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Designing the User Interface

Display Things | Capture Things | Navigate | Panel Layout

Considerations on the Panel Layout

Keep it Clean and Uncluttered
Position According to Importance and Commonality
Alignment

Keep it Clean and Uncluttered

The primary consideration in arranging design elements on a panel is that it should be simple and easy to read. This means avoiding the situation of having cluttered or busy panels, and keeping from "window pollution." Of course, this is easier said than done. Often the design team will specify more items to appear on a panel than can be implemented without it being cluttered. This calls for creative solutions on the part of the designers, such as splitting the items up by category and implementing them in multiple panels with a very easy and intuitive way of navigating from one to the other.

Position According to Importance and Commonality

People tend to view panels from the top down and left to right. That means that the most important information should be positioned in the top left corner of the panel, and that information regarding a conclusion, such as "Okay" and "Cancel" buttons, should be placed in the bottom right corner.

Items on any panel should be positioned based on commonality. Things that all relate to each other should be clustered together with white space separating different clusters.

Alignment

Attention should be paid to how design elements are aligned. There should be a focus on the horizontal and the vertical. Jagged columns of items that are not well aligned will cause the panel to appear cluttered, even if the number of items is not excessive.