Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics

Print-friendly Version

Books Index

Chapter 2, Windows | Chapter 7, Wizards

The JDC is pleased to present two chapters from Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics, published by Addison Wesley Professional.

About the Book

Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics provides advanced guidelines for user interfaces based on the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) with the Java look and feel. This new book is a companion volume to the award-winning Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines, Second Edition.

This book describes how to:

• Choose the right type of window for each user task.
• Organize menus logically, especially in applications with multiple windows.
• Enable users to view, search, and work with large sets of objects.
• Make your application easier to learn by reusing patterns of JFC components.
• Make your application seem faster to users even when you cannot increase its actual speed.
• Design wizards that are efficient for new and experienced users.
• Display alarms in applications that manage or monitor systems, such as networks or large computer systems.

About the Chapters

Chapter 2, "Windows," defines user-interface objects and then describes various types of windows. In addition, the chapter describes how to choose the right window type, design window elements, set the state of windows, and handle multiple windows.

Chapter 11, "Wizards," introduces wizards and then describes how to decide whether your users need a wizard, how to design the layout and behavior of wizards, and what other factors to consider when designing wizards.

Ordering Information

Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics, published by Addison-Wesley was released in December 2001. You can order the book now from online booksellers such as:

Amazon.com
Fatbrain.com
Informit.com (Search for "java look and feel".)

About the Author

Robin Jeffries, Ph.D, is a Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems. Robin is currently the User Experience Architect in Sun's Chief Technologist's Office, where she focuses on company-wide issues in product design and usability. She directed the team of human-interface designers who worked on Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics.

Before joining Sun, Robin spent 15 years as a researcher at the University of Colorado, Carnegie-Mellon University, and Hewlett-Packard Laboratories. In addition to having written more than thirty papers in human-computer interaction and cognitive science, she holds four user-interface patents.

Chip Alexander is a Designer and Style-Guide Evangelist in the Chief Technologist's Office at Sun Microsystems. Chip was a lead human-interface designer for Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines: Advanced Topics.

Before joining Sun, Chip designed web-based and traditional user interfaces for enterprise-application products at ASK Computers, Ross Systems, and Oracle. In addition, he has served as User Interface Architect at Bidcom Inc. and as Director of User Interface Design at DiamondCluster International. He has more than 15 years of experience designing intuitive user interfaces, leading design teams, and creating user-interface style guides.

Chapter 2, Windows | Chapter 7, Wizards

Have a question about programming? Use Java Online Support.