Apple Human Interface Guidelines

• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 348
• Edition: 2006-05-23
• Category: Library

✦ Table of Contents

Apple Human Interface Guidelines
Contents
Tables and Figures
Introduction
Part I: Application Design Fundamentals
The Design Process
Involving Users in the Design Process
Know Your Audience
Analyze User Tasks
Build Prototypes
Observe Users
Guidelines for Conducting User Observations
Making Design Decisions
Avoid Feature Cascade
Apply the 80 Percent Solution
Characteristics of Great Software
High Performance
Ease of Use
Attractive Appearance
Reliability
Adaptability
Interoperability
Mobility
Human Interface Design
Human Interface Design Principles
Metaphors
Reflect the User’s Mental Model
Explicit and Implied Actions
Direct Manipulation
User Control
Feedback and Communication
Consistency
WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
Forgiveness
Perceived Stability
Aesthetic Integrity
Modelessness
Managing Complexity in Your Software
Keep Your Users in Mind
Worldwide Compatibility
Cultural Values
Language Differences
Text Display and Text Editing
Resources
Universal Accessibility
Visual Disabilities
Hearing Disabilities
Physical Disabilities
Extending the Interface
Build on the Existing Interface
Don’t Assign New Behaviors to Existing Objects
Create a New Interface Element Cautiously
Part II: The Macintosh Experience
The Mac OS X Environment
The Always-On Environment
Displays
The Dock
Conveying Information in the Dock
Clicking in the Dock
The Finder
File Formats and Filename Extensions
Internationalization
Multiple User Issues
Resource Management
Threads
Using Mac OS X Technologies
Address Book
Automator
Bonjour
Colors
Dashboard
High-Level Design Guidelines for Widgets
User-Interface Design Guidelines for Widgets
Fonts
Preferences
Printing
Security
Speech
Spotlight
User Assistance
Apple Help
Help Tags
Software Installation and Software Updates
Packaging
Identify System Requirements
Bundle Your Software
Installation
Use Internet-Enabled Disk Images
Drag-and-Drop Installation
Installation Packages
General Installer Guidelines
Setup Assistants
Updating Installed Applications
Part III: The Aqua Interface
User Input
The Mouse and Other Pointing Devices
Clicking
Double-Clicking
Pressing and Holding
Dragging
The Keyboard
The Functions of Specific Keys
Character Keys
Space Bar
Tab
Enter
Return
Delete (or Backspace)
Clear
Esc (Escape)
Modifier Keys
Shift
Caps Lock
Option
Command
Control
Arrow Keys
Appropriate Uses for the Arrow Keys
Moving the Insertion Point
Extending Text Selection With the Shift and Arrow Keys
Moving the Insertion Point in “Empty” Documents
Function Keys
Help
Forward Delete (Fwd Del)
Home, End
Page Up, Page Down
Keyboard Shortcuts
Reserved Keyboard Shortcuts
Creating Your Own Keyboard Shortcuts
User-Defined Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard Focus and Navigation
Type-Ahead and Key-Repeat
Selecting
Selection Methods
Selection by Clicking
Selection by Dragging
Changing a Selection
Selections in Text
Selecting With the Mouse
What Constitutes a Word
Selecting Text With the Arrow Keys
Selections in Spreadsheets
Selections in Graphics
Editing Text
Inserting Text
Deleting Text
Replacing a Selection
Intelligent Cut and Paste
Editing Text Fields
Entering Passwords
Drag and Drop
Drag-and-Drop Overview
Drag-and-Drop Semantics
Move Versus Copy
When to Check the Option Key State
Selection Feedback
Single-Gesture Selection and Dragging
Background Selections
Drag Feedback
Destination Feedback
Windows
Text
Lists
Multiple Dragged Items
Automatic Scrolling
Using the Trash as a Destination
Drop Feedback
Finder Icons
Graphics
Text
Transferring a Selection
Feedback for an Invalid Drop
Clippings
Text
Fonts
Style
Inserting Spaces Between Sentences
Using the Ellipsis Character
Using the Colon Character
Labels for Interface Elements
Capitalization of Interface Element Labels and Text
Using Contractions in the Interface
Using Abbreviations and Acronyms in the Interface
Developer Terms and User Terms
Icons
Icon Genres and Families
Application Icons
User Application Icons
Viewer, Player, and Accessory Icons
Utility Icons
Document Icons
Icons for Plug-ins
Hardware and Removable Media Icons
Toolbar Icons
Icon Perspectives and Materials
