We organize what we read and how we think about information by grouping it spatially. We read a screen in the same way we read other forms of information. The eye is always attracted to the colored elements before black and white, to isolated elements before elements in a group, and to graphics before text. We even read text by scanning the shapes of groups of letters. Consider the following principles when designing the organization and composition of visual elements of your interface: hierarchy of information, focus and emphasis, structure and balance, relationship of elements, readability and flow, and unity of integration.
The principle of hierarchy of information addresses the placement of information based on its relative importance to other visual elements. The outcome of this ordering affects all of the other composition and organization principles, and determines what information a user sees first and what a user is encouraged to do first. To further consider this principle, ask these questions:
In other words, what are the priorities of a user when encountering your application's interface. For example, the most important priority may be to create or find a document.
Will your ordering of information support or complicate a user's progression through the interface?
What a user sees first should match the user's priorities when possible, but can be affected by the elements you want to emphasize.
The related principle of focus and emphasis guides you in the placement of priority items. Determining focus involves identifying the central idea, or the focal point, for activity. Determine emphasis by choosing the element that must be prominent and isolating it from the other elements or making it stand out in other ways.
Where the user looks first for information is an important consideration in the implementation of this principle. Culture and interface design decisions can govern this principle. People in western cultures, for example, look at the upper left corner of the screen or window for the most important information. So, it makes sense to put a top-priority item there, giving it emphasis.
The principle of structure and balance is one of the most important visual design principles. Without an underlying structure and a balance of visual elements, there is a lack of order and meaning and this affects all other parts of the visual design. More importantly, a lack of structure and balance makes it more difficult for the user to clearly understand the interface.
The principle of relationship of elements is important in reinforcing the previous principles. The placement of a visual element can help communicate a specific relationship of the elements of which it is a part. For example, if a button in a dialog box affects the content of a list box, there should be a spatial relationship between the two elements. This helps the user to clearly and quickly make the connection just by looking at the placement.
This principle calls for ideas to be communicated directly and simply, with minimal visual interference. Readability and flow can determine the usability of a dialog box or other interface component. When designing the layout of a window, consider the following:
The last principle, unity and integration, reflects how to evaluate a given design in relationship to its larger environment. When an application's interface is visually unified with the general interface of Windows, the user finds it easier to use because it offers a consistent and predictable work environment. To implement this principle, consider the following: