ISO 9241 Part 14: Menu dialogues

Citation

ISO 9241-14:1997 Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) -- Part 14: Menu dialogues.

Status

International Standard. Will be replaced by ISO 9241-131.

Lifecycle Phase

Create the user experience.

Type of Guidance

Principles and general recommendations.

Application Area

Software.

Scope

This part of ISO 9241 provides recommendations for the design of systems that use menus (such as pop-up, pull-down and text-based menus). The standard begins by reviewing the application areas where menus are most useful (for example, when use of the system is infrequent and the user does not know what options are available). The recommendations cover: menu structure (such as logical categories, grouping options and ordering items); menu navigation (including titles and access time); option selection and execution (including selection methods, use of the keyboard and voice activation); menu presentation (including placement and use of icons). The standard contains three annexes. The first is a sample procedure for assessing applicability and adherence and includes a ten-page checklist (using a conditional compliance route, see the description of ISO 9241-12). The second annex provides three scenarios of how to apply the standard (from the perspective of the user interface designer, the procurer and the evaluator). The third annex is a detailed bibliography.

Audience

User interface designers and evaluators.

See Also

ISO 9241-110:2006 Ergonomics of human-system interaction -- Part 110: Dialogue principles.

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