Suggested Process for Creating Aqua Icons
Tips for Designing Aqua Icons
Cursors
Standard Cursors
Designing Your Own Cursors
Menus
Menu Behavior
Designing the Elements of Menus
Titling Menus
Naming Menu Items
Using Icons in Menus
Using Symbols in Menus
Toggled Menu Items
Grouping Items in Menus
Hierarchical Menus (Submenus)
The Menu Bar and Its Menus
The Apple Menu
The Application Menu
The Application Menu Title
The Application Menu Contents
The File Menu
The Edit Menu
The Format Menu
The View Menu
Application-Specific Menus
The Window Menu
The Help Menu
Menu Bar Extras
Contextual Menus
Dock Menus
Windows
Types of Windows
Window Appearance
The Title Bar
The Window Title
Title Bar Buttons
Indicating Changes With the Close Button
The Proxy Icon
Toolbars
Drawers
When to Use Drawers
Drawer Behavior
Source Lists
Brushed Metal Windows
Window Behavior
Opening Windows
Naming New Windows
Positioning Windows
Moving Windows
Resizing and Zooming Windows
Minimizing and Expanding Windows
Closing Windows
Window Layering
Main, Key, and Inactive Windows
Click-Through
Scrolling Windows
Automatic Scrolling
Utility Windows
Inspector Windows
Info Windows
About Windows
Fonts Window and Colors Window
Dialogs
Types of Dialogs and When to Use Them
Document-Modal Dialogs (Sheets)
Sheet Behavior
When to Use Sheets
When Not to Use Sheets
Alerts
The Elements of an Alert
Writing Good Alert Messages
Dialog Appearance and Behavior
Accepting Changes
Dismissing Dialogs
Providing an Apply Button in a Dialog
Expanding Dialogs
Find Windows
Preferences Windows
The Open Dialog
Dialogs for Saving, Closing, and Quitting
Save Dialogs
The Minimal Save Dialog
The Expanded Save Dialog
Closing a Document With Unsaved Changes
Attempting to Save a Locked or Read-Only Document
Saving Documents During a Quit Operation
Quitting an Application That Is Not Document-Based
Quitting an Application With Multiple Unsaved Documents Open
Saving a Document With the Same Name as an Existing Document
The Choose Dialog
Printing Dialogs
Print Dialog
Page Setup Dialog
Fax Dialog
Controls
Buttons
Push Buttons
Push Button Specifications
Metal Buttons
Metal Button Specifications
Bevel Buttons
Bevel Button Specifications
Icon Buttons
Icon Button Specifications
Round Buttons
Round Button Specifications
The Help Button
Help Button Specifications
Selection Controls
Radio Buttons
Radio Button Specifications
Checkboxes
Checkbox Specifications
Segmented Control
Segmented Control Specifications
Icon Buttons and Bevel Buttons With Pop-Up Menus
Pop-Up Menus
Pop-Up Menu Specifications
Command Pop-Down Menus
Command Pop-Down Menu Specifications
Combination Boxes
Combo Box Specifications
Placards
Color Wells
Image Wells
Date Pickers
Adjustment Controls
The Stepper Control (Little Arrows)
Stepper Control Specifications
Slider Controls
Slider Control Specifications
Indicators
Progress Indicators
Relevance Indicators
Relevance Indicator Specifications
Level Indicators
Capacity Indicators
Rating Indicator
Text Controls
Static Text
Static Text Field Specifications
Text Input Fields
Text Input Field Specifications
Token Fields
Token Field Specifications
Search Fields
Search Field Specifications
Scrolling Lists
Scrolling List Specifications
View Controls
Disclosure Triangles
Disclosure Triangle Specifications
Disclosure Buttons
List Views
Column Views
Split Views
Tab Views
Tab View Specifications
Tab View Measurement Differences Between Carbon and Cocoa
Tab View Differences Between Previous Mac OS X Versions
Grouping Controls
Separators
Separator Specifications
Group Boxes
Group Box Specifications
Layout Examples
Positioning Full-Size Controls
A Simple Preferences Dialog
A Changeable Pane Dialog
A Standard Alert
Brushed Metal Application Window Example
Using Small and Mini Versions of Controls
Layout Example for Small Controls
Layout Example for Mini Controls
Grouping Controls in a Window
Grouping With Separators
Grouping With White Space
Grouping With Group Boxes
Using a Pop-up Menu in Place of Tabs
Appendix A: Keyboard Shortcuts Quick Reference
Appendix B: Prioritizing Design Decisions
Meet Minimum Requirements
Deliver the Features Users Expect
Differentiate Your Application
Glossary
Revision History
Index
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Z