing layout of the form
• Familiar field labels
• Consistent terminology and abbreviations
• Visible space and bounderies for data-entry fields
• Convenient cursor movement
• Error correction for individual characters and entire fields
• Error prevention where possible
• Error messages for unacceptable values
• Marking of required fields
• Explanatory messages for fields
• Completion signal to support user control 

Dialog Boxes

Dialog boxes is a combination of menu and form fill-in techniques.

Internal layout guidelines:

• Meaningful title, consistent style
• Top-left to bottom-right sequencing
• Clustering and emphasis
• Consistent layouts (margins, grid, white space, lines, boxes)
• Consistent terminology, fonts, capitalization, justification
• Standard buttons (OK, Cancel)
• Error prevention by direct manipulation 

External Relationship :

• Smooth appearance and disappearance
• Distinguishable but small boundary
• Size small enough to reduce overlap problems
• Display close to appropriate items
• No overlap of required items
• Easy to make disappear
• Clear how to complete/cancel