1.2 BE CONSISTENT ANOTHER IMPORTANT ASPECT IS TO STRIVE FOR CONSISTE...

7.1.2 Be consistent

Another important aspect is to strive for consistency. This is considered using the

appropriate metaphors; use identical terminology in prompts, menus and help screens.

The abbreviations and terminology used should be standardized and controlled. The

interface should have consistent layout, fonts and colors. It is preferable to use up to four

standard colors, and additional colors reserved for occasional use. This aspect is

important for the user to be able to predict what will happen, to recognize the

environment and to categorize objects that belong together.

Use the same font for the captions of title bars and buttons. Also, make the title

bar’s backgrounds different than the other background colors; this way it makes it more

apparent which screen space is designated to which container. Also, as explained above,

the different components of the Operations Monitor should be aligned to a reference

frame. It is important that the Operations Monitor takes advantage of the screen space,

to minimize the need of scrolling when displaying information.