Cover of the reissue edition from 2002
Cover of the reprint edition from 2002
A high-resolution scan is available
(109 K JPEG)
Cover of the original 1989 edition
Cover of the original edition from 1989.

Coordinating User Interfaces for Consistency

Book edited by Jakob Nielsen, originally published by Academic Press, Boston, MA, 1989. Reprint edition 2002 published by Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Francisco.
ISBN 1-55860-821-4 (reprint edition), 0-12-518400-X (original edition)

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Preface to the reprint edition
Contributors

1. Executive Summary: Coordinating User Interfaces for Consistency

Jakob Nielsen, Technical University of Denmark

Advantages of Consistency
User Advantages
User Company Advantages
Vendor Company Advantages
The Dangers of Consistency
Dimensions of Consistency
Methods for Consistency

2. The Dimensions of Consistency

Wendy Kellogg, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

The Many Faces of Consistency
Describing Interfaces Along the Dimensions of Consistency
Evaluating Designs for Consistency
Implications for Creating Consistency through CUIs

3. A Cost Benefit Analysis for Corporate User Interface Standards

Daniel J. Rosenberg, Ashton-Tate

The Scope of a Corporate User Interface Look and Feel
The Benefits and the Costs
Specific Development Costs
Data on UI Costs
Calculating the Financial Break Point
Marketplace Variables
Business Issues
Technical Factors
Legal Issues

4. Coordinating Consistency of User Interfaces, Code, Online Help, and Documentation with Multilingual/Multitarget Software Specification

Gary Perlman, The Ohio State University

Problems with User-Oriented Targets
Examples
Experimental Design Specification
Data Bases of Bibliographic References
Data Analysis System Interface
Command-Line-Option Parser-Generator
Electronic Survey System
Properties of Multilingual/Multitarget Programs
Cost/Benefit Analysis

5. Achieving Consistency for the Macintosh

Bruce Tognazzini, Apple Computer

Corporate Commitment
Developer Community Commitment
Guidelines
History
About Our Guidelines
About Our Developer's Guidelines
Key Applications
Flexibility
Promotion
The Users
The Dealers
The Press
Full Hardware Support
Full Software Support
Expansion
Quality-Assurance
User Testing

6. Developing the XUI Style

Michael Good, Digital Equipment Corporation

User Interface Style Guide
Toolkit
Consulting and Design
Electronic Communication
Electronic Conferencing
Conferencing and Iterative Design
Developing a New Interface Style
Sharing Early Prototypes
User Interface Trade Fairs
Conclusion
Corporate Commitment
Contextual Interface Design

7. Consistency as Process

Richard Wolf, Lotus Development Corporation

Aspects of Consistency
Self Consistency
Consistency Across Applications
Consistency Over Time
Consistency with a Platform
Consistency Across Platforms
Conflicts
User Interface Architect
Individual Developer
Organization

8. New Ways to Consistent Interfaces

Ianne Koritzinsky, GE Medical Systems

Defining a More Consistent Interface
Concept Development
Keeping the Appearance Constant
Develop Consistent Dialog
Interaction Mechanisms can be Habit-Forming
Tools for Defining a Consistent Interface
A Simple Design
The Style Guide
Call Back User Code
A Virtual Interface
Object-Oriented Programming
Graphically Generating the Interface Code
Political Support
Lining Up Management Support
Engineering Ownership
Incorporating it in the Culture
Sharing the Vision
Sustaining the Vision
Consistent Practices

9. Tools for Generating Consistent User Interfaces

Charlie Wiecha, William Bennett, Stephen Boies, and John Gould, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Overview of ITS Tools
Role of the Application Expert
Role of the Application Programmer
Role of the Style Expert
Role of the Style Programmer
Structure of an Application Developed Using ITS Tools
How the ITS Architecture Promotes Interface Consistency
Beyond Toolkits
Beyond Traditional User Interface Management Systems
Generate Interfaces Automatically
Rules Go Beyond Direct Manipulation Interface Editors
Tools for the Application Expert and Programmer
Data Types
Dialog Content is Defined Using Markup Tags
Employee Browser Dialog
Applications are Structured as a Collection of Functions
Applications Communicate with the Dialog Manager Through Tables
Transfer of Control Between Functions
Action-Object and Object-Action Interactions
Tools for the Style Expert and Programmer
Design Rules in the ITS Architecture
The Application Expert
The Style Expert
The Application Programmer
The Style Programmer
Extending Toolkits to Support Consistency
Include Application Data Types
Experience to Date

10. Bibliography

Index

The authors' affiliations are given as they were in 1989. Many have since become the leaders of user interfaces in other companies.

Also note that even though this book was written in 1989, most of the chapters are still right on target and describe the main issues in UI consistency and the best methods for promoting consistency. Most of the issues are organizational and relate to design rather than technology